SP MLC Swami Prasad Maurya booked for 'objectionable' comment on Lord Ram

An FIR has been lodged against Samajwadi Party MLC Swami Prasad Maurya with the Kotwali police of Rae Bareli in connection with a video that purportedly showed him making an "objectionable comment on Lord Ram".

This is the fourth FIR lodged against Maurya this year.

In the video, Maurya can be heard saying – "Mile Mulayam Kanshi Ram..." and pauses for the crowd to complete the sentence saying "...Hawa main ud gaye Jai Shri Ram" – a contentious political slogan that was coined in the early 1990s.

The complainant, Hindu Yuva Vahini worker Marut Tripathi, alleged that such comments by Maurya were vitiating the atmosphere and leading to a communal flare-up.

Rae Bareli (City) Circle Officer, Vandana Singh, said an FIR under charges of IPC 295 A (outrage religious feelings) against Maurya has been registered and an officer of the Inspector rank has been assigned to the case.

Maurya had allegedly raised the objectionable slogan on April 3 while speaking during an event where SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav had unveiled a statue of Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram at a private college in Rae Bareli.

On January 24 this year, Maurya was booked by the Lucknow police for his remarks on Ramcharitmanas.

A week later, another FIR was lodged by PGI police of Lucknow against Maurya for burning copies of Ramcharitmanas in Vrindavan Yojana area of the state capital.

Last month, Gwalior police of Madhya Pradesh had also booked the SP leader for his remarks on Ramcharitmanas.