Image Source: Agencies

July 28, 2025: A Muslim cleric has been booked for allegedly making objectionable and inflammatory remarks against Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav during a televised debate, an official said on Monday.
On the basis of a complaint made by Pravesh Yadav, a local resident, the FIR against cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi was filed at the Vibhuti Khand police station on Sunday evening. The cleric allegedly made the indiscreet remarks in response to Dimple Yadav's recent visit to a mosque, where he reportedly made inappropriate remarks about her attire. The complaint accused Rashidi of making statements that were not only derogatory and misogynistic, but also “highly provocative and aimed at inciting religious disharmony and communal tension,” according to the FIR.
It showed that Pravesh Yadav said that Rashidi's comments, which were made public on social media and national television, were "an affront to a woman's personal dignity" and appeared to be a deliberate attempt to cause trouble. According to Pravesh Yadav's written complaint, "he made extremely offensive, inflammatory, and anti-women remarks against honorable MP Mrs. Dimple Yadav, wife of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, following her presence at a mosque on July 26."

He stated, "Such statements hurt not only the dignity of women but also threaten the nation's unity, integrity, and peace." Sections 79 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion, race, etc.), and 197 (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) have been used to file the FIR. The Information Technology Act's provisions have also been used to distribute the content on digital platforms. Pravesh Yadav also claimed in his complaint that Rashidi was associated with a group "working to disturb social harmony in India" and that his language and tone suggested an "anti-national mindset." The complaint continued, "Such elements are a direct threat to the secular, democratic, and inclusive fabric of the country." The matter is under investigation, according to a police official, and appropriate action will be taken based on the results.