Ahmedabad- Mumbai-based Islamic scholar and preacher Mufti Salman Azhari is facing charges of hate speech in Gujarat after he delivered speeches at two religious events in Junagadh and Kutch districts on January 31.
The Gujarat police registered a second FIR against him on Tuesday for his speech at Samakhiyari in Kutch, where he allegedly made provocative remarks against other religious groups. He was already booked for a similar speech at Junagadh, where he reportedly said "Now, it's time for dogs, and our time will come".
He was arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) from Mumbai on Sunday and brought to Ahmedabad. He was then taken to Junagadh under a day remand.
The charges against him include sections 153B (promoting enmity between different religious groups) and 505 (2) (making statements conducive to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
"An FIR has been registered against Mufti Salman Azhari for delivering a provocative speech at a religious function organised at Samakhiyari on January 31. Police permission was granted for the event, but the content of the speech was similar to that of the Junagadh event (held the same day)," Kutch (East) Superintendent of Police Sagar Bagmar told the media.
## Supporters rally outside police station, clash with cops in Mumbai
Azhari's arrest triggered protests by his supporters, who gathered outside the Ghatkopar police station in Mumbai on Sunday night. They chanted slogans in his favour and demanded his release.
"Neither am I a criminal nor have I been brought here for commuting a crime. They are doing the required investigation and I am also cooperating with them. I am ready to be arrested if it is in my destiny," Azhari told his supporters.
The situation turned violent when the Mumbai police resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd. Several protesters were injured in the clash.
Azhari is an alumnus of the Al Azhar Cairo University in Egypt and a popular Islamic speaker. He was invited by local organisers Mohammad Yousuf Malek and Azim Habib Odedara to speak at the events in Gujarat. Both Malek and Habib were also arrested on Saturday.
Netizens defend Azhari, accuse Hindu right wing of propaganda
Meanwhile, Azhari's supporters and sympathisers took to social media platforms to defend him and claim that he was falsely accused of hate speech. They argued that his words were taken out of context and distorted by a trimmed video clip of 15 seconds.
They said that in the full segment of the speech, Azhari was referring to the oppression faced by Muslims everywhere in the world, including Palestine, Syria and Yemen. They said that he was calling the oppressors as dogs, not the Hindus.
On the other hand, the Hindu right wing and its cyber wing ran a campaign against Azhari, accusing him of inciting violence and hatred against Hindus. They shared the edited video clip and demanded strict action against him.
AIMIM leader and Muslim groups condemn arrest, demand release
Waris Pathan, national spokesperson of AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen) and former MLA for the party in Byculla, strongly condemned Azhari's arrest and questioned the hypocrisy of the governments and the police department, which he said ignored the open calls for genocide against Muslims by some Hindu leaders.
"He (Mufti Salman Azhari) has been detained illegally by Gujarat ATS on baseless allegations. When actual hate speeches are made, why doesn't the government take any action, why aren't any arrests made?" he said.
Several Muslim organisations also issued statements of solidarity for Azhari, terming the allegations against him as false and fabricated. They demanded his immediate release and withdrawal of the cases against him.
Azhari's advocate Arif Siddiqui said that he was "illegally detained" and the notice that needs to be served to him as per the law was not given to him before the arrest. He said that he would move the court for his bail.
