Shia, Sunni clerics file FIR against UP Shia Waqf Board chief

New Delhi, January 17

Shia and Sunni clerics jointly filed an FIR against the Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board chief on Wednesday for allegedly spreading hatred against the Muslim community and its educational institutions.

At a press conference here, they lashed out at Wasim Rizvi for stating that madrassas are breeding grounds for terrorists.

"The remarks of Rizvi are patently false and have been deliberately and dishonestly made as part of a conspiracy. This is part of a larger conspiracy to create a rift and animosity between the Hindus and the Muslims and also between Shia and Sunni communities. We are filing an FIR against him," Shia cleric Syed Kalbe Jawad Naqvi said.

The clerics then went to the Lodhi Road police station and filed the FIR.

Rizvi had earlier written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath in which he said: "How many madrassas have produced engineers, doctors, IAS officers? Yes, but some madrassas have produced terrorists".

The clerics also accused Rizvi of being involved in selling off Waqf properties and other corruption cases.

"He is a person with criminal bent of mind and has many FIRs against him in Lucknow, Saharanpur, Meerut and many other cities of Uttar Pradesh. He is saying all these to save himself from these cases," alleged Maulana Arif Kasim, chairman of All India Imam Foundation.

"He is trying to please the RSS and the BJP by saying that our madrassas are breeding terrorists. Till today there has not been a single case where it has been proved that students have been given any kind of training in madrassas to become terrorists or go against our own country," Naqvi said, asking the Prime Minister to take strong legal action against Rizvi. PTI