Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
The Bihar police on Sunday (April 13, 2025) lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar on a complaint filed by Bharatiya Janata Party Bihar State media in-charge Danish Iqbal at Patna’s Kotwali police station.
In the complaint, Mr. Iqbal alleged that during an interview given to a Hindi news channel, Mr. Kumar called the Prime Minister a terrorist and used objectionable language for the workers of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
“Calling the Prime Minister, elected in the democratic structure of the country, a terrorist is not only a shameful statement, but it is a direct attack on the sovereignty of the country. Strict action should be taken against such leaders who try to defame a nationalist organisation like the RSS,” Mr. Iqbal said.
He said, “We have full faith that the law will take strict action against such anti-national mentality people.”
Mr. Iqbal added that the NSUI national in-charge had a history of being associated with the tukde-tukde gang involved in anti-national activities and he had been repeatedly working to insult the country.
In the complaint, it is mentioned that during an interview given to a news channel on April 11, 2025, Mr. Kumar used abusive and indecent language against the Prime Minister and said, “Modi ji is a Sanghi and RSS is a terrorist” and called both of them fake.
“His statement has hurt the sentiments of crores of people of the country. I was watching the interview with my friends/workers at the BJP State office, Patna. I and other workers were hurt and saddened to hear his abusive language,” Mr. Iqbal said in the letter.
Based on the complaint, the police lodged the FIR under Section 352 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) which deals with the offence of intentionally insulting someone to provoke breach of peace. The penalty for violating this Section is imprisonment for up to two years, a fine, or both.
Foot march
For almost a month, Mr. Kumar was busy in taking out foot march in Bihar named Naukri Do Palayan Roko (Give Job Stop Migration). Even Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had joined one of the foot marches in Begusarai district. On the concluding day, Congress leader Sachin Pilot had also joined it on April 11 in Patna.
The other Section of the BNS which has been imposed includes Section 196 (i) which addresses actions that promote enmity or discord between different groups based on religion, race, or other factors. It prohibits acts like hate speech or inciting violence against specific communities. The punishment for violating this Section can include imprisonment, fines, or both.
Sub-Inspector Dharmendra Kumar of the Kotwali station will investigate the case.
Published – April 13, 2025 04:44 pm IST
