Bollywood star Ajaz Khan arrested for posting ‘objectional’ videos about Muslim lynching

Published time: 19 Jul, 2019 11:22Edited time: 19 Jul, 2019 12:07

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Bollywood star and former Bigg Boss contestant Ajaz Khan was arrested by Mumbai Cyber Police for inciting enmity between different religious groups through videos posted to the Tik Tok platform.

Ramesh Solanki, a Shiv Sena (Hindu nationalist political organization) worker, filed a police complaint over two July 9 videos posted by Khan in which the actor discussed the brutal lynching of a young Muslim man in India, eyewitness footage of which went viral and sparked outrage across India.

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The victim, 24-year-old Tabrez Ansari, was reportedly tortured for 12 hours before he was handed in to authorities, later dying from his injuries while in custody after being refused medical care.

Khan was arrested on Thursday and is due to appear in court on Friday to face charges under the Indian penal codes relating to common intention, promoting enmity and transmitting objectionable material. He faces a fine of Rs 5,00,000 ($72,000) or up to five years in jail if convicted. 

“The first video was regarding the alleged lynching of Jharkhand native Tabrez Ansari, in which he was inciting an entire community to unite and exact revenge. Mr Khan was also seen making insulting statements about political leaders of the country in the same video,” a senior officer with the Mumbai Police said, as cited by the Hindu. 

In the second video, Khan was reportedly critical of police investigations into similar Tik Tok videos about the lynching. 

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“We found the videos had objectionable content mainly promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and hatred among [the] public at large,” Mumbai Police spokesperson, DCP Manjunath Singe, said.

Khan is no stranger to controversy: In May, he was booked by police for allegedly assaulting two people at a Mumbai fashion show. He was also reportedly arrested the previous October for alleged drug possession.