Those booked by police under draconian laws: Zafarul Islam Khan

Delhi Minorities Commission chairman Zafarul Islam Khan was slapped with a case of sedition by the Special Cell of Delhi Police for a social media post, while another plea was moved in the Delhi High Court seeking his removal. An FIR was registered against Zafarul Islam Khan on April 30 under relevant sections after police received a complaint by a resident of Vasant Kunj.

In the FIR, the complainant alleged that Mr Khan’s post was “provocative”, “deliberate” and seditious and intended to cause disharmony and create a rift in the society, police said, adding that the case is being investigated by the cyber cell. The remarks were posted by Khan on Tuesday but deleted after sometime. He said that his tweet on April 28, thanking Kuwait for taking note of the “persecution” of Indian Muslims, in the context of the northeast Delhi violence, has “pained” some people which was never his intention.

Delhi resident Manoranjan Kumar moved the high court seeking lodging of another FIR against Khan and also his removal from the post of chairman of the Delhi Minorities Commission for his alleged “inflammatory” and “threatening” statements against the Hindu com- munity. Khan was granted interim bail on May 12 by Delhi High Court.

His petition said that Khan has committed no offence and that the FIR was registered against him with an intention to harass and intimidate. The petition also added that Khan has committed no offence and that the FIR was registered against him with an intention to harass and intimidate.

“The FIR is misconceived, being made on a misrepresentation of facts and an erroneous, untenable reading of the law,” it said. Khan said his social media post was falsely reported, distorted and sensationalised out of context by certain sections of the media to embarrass him.