Delhi Police opposes plea of activist Nadeem Khan, cites threat to communal harmony
New Delhi: The Delhi Police, opposing the plea of activist Nadeem Khan, stated that the acts of petitioner Mohd Wasiq Nadeem Khan are not in good faith and actually these are such acts which are likely to cause fear and alarm and feeling of insecurity amongst the members of a particular religion.
Such nefarious acts on social media platforms can disrupt communal harmony, possibly inciting unrest or conflict between different communities, Police in its reply before Delhi High Court stated.
The petitioner Nadeem Khan through the targeted dissemination of selective and misleading information related to specific past incidents, has sought to create a narrative portraying members of a particular community as victims of systematic oppression by the incumbent government, Police in its reply before Delhi High Court added.
This selective portrayal is not only factually distorted but appears to be calculated to evoke feelings of victimization and persecution within that community. Such actions suggest a deliberate attempt to provoke discontent and unrest, amounting to a larger
conspiracy aimed at undermining communal harmony and public order, added Delhi Police.
Police also stated that the petitioner's conduct, viewed in its entirety, demonstrates a willful disregard for the potential ramifications on communal harmony. By disseminating such information, the petitioner has acted in a manner that not only contravenes the statutory provisions but also poses a serious threat to the foundational values of peace and unity enshrined in the Constitution of India.
Recently Delhi High Court has provided interim relief from arrest to activist Nadeem Khan, who had been charged by the Delhi Police with promoting enmity and criminal conspiracy. The charges stem from a video that went viral on social media, which allegedly contained content that incited communal disharmony.
The Bench of Justice Jasmeet Singh ordered that Nadeem Khan, National Secretary of the Association for the Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), be granted protection from arrest. The judge while passing directions stated that the nation's harmony is not as fragile as to be easily disrupted by individual actions.
The court also instructed Khan to appear for questioning and fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Additionally, Khan was directed not to leave Delhi without the permission of the Investigating Officer.
The court had sought a response of Delhi Police to petitions filed by Khan and the APCR, seeking the quashing of the FIR registered by the Delhi Police. Delhi Police has recently filed FIR against activist Nadeem Khan over a social media video allegedly inciting unrest.
The Delhi Police have filed an FIR against human rights activist Nadeem Khan, accusing him of promoting enmity and criminal conspiracy following the upload of a video on social media. The police allege that the video, which they claim stirred unrest among local communities, led to the registration of the case. Khan, who has served as the National Secretary of the Association for the Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) since 2020, is named in the complaint.
According to the FIR, the 2.5-minute video features an individual at an exhibition stall, gesturing toward a banner and discussing figures like Nadeem Khan, Akhlaq, Rohit Vemula, Pehlu Khan, and the 2020 CAA/NRC protests, as well as the Delhi riots. The video reportedly portrays a specific community as victims, which the police assert is an attempt to incite communal tensions.
The video also includes images of several politicians and media figures displayed on multiple boards, accusing them of spreading hatred. The individual in the video allegedly links these images to various incidents across India, again framing a particular community as victims and fostering discord in an effort to disturb national communal harmony, the FIR notes.
