Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district on Sunday filed an FIR against three persons, including an NRI woman, for allegedly trying to “tarnish” the image of the brother and family members of Ram Mandir trust general secretary Champat Rai. The three persons were booked under 15 sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC), some of them non-bailable, and under IT Act on the basis of a complaint filed by Rai’s brother, Sanjay Bansal.
Champat Rai and his brothers have been given a ‘clean chit’ by the Bijnor police chief.
In his complaint, Bansal has accused one Vineet Narayan of posting objectionable comments against Rai on Facebook. “On June 18, when the complainant called on the number linked to the Facebook account, one Rajneesh received the call and said the post was written on the instruction of Alka Lahoti, a resident of Nageena,” added Dohre.
Bansal also accused Rajneesh of using abusive language.
The case comes as the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, which oversees the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, is battling widespread allegations of corruption in connection with the Ayodhya land deal and claims that general secretary Rai bought a plot at an inflated price. The Trust has denied all allegations of irregularities.
The case was filed under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion), 293 (circulating obscene objects), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings), 417 (punishment for cheating), 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 448 (punishment for house-trespass), 465 (punishment for forgery), 457 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night), 469 (whoever commits forgery, intending that the document or electronic record forged shall harm the reputation of any party).
