Muslims in Mumbai have been asked to file complaints with the police against a group of vloggers who have made statements defaming Islam, its prophet Muhammad, and the holy book, Koran.
On Tuesday, a complaint was filed at Shivaji Nagar police station against four persons based in Delhi. The complaint, filed by Zakir Hussain Mustafa Shaikh, a resident of the area, stated that the vloggers have made defamatory remarks in videos released on social media over the last six months. "We want to follow the law and respect the Construction. We have the police, especially those in Delhi, to file FIRs against the culprits," said Shaikh.
Yusuf Ansari of the Hazrat Khwaja Garib Nawaz Welfare Association, which has written to the National Human Rights Commission, petitioning the organisation to issue orders to law enforcement agencies to start investigations into complaints, said that he is shocked that police have not taken action against the culprits. "We have been watching them download videos where they abuse Islam, Prophet Muhammad, and the holy Koran. We have asked Muslim organisations in Delhi to file complaints. That has not happened. We are gathering support in Mumbai to get the police to file FIRs. We do not want to come out on the streets or hold protest marches," said Ansari.
The videos criticise religious practices such as the sacrifice of animals during Eid and the idea of heavenly rewards. Ansari's group has created a format for complaints and is distributing it across Mumbai. "We are sending the forms across the city so that complaints can be filed at every police station and the zonal police headquarters," said Shaikh.
