Private lawyer files FIR against AIMIM leader Waris Pathan for his '15 crore Muslims' remark

Bengaluru, Feb 22: AIMIM leader Waris Pathan was slapped with an FIR after he made a statement claiming that 15 crore Muslims are more than a match for the country's 100 crore Hindus.

In the FIR that was filed by a private lawyer in Karnataka's Kalaburagi, Pathan has been charged under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 117 (abetting commission of an offence by the public) and 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot) of the Indian Penal Code.

The AIMIM leader was condemned for reportedly stating that "15 crore hain lekin 100 crore pe bhari hain".

In a video that went viral on social media, Pathan was heard stating, "We have to move together. We have to take Azadi (freedom), things that we don't get by asking, we have to take it by force, remember it...(We maybe) 15 crore, but are heavy on 100 (crore), remember it."

Pathan made these claims while he was addressing an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act rally in Kalaburagi in north Karnataka on February 16. However, the AIMIM leader has also claimed that he was quoted out of context.