Police complaint filed against Farhan Akhtar over anti-CAA tweet
On Friday, a police complaint was filed against actor/director Farhan Akhtar for allegedly posting seditious content and distorting facts about the newly-implemented Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The complainant, one Karuna Sagar, a Hyderabad-based advocate and founder of the Hindu Sanghatan, filed the complaint at the Saidabad police station, alleging that Akhtar incited fear among Muslims, transgender(s), atheists, and dalits, through his comments. Here's more.
K Srinivas (SHO, Saidabad police) confirmed to The Indian Express that a written complaint has been received against Akhtar. They are now verifying the facts and exploring whether a legal case can be made out of the complaint. "A preliminary inquiry is underway. We need to study the allegations. A legal opinion also will be taken before registering a case," he said.
According to Karuna Sagar, Akhtar's "seditious posts" are an offense under Sections 121, 121(A), 120(B), 505 of the IPC. "This is nothing but instigating the public. This is a seditious act," he said, according to TIE. He also alleged that the map of India shared by Akhtar in one of his posts was incorrect. However, Akhtar later apologized for sharing the wrong map.
Here’s what you need to know about why these protests are important. See you on the 19th at August Kranti Maidan, Mumbai. The time to protest on social media alone is over. pic.twitter.com/lwkyMCHk2v
— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) December 18, 2019
Akhtar is not the only Bollywood personality facing the heat for voicing opinion against the amended Act. Reportedly, actor Parineeti Chopra has been removed as the brand ambassador of Haryana's 'Beti Bachao' campaign after she condemned the use of police action against protesting students.
Meanwhile, several other Bollywood celebrities have also come out to oppose the amended Act. The ones who have raised their voice include Mahesh Bhatt, SS Rajput, Swara Bhasker, Anurag Kashyap, Huma Qureshi, Nandita Das, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Aditi Rao Hydari, Vir Das, and Manoj Bajpayee. In fact, many of them showed up at Mumbai's August Kranti Maidan for a planned anti-CAA protest, on Thursday.
The amended Citizenship Act or the CAA makes it easier for six persecuted religious minorities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Pakistan to get an Indian citizenship. The religious minorities listed in the Act are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians. However, the Opposition and the critics say that the exclusion of Muslims makes the Act unconstitutional and divisive.
