india

Updated: Jul 23, 2019 15:04 IST

Police registered on Monday a case against Uttar Pradesh’s Samajwadi Party (SP) lawmaker Nahid Hasan on charges of spreading hatred and enmity, hours after a video showing him purportedly asking his supporters to boycott traders associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) went viral.

Superintendent of police, Shamli, Ajay Kumar said the case was filed against Hasan after a police investigation.

“A case has been registered against MLA Nahid Hasan under sections 153 [wantonly giving provocation with intention to cause riot], 153A [promoting enmity between different groups], 153B [Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration], 505(2) [public mischief], and 188[disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant] of IPC [Indian Penal Code],” said Ajay Kumar.

Sudhir Kumar, incharge of the Quila gate police post, lodged a complaint against the MLA.

In the video, Hasan, who represents western Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana in the state assembly, is seen interacting with a group of his supporters. He is purportedly heard requesting them with folded hands against making purchases from the BJP-affiliated traders.

“Go to Jhinjhana [near Kairana] or Panipat [in neighbouring Haryana] for shopping but do not buy things from shopkeepers associated with the BJP. I know it will be painful, but you need to do it,” Hasan is purportedly heard saying in the video. “They earn their livelihood from our money and we are being targeted.” HT couldn’t immediately ascertain the context of the video.

BJP’s western Uttar Pradesh president Ashwani Tyagi demanded action against Hasan while accusing him of spreading hatred for political gains. He blamed SP’s “hate politics” for its loss in the April-May national elections. “People from all the sections of society are associated with the BJP,” he said.

In the video, Hasan was apparently referring to a recent anti-encroachment drive under which vendors have been asked to vacate a roadside market, where they have been running their businesses for years. The district administration has said a plot has been identified for the vendors.

The SP’s Shamli district president Ashok Chaudhary said their party believes in taking people of all castes, communities, and religions along. “The party has nothing to do with anyone’s personal views,” he said.

Repeated attempts to reach Hasan were unsuccessful. He did not respond to phone calls.