Case registered against Sharjeel Usmani in Pune

The opposition BJP in Maharashtra had demanded action against Usmani, accusing him of hurting religious sentiments

Amid mounting pressure, the Pune police has booked students' leader Sharjeel Usmani for his controversial and anti-Hindu comments.

Participating at the Elgar Parishad in Pune on 30 January, over the weekend, Usmani, a former student of Aligarh Muslim University, had reportedly said – “Aaj ka Hindu samaj, Hindustan me Hindu samaj buri tarike se saad chukka hai” – that suggested that the Hindu religion in today's times has “rotten”.

The Pune speech of the Usmani has come as a major embarrassment for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government – as the public meeting where he spoke had the permission of authorities.

Also read: Maharashtra BJP demands action against Sharjeel Usmani

The Swargate police station in Pune has registered an FIR against him under section 153A of the Indian Penal Code. The Pune police will now summon Usmani.

State's Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that an FIR has been lodged. "He is not in Maharashtra...he is outside the state, the police is searching him," he said, adding that the FIR was lodged after the video clipping was analysed by police officials.

BJP youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha's regional secretary Pradeep Gawade has filed a complaint against Usmani.

BJP's Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray demanding action against Usmani. Fadnavis's counterpart in the Council Praveen Darekar too demanded action against the student's leader.

Usmani's speech has gone viral on social media platforms.

Pune police commissioner Amitabh Gupta has confirmed that an FIR has been lodged against Usmani.

This is for the second time that the Elgar Parishad has run into controversy – the other being the 31 December, 2017 meeting at Shaniwarwada in Pune that is being blamed for the 1 January, 2018 caste violence.

The Elgar Parishad event this year was organised in Pune by 'Bhima Koregaon Shaurya Din Prerna Abhiyan' on January 30, which coincided with the birth anniversary of Rohith Vemula, the late Dalit research scholar at University of Hyderabad.

Among those who attended the Elgar Parishad include writer-activist Arundhati Roy, former IAS officer Kanan Gopinathan, retired Judge BG Kolse-Patil and retired IPS officer SM Mushrif.