Kolkata – A legal case has been filed against Nazia Elahi Khan, a prominent BJP member, for her alleged blasphemous statements against Prophet Muhammad and the Muslim community. The case, which was lodged by Noor Mahvish, a criminal lawyer from Kolkata, accuses Khan of making inflammatory remarks that could incite communal violence and deepen religious tensions in the country.
In the FIR, Mahvish, who is both a Muslim and a woman, expressed deep offense at Khan’s statements, describing them as “deeply offensive and inaccurate.” Mahvish emphasized that such generalizations promote harmful stereotypes and urged that the law take necessary action to prevent hate speech and maintain communal harmony.
On August 5, 2024, Khan, in a video interview with the News Gallery, made several derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad and the holy city of Madina. In the video, which was later shared on Khan’s X account (formerly Twitter), she allegedly referred to the Prophet using deeply disrespectful language and made offensive comparisons, including terms like “Muhammad Suar ki Dukan” and “Madina Lingerie Shop.”
The FIR outlines that these comments were made with the intent to incite hatred between different religious communities, particularly targeting Muslims. Mahvish highlighted that this is not the first time Khan has made such provocative statements, pointing to a pattern of behavior in her social media posts, which consistently exhibit a hateful stance toward the Muslim community.
The FIR also references a tweet made by Khan on August 3, 2024, where she allegedly targeted Muslim women, suggesting they are treated as objects and that Muslim men only focus on having more children. Mahvish noted that such remarks not only misrepresent the Muslim community but also disrespect the diverse experiences within it.
Khan’s latest remarks come in the wake of a recent Supreme Court decision on July 22, 2024, which stayed the enforcement of directives by the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand state governments. These directives had required shop owners along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their establishments, a move argued to be discriminatory on religious grounds. Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, Khan publicly opposed it, using the issue to fuel communal tension, according to the FIR.
The case filed against Khan cites multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including Section 299, which relates to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, and Sections 362 and 353, for insulting religious figures and spreading misinformation through electronic means.
