Poet Munawwar Rana Booked for Allegedly Defending Recent Killings in France

Urdu poet Munawwar Rana was booked on Monday for defending the recent killings in France over a caricature of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). An FIR in this regard has been lodged at Lucknow’s police station.

In a purported video clip of an interview to a news channel that went viral on social media, he can be heard saying: “If any person makes such a bad cartoon of my father or mother, then I will kill him.”

The poet has been booked under various Indian Penal Code sections, including 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), an officer said.

The poet has also been booked under IPC Section 505 (statements conducing public mischief) and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act, the officer said, adding the FIR was lodged taking cognisance of the interview and a probe is on.