The Bhiwandi City Police have booked Saint Umesh Puri for allegedly making an objectionable remark about Prophet Mohammad during a TV debate aired from Noida, Uttar Pradesh, on June 4. Puri was participating in a panel discussion on a news channel when he allegedly made the controversial statement.
An FIR was registered against him under Sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 353(1) (statements conducing to public mischief), and 356(2) (punishment for defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The complaint was filed by Mohammad Shahbaz Momin at the Bhiwandi City Police Station. According to the FIR, Momin discovered a video on Instagram in which the accused made the objectionable statement, which he claimed hurt his religious sentiments. He then informed his community and later approached the police along with other members to register a formal complaint.
Krishna Kharat, senior police inspector at Bhiwandi City Police Station, said, "Based on the complaint, we registered an FIR against Saint Puri on June 5. We have transferred the FIR through a Zero Number to Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The concerned police are now handling the investigation."
