FIR sought against AISA chief Neha Bora over remarks linking temple priests to rape

New Delhi: A Supreme Court lawyer has approached the Delhi Police seeking registration of an FIR against All India Students' Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora over her alleged remarks linking temple priests to sexual offences against women.

In her complaint to the Station House Officer of the Cyber Police Station, New Delhi district, advocate-on-record (AoR) Amita Sachdeva sought action under Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and other applicable provisions of law, claiming that the statements could promote enmity between different groups and disturb public tranquillity.

Sachdeva contended that a video featuring Bora had been widely circulated on social media platforms and reported by multiple news outlets, in which she made sweeping statements attributing sexual offences against women to temple priests.

In the video, Bora is purportedly heard saying: “Brahmin mahilayein sadkon par chalte hue bhi surakshit nahi hain. Unke saath rape hota hai. Mandiron mein pujari bhi rape karte hain. Unnao aur Kathua mein aisi ghatnayein hum dekh chuke hain.” (Brahmin women are unsafe even while walking on the streets. They are raped, and even priests in temples commit rape. We have witnessed such incidents in places like Unnao and Kathua.) The video also carries an overlay reading: “PUJARI RAPES WOMEN INSIDE TEMPLES.”

The complainant contended that the statements made a generalised attribution of sexual offences to an entire category of persons and linked them to a particular social order. “Sexual offences are criminal acts that must be investigated and prosecuted strictly under the law wherever they occur. However, publicly attributing such crimes in a blanket manner to an entire category of persons, and disseminating the same widely, is capable of promoting disharmony, enmity, hatred or ill-will between different groups of citizens,” the complaint stated.

It further claimed that the statements were prejudicial to the maintenance of public tranquillity and order, adding that their wide electronic circulation had generated public reaction. The lawyer submitted that the matter was being raised purely as a law and order issue concerning public tranquillity and was not framed as a grievance of, or on behalf of, any particular community.

Sachdeva urged the police to register an FIR against Bora and any other persons whose involvement may emerge during the investigation. She also sought a thorough probe into the statements, their intent, electronic records, circulation and alleged impact on public order.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IANS

[email protected]