10 May,2023 08:20 PM IST | Mumbai | PTI
Jitendra Awhad. File Pic
The Thane police on Wednesday registered a non-cognisable (NC) offence on charge of defamation against NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad for his comments on 'The Kerala Story' movie, an official said.
The offence was registered by the Vartak Nagar police under Indian Penal Code Section 500 (defamation) after an activist filed a complaint against Awhad for allegedly defaming the film by claiming that it was based on fake incidents, said the official from the police station.
Awhad posted a copy of the NC on his Twitter handle.
In the case of a non-cognisable offence, the police cannot arrest the accused without a warrant and cannot start an investigation without the permission of a court.
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Awhad had said 'The Kerala Story' was peddling fiction and its producer should be hanged in public.
Also Read: 'The Kerala Story' producer should be hanged in public: NCP leader Awhad
They have not only tarnished the image of Kerala but have also insulted the women of the state. They said 32,000 women from Kerala had gone missing and joined the terrorist group ISIS, but the real figure is three, Awhad told a news channel.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the Home portfolio, on Tuesday said if Awhad had made such a statement, an inquiry will be conducted and appropriate action will be taken.
The BJP has supported the movie on women being forcefully converted to Islam and recruited by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), while opposition parties have accused the filmmakers of peddling hate.
The motion picture has been banned in West Bengal and multiplexes in Tamil Nadu have halted its screening, whereas BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have made it tax-free.
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