Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli have filed cases against journalists Zakir Ali Tyagi, Wasim Akram Tyagi, and three others under over tweets regarding the death of Firoz Qureshi, who was allegedly beaten to death by a mob.
The police have invoked BNS Section 196 (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and Section 353 (Statements conducing to public mischief) against the five persons.
“It was also informed earlier that it is clear from the post-mortem report that the cause of death was not assault. The deceased had entered the accused’s house drunk. Despite this, the incident has been deliberately posted on social media as mob lynching to spread communal hatred. In the registered FIR, action will be taken as per the PM report. Appropriate FIR has also been registered against malicious posts and legal action will be ensured,” the police said in a statement.
“The so-called journalist made a post with the sole intent to provoke communal hatred. The accusations are irrational and hence refuted. The tweet-making person does not have knowledge of the ground facts,” the police said.
According to the police, Firoz Qureshi entered the house of the accused in an intoxicated state, where a scuffle ensued between both parties. Later, Firoz’s family took him home, where he subsequently passed away. The FIR was lodged based on the family’s complaint.
“In the post-mortem report, no serious injury was found on the body of the deceased and death was not found to be due to injury. No incident of mob lynching has occurred,” the police said.
Firoz Qureshi was allegedly assaulted by individuals including Pinky, Pankaj, Rajendra, and others in Jalalabad, Shamli. Firoz died en route to the hospital while unconscious. A case has been registered under BNS Section 105 (Punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) in this matter.
Firoz’s family members expressed their disbelief and grief over the incident. His brother Afzal said, “He went out around 5 PM and was brutally attacked by a mob, resulting in fatal injuries. He was a scrap worker, a family man with no criminal record. We cannot comprehend why he was targeted and killed.”
