FIR registered against SP leader Abu Azmi for saying Aurangzeb “not cruel”

An FIR has been registered against Maharashtra Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and MLA Abu Azmi over his remarks defending Mughal ruler Aurangzeb Alamgir, asserting that he was "not a cruel leader".

Azmi made the remarks while addressing reporters in Mumbai at the commencement of the Maharashtra assembly session.

Azmi had stated, "Aurangzeb got several temples built. In Varanasi, he saved a Hindu girl child from a priest who had an evil eye on her. He had the priest trampled by elephants."

Responding to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's recent comparison of Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee with Aurangzeb, Azmi argued that the Mughal ruler was being misrepresented.

Following his remarks, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske filed a complaint at Thane's Wagle Estate Police Station, leading to an FIR being registered against Azmi under sections 299, 302, 356(1) and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Defending his stance, he had further elaborated, "I don't consider Aurangzeb a cruel ruler. During that era, power struggles were political, not religious. Aurangzeb's army had many Hindus, just as Chhatrapati Shivaji's army had several Muslims."

He also claimed that during Aurangzeb's reign, India's territorial boundaries extended up to Afghanistan, adding that the ruler was being unfairly vilified through a religious lens.

The comments have ignited a political storm, with Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde leading the charge against Azmi.

Strongly condemning his remarks, Shinde demanded an apology, stating, "He must apologise for this because Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj was a patriot and a true nationalist. Aurangzeb was responsible for the brutal 40-day torture and execution of Sambhaji Maharaj. Glorifying Aurangzeb's rule is a serious offence, and for this, Abu Azmi must apologise. By speaking against a patriot, he has positioned himself as anti-national."

Based on IANS inputs