Navjot Sidhu's principal strategic advisor booked for 'communal' remarks

Chandigarh: Former Punjab DGP Mohammad Mustafa, who is also the principal strategic advisor to state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, has been booked for allegedly making communal remarks at a public meeting in Malerkotla, police said on Sunday.

The FIR registered under IPC Section 153-A and Section 125 in The Representation of the People Act has been lodged on the complaint of a police officer in Malerkotla. The case registered a day after a video showing him making the alleged remarks was circulated on social media.

The charges spell that Mustafa was booked for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race and other identity markers to score gains in the election.

Mustafa is the husband of Punjab cabinet minister Razia Sultana who is the Congress candidate from the Malerkotla assembly seat -- a Muslim-majority district in Punjab.

The BJP had on Saturday accused the former Punjab IPS officer of making controversial remarks against Hindus at a public meeting. Mustafa has denied the charge and said he never used the Hindu word.

He had only targeted the Aam Aadmi Party workers after some of them allegedly chased and tried to manhandle him, he said.

A video of Mustafa making the purported remarks was shared by BJP leaders Sambit Patra and Shazia Ilmi on their Twitter handles on Saturday.

Mustafa said he had gone to an event of some Congress workers nearby and warned the AAP workers, who were also from the Muslim community.

He said he used the word "fitno" (meaning mischief makers) for AAP workers belonging to the Muslim community and there was no question of warning Hindus.

"There was absolutely no Hindu-Muslim context to what happened in Malerkotla to which the quoted video clip relates. It was a verbal outburst unilaterally mischievously provoked by Jhaduwalas, all Muslims," Mustafa said in a tweet.

In another tweet, he hit out at BJP, saying his nationalist credentials were superior to those from the party.

"Your intended branding will not work on Mustafa, as my nationalistic credentials are far superior to yours with a history of life long fight against enemies of India and destroyers of communal harmony in the state, he wrote.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha had also castigated Mustafa for his remarks and alleged that Congress was trying to disturb the atmosphere in the state ahead of the state assembly polls.

The purported video clip was played by the BJP at a press conference on Saturday.

"I swear by Allah that I will not allow them to hold any event. I am a 'kaumi fauji (soldier of community)' I am not an RSS agent who will hide in the house out of fear.

"If they again try to do such a thing, I swear by Allah I will thrash them in their homes," the video allegedly showed him saying at the meeting held on January 20.

BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh had also taken strong exception to Mustafa's remarks and demanded that party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi clear their stand on the matter.

Chugh accused Mustafa of trying to foment communal hatred in Punjab.