Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who had been booked for allegedly making objectionable comments about prophet Mohammed on a television debate, would soon be called for questioning, city police commissioner Sanjay Pandey said on Monday.
Senior police officers said they would soon send a notice to Sharma asking her to appear before the investigators. “The decision to send a notice to her in the case was taken days before she tendered an apology,” an officer said.
The case against Sharma was registered on May 28 based on a complaint filed by Irfan Abubakar Shaikh, joint secretary, Raza Academy. Shaikh alleged that he received a Twitter link on WhatsApp, containing a video of the debate on Gyanvapi mosque, televised on an English news channel, in which Sharma along with three others participated. Shaikh alleged that Sharma made objectionable remarks about Islam and the prophet.
She has been booked under sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), and 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, for hatred or ill will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code.
After her comments caused public outrage, BJP suspended her. Sharma on Sunday tweeted that she unconditionally withdrew her statements, as her intention was not to hurt anyone’s religious feelings.
Pandey dismissed the allegations of BJP leader Mohit Kamboj that the case registered by the economic offences wing against him was politically motivated and the complainant had withdrawn their complaint.
The city police chief said if someone filed a complaint disclosing commission of a cognisable offence, police would register an FIR and present the report of their investigation before the court concerned. “If the complainant in any case wants to withdraw their complaint, then they do it before the court and not police.”