A BJP leader has got a police complaint filed here against Islamic cleric Maulana Sajjad Nomani, alleging that he has issued a "fatwa" calling for the social boycott of Muslims supporting the BJP government at the Centre.
BJP's Minority Morcha president Jamal Siddiqui got the complaint filed at the Tughlak Road police station. According to the complaint, Nomani, who resides in Lucknow and enjoys significant influence within the Muslim community, issued the controversial "fatwa" (decree) during the Maharashtra Assembly polls.
Siddiqui has told police that in a widely-circulated video, Nomani reportedly said Muslims who support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should be shunned, denied greetings and subjected to a complete social boycott. Nomani has also allegedly said that such individuals should be considered outside the fold of Islam. In the video, the cleric has allegedly mocked the BJP's Muslim supporters, saying they should rename themselves as "Ghanshyam", signalling their exclusion from the community.
Siddiqui has claimed that this "fatwa" has led to severe consequences for Muslims associated with the saffron party, including threats, social isolation and abuses.
"After the fatwa, people have stopped talking to me during Friday prayers and at public places like Nizamuddin Dargah. I have faced abuses on social media and people are boycotting me," Siddiqui has said in his complaint.
He has also said that he is being followed and receiving death threats, making his life and that of other BJP workers increasingly difficult.
The complainant has urged authorities to take strict action against Nomani for his statements. He has also attached a link to the video clip to his complaint.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)