‘Tweets maligned Sikhs, farmers’: Plea for FIR against Kangana Ranaut in Delhi court, notice issued to police

A Delhi court on Wednesday sought a status report from Delhi Police in a complaint seeking registration of an FIR against Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut for allegedly inciting hatred towards the Sikh community.

The report was sought by Metropolitan Magistrate Amardeep Kaur of the Patiala House Court in a complaint made by Maninder Singh Sirsa, president of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, Bar & Bench reported.

Sirsa has sought the registration of an FIR under Sections 153A (promoting disharmony, enmity or feelings of hatred), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 505(1)(b) (publication or circulation any statement, rumour or report to facilitate an offence against the State or against the public tranquillity) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) read with Section 66 (computer related offences) of the Information Technology Act.

In his complaint, Sirsa asserted that Ranaut's tweets were aimed at defaming the Sikh community along with the farmers who are protesting against the recently passed farm laws.

“...on 5.12.2020 (Ranaut) published an extremely derogatory tweet on her twitter handle which seeks to promote communal disharmony by labelling the hard-working farmers who are currently on a large scale peaceful agitation/protest against the legislated Farm Bills are ‘Khalistani terrorists’ thereby hurting the sentiments of thousands of farmers across the country,” the complaint read.

Reference was also made to Ranaut’s tweets claiming that an old woman who attended a farmers' protest was available for Rs 100 and that peaceful protestors were “terrorists”.

“ ...tweet published by the Respondent No.2 (Ranaut) targeting the peacefully protesting farmers and labelling them as ‘Khalistani terrorists’ and ‘biryani gang’ has maligned and defamed the image of the farmers in India before the whole world," the complaint said.

It was argued that the tweets are a grave threat to the peace, unity and integrity of India, and constitute hate speech.

“The statements harm the sentiments of the Sikh community and are bound to generate communal disharmony or feelings of ill-will,” the complaint further stated.

Moreover, Sirsa claimed that Ranaut attempted to misuse her huge social media following for oblique motives, vested interests and political mileage.

The court was also informed that Sirsa had made a complaint to SHO, PS North Avenue on February 27, 2021. However, no action was taken on the same. Subsequently, the issue was also raised before the DCP, New Delhi.

Since no action was taken even then, the complainant was constrained to move the court.

The matter will be heard next on April 14.