FIR lodged against poet Munawwar Rana for comparing Valmiki to Taliban

New Delhi, Aug 21: An FIR was registered by Uttar Pradesh police on Friday against poet Munawwar Rana for passing derogatory comments by comparing Valmiki, who wrote Ramayana, with radical Islamic organization Taliban.

 

 

FIR has been registered at the Hazratganj police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow against Rana on the complaint of one PL Bharti, who alleged that he hurt religious feelings by comparing Valmiki with the Taliban. Bharti in his complaint alleged that Rana, in his statement, hurt the feelings of Dalits by comparing the Taliban with Valmiki and hurt the feelings of Hindus.

 

The FIR was registered under Sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth etc.), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class), 505(1)(B) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public) and the SC/ST atrocities prevention act.

 

Rana while talking to a channel had said, "Valmiki became a God after he wrote the Ramayana, before that he was a dacoit. A person's character can change. Similarly, the Taliban, for now, are terrorists but people and characters change. When you talk about Valmiki, you will have to talk about his past. In your religion, you make anyone god. But he was a writer and he wrote the Ramayana, but we are not in competition here,” Rana had said.

 

Glorifying the Taliban, Munawwar Rana referred to the Islamist fighters as “aggressive fighters” and not “terrorists”. The infamous poet claimed that the Taliban are also Afghanis, and they have simply freed their nation from foreign occupation.

 

 

An FIR was registered against the poet in November last year at Hazratganj police station on similar charges for allegedly defending the killings in France over a caricature of Prophet Muhammad.