On Friday (November 25), the Delhi Police lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against a former Congress MLA named Asif Mohammad Khan for abusing, manhandling and threatening an on-duty police officer. Reportedly, Congress leader Asif Khan has now been arrested from Shaheen Bagh after he made a provocative speech and heckled a police officer.
FLASH: @DelhiPolice arrest former Congress MLA Asif Khan from Shaheen Bagh for misbehaving with the police officials
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) November 26, 2022
Two others have been detained, reports @AlokReporter pic.twitter.com/f4iYeke7kl
In a viral video, he was seen addressing a large gathering of people outside Tayyab Masjid in the Jamia Nagar area of Delhi. Asif Mohammed Khan was campaigning on behalf of his daughter, Arifa Khan, who has been contesting the upcoming MCD elections.
The Congress leader and ex-MLA was interjected by sub-inspector Akshay, who asked whether he had sought permission from the Election Commission (EC) for conducting the public meeting using a loud hailer megaphone.
Congress leader Asif Mohammad Khan from Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area disrespected and assaulted the Sub-inspector of Delhi Police. Case has been registered against Asif Mohammad Khan. pic.twitter.com/kRbIcN7vWk
— Nikhil Choudhary (@NikhilCh_) November 25, 2022
On hearing that, an agitated Asif Mohammed Khan went on an abusive tirade and manhandled the cop. “Saale tujh jaisa kitna police vala meina sidha kar diya (I have made several cops such as you toe my line)”, he was heard as saying.
Soon, the officer was gheraoed and heckled by Congress supporters. Amidst loud cheers and applause, the former Congress MLA threatened, “Chal chala jaa nahin toh juice nikal dunga tera (Get lost before I rough you up).”
While hurling slurs such as ‘kutte’, ‘chal bh*sdike‘, he accused the Delhi police personnel of “looting people in the Muslim area”. “I will shove you into the burrow that you came from,” Asif Mohammed Khan continued his threats. He served as the Congress MLA between 2009 and 2013.
Interestingly, the Congress leader furthered the “Muslim area” trope that has been used to heckle and even commit violence against non-Muslims. The “Muslim area” trope essentially means that the area is dominated by Muslims and therefore, normal rules of the land would not apply to the area and only the Islamic law would apply – almost as if every Muslim-dominated area was like a mini Kashmir with a version of Section 370. This has often led to religious processions of Hindus being attacked and other Hindus being heckled, intimidated and even attacked in the process. We have seen in the past several Hindus being attacked because they dared to cross through a “Muslim area” or when religious processions were passing through mosques of a “Muslim area”.
In 2018, for example, a young Hindu boy Chandan Gupta was killed while taking out a Tiranga Yatra. At that time, “Liberals” and the media had blamed Chandan for his own murder, claiming that he was raising “provocative slogans” like Bharat Mata ki Jai and Vande Mataram while crossing through a “Muslim area”. Essentially saying that Chandan was responsible for his own murder since he dared to pass through an area which was dominated by Muslims and raising slogans that they found “offensive”.
While Congress and Rahul Gandhi are pretending to walk miles for a “Bharat Jodo Yatra”, his leaders seem to be dividing India by endorsing the idea of Muslim ghettos where non-Muslims are liable to be attacked and abused.
FIR against Asif Mohammed Khan
The Delhi police booked the former Congress MLA under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 186 (voluntarily obstructing an on-duty public servant) and 353 (assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), based on the complaint by sub-inspector Akshay at Shaheen Bagh police station.
While speaking about the development, the police informed, “On November 25, a police personnel, Sub Inspector Akshay, during patrolling in the area noticed a gathering of about 20-30 people in front of Tayyab Masjid.”
“The policeman reached in front of Tayyab Masjid near the gathering, where Asif Mohammad Khan, a resident of Thokar number 9, Shaheen Bagh, Delhi along with his supporters was present in front of Tayyab Masjid and addressing the gathering using a portable speaker,” it added.
Delhi Commissioner of Police (Southeast), Esha Pandey, further remarked, “Khan got aggressive and started misbehaving with him. He also used abusive language, criminal force and manhandled SI Akshay.”
Delhi police arrest former ex-Congress MLA for assaulting SDMC employees
In November last year, the Delhi police arrested Asif Mohammed Khan for assaulting four on-duty SDMC (South Delhi Municipal Corporation) workers in the Shaheen Bagh area. The development came after the video of the assault went viral on social media.
Asif Mohammed Khan was seen thrashing four SDMC employees with a stick. He had also forced them to bend down and hold their ears with their hands, in the position known as becoming Murga. “Murga ban (Squat on the ground like chicken),” he and his followers yelled at the workers.
The ex-Congress MLA was seen hurling the choicest of expletives at the municipal workers for removing a political banner of the party, on the supposed instructions of the Aam Aadmi Party.
उत्तर भारत में सबसे ज्यादा पढे-लिखे मुसलमान ओखला मे रहते है। यहीं पर जामिया जैसा प्रतिष्ठित संस्थान भी है। लेकिन इस इलाक़े का दुर्भाग्य देखिए कि यहां कि अवाम को ऐसे जाहिल नेता मिले हैं। ये महाशय ओखला के पूर्व विधायक हैं, और केरल के राज्यपाल के भाई भी हैं। @DelhiPolice @INCDelhi? pic.twitter.com/VHuRbgo4hy
— Wasim Akram Tyagi (@WasimAkramTyagi) November 26, 2021
However, Asif Mohammed Khan said that he didn’t know that the persons he assaulted are municipal workers, and said that he punished them for removing party banners.
He alleged that hoardings of a local AAP MLA and municipal corporations remained untouched, but hoardings of the Congress party in Okhla area are immediately removed.
“I saw that some men were removing Congress party hoardings and posters near my home in Okhla. When I questioned why they never removed posters and hoardings of other parties they did not answer. I just taught them a lesson. I have no idea who they were,” Khan said.
