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News Desk: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday arrested Syed Hassan Ahmed, a resident of Cuttack district, on sedition charge for threatening to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the phone after criticising the two leaders on social media.
The UP Police produced 42-year-old Hassan Ahmed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) in Cuttack on Friday, seeking his transit remand for interrogation. The CJM asked the police to produce the accused in the court of Judicial Magistrate of First Class in Salepur instead.
As per reports, Hindu Yuva Bahini chief of Bagpat district Kuldeep Panchal had filed a complaint against Ahmed for posting derogatory content against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on social media.
When Panchal countered Ahmed about it over the phone, Ahmed threatened to kill PM Modi and CM Adityanath, alleged Panchal.
Based on a complaint from Panchal, the UP Police traced the phone call and arrested the youth from Kusambi village with the help of Salepur police station.
Cuttack (Rural) Police SP Jugal Kishore Banoth told India Today, “He (Ahmed) has been booked under Sections 124 (A), 507, 504 and 353 (A) of the IPC by UP Police,” adding that the UP Police didn’t further elaborate any case details, “just informed us about the section under which he was charged”.
Hassan Ahmed owns an electronic shop in the Salipur market.
Hassan’s father Rashid Ahmed says his son has never used provocative language. “Some policemen from Bagpat want to take him [away]. They said to me that my son has used provocative words over Facebook, he has threatened over the phone. However, Hassan has never used provocative language against. You can check with at the police station or in society,” Rashin Ahmed told India Today TV.
“Bagpat is very far away from Salepur, since he doesn’t know the complainant, how can he threaten someone living 3000 kms away without knowing him,” Rashid Ahmed said.
Rabi Das, an activist and journalist, said that the court must scrutnise the FIR before granting the remand. “This allegation itself seems baseless and without any evidence. I request the magistrate here to scrutinise the FIR, whether it is a cognizable offence and is there any evidence to prove it. The court must not grant the remand just because the UP Police have turned up with an FIR,” Rabi Das said.
“Everybody knows what happens if somebody lands in the hands of the UP Police, we have seen what they do to people in their custody. Instead, the UP Police could have written to Odisha police to investigate it,” Rabi Das said.
Speaking to India Today TV, Hassan Ahmed’s lawyer Sukumar Nayak said that his client should not be sent for transit remand since he has not committed the crime.
“The UP Police produced Ahmed at the CJM court. However, since the UP Police didn’t have a warrant against him, the CJM asked them to produce Ahmed before the Salepur court. The UP Police has asked for transit remand, we will request the court that not to grant their request as my client is not involved in the crime she has been accused of. It hasn’t been proven that he threatened PM Modi over Facebook, so my client should not be sent for transit remand,” Sukumar Nayak said.
