NSA slapped on Peace Party president for stoking tension

Lucknow: Peace Party president Mohammed Ayub, who was arrested on July 31 for releasing an advertisement in Urdu dailies raising questions on the Constitution, was booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) on Monday.

Ayub, a former MLA from Sant Kabir Nagar (2012-17) was arrested from Bharhalganj in Gorakhpur after a case was registered against him for writing a piece to stoke communal passions.

According to Lucknow police, Ayub had moved a bail application on August 1 which was rejected by the magistrate. He again moved the court for bail following which Lucknow district magistrate Abhishek Prakash invoked NSA against him.

Assistant commissioner of police, Hazratganj, Abhay Mishra said, “Ayub had written an objectionable piece on July 30 which could have led to communal tension ahead of festivals.”

“An FIR was lodged against Ayub by police outpost incharge KK Singh. Ayub deliberately made comments which are against the spirit of the Indian Constitution and the democratically-elected government,” he added.

The ACP said Ayub was charged with promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, and under the provisions of the Information Technology Act. Later, he was also charged with sedition.

A senior official said Ayub had a history of disrupting communal harmony. He was booked in 2008 for promoting enmity between groups. Cases were registered against him under similar charges at Dudhara police station in Sant Kabir Nagar in 2012, Bhakhira police station in Sant Kabir Nagar in 2017 and Hazratganj police station in Lucknow in 2017. In 2017, Ayub was also booked by Lucknow police in connection with the rape of a 12-year-old girl. The case is still pending.