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Muslim cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi stirred a row over his inflammatory and misogynistic remarks against Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav during a televised debate.
File photos of Dimple Yadav/Maulana Sajid Rashidi (PTI)
A case was registered against a Muslim cleric after he made objectionable and inflammatory remarks against Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav during a televised debate.
The remarks in question were allegedly made in response to Dimple Yadav’s recent visit to a mosque. The cleric, during the television debate, commented inappropriately on Dimple Yadav’s attire, suggesting that she kept her head uncovered on the premises of the mosque.
Later, clarifying his remark, the cleric said, “My statement is being unnecessarily made into an issue to run a narrative. I did not say anything wrong.”
“In the society and place I come from, if a woman is not wearing a veil over her head, people say, ‘She’s roaming around uncovered, why hasn’t she taken a veil?’ It’s not like I committed a terrorist attack. This issue has been blown out of proportion,” he claimed.
Delhi: On his statement regarding SP MP Dimple Yadav, All India Imam Association, President, Maulana Sajid Rashidi says, “My statement is being unnecessarily made into an issue to run a narrative. I did not say anything wrong. In the society and place I come from, if a woman is… pic.twitter.com/gGm9CrpuqB— IANS (@ians_india) July 28, 2025
Soon after the controversy, MPs of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) protested outside the Parliament premises against the cleric’s remarks.
#WATCH | Delhi | NDA MPs hold a protest outside the Parliament against All India Imam Association (AIIA) President Moulana Sajid Rashidi’s derogatory remark against Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav during a television debate pic.twitter.com/hvknkItEBF– years (@ani) July 28, 2025
DIMPLE YADAV COMMENTS ON THE CONTROVERSY
Speaking to reporters, Dimple Yadav said it would have been better had the Bharatiya Janata Party, instead of protesting against the cleric’s remark, stood for the women of Manipur.
“It would have been better if they had protested against the Manipur incident, the videos of which were viral on social media. It would have been better had they stood with the women of Manipur,” Dimple Yadav said.
“The way the leaders of the BJP gave statements on our Army officers during ‘Operation Sindoor’, it would have been better if they (the NDA) stood with them,” she added.
WHAT THE COMPLAINANT MENTIONED IN FIR
The First Information Report, submitted by a local identified as Pravesh Yadav, accused Maulana Sajid Rashidi of making statements that were not only derogatory and misogynistic, but also “highly provocative and aimed at inciting religious disharmony and communal tension”.
Pravesh Yadav alleged that Rashidi’s comments, made publicly on social media and national television, were “an affront to a woman’s personal dignity” and appeared to be a deliberate attempt to provoke unrest, it showed.
“He made extremely offensive, inflammatory, and anti-women remarks against honourable MP Mrs Dimple Yadav, wife of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, following her presence at a mosque on July 26,” Pravesh Yadav mentioned in his written complaint.
“Such statements hurt not only women’s dignity but also threaten the unity, integrity, and peace of the nation,” he mentioned.
In his complaint, Pravesh Yadav further alleged that Rashidi’s language and tone indicated an “anti-national mindset” and linked him to a group “working to disturb social harmony in India.”
“Such elements are a direct threat to the secular, democratic, and inclusive fabric of the country,” the complaint added.
The case against the cleric was registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc), and 197 (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), among others.
Provisions under the Information Technology Act were also invoked for the circulation of the content on digital platforms.
A police official said the matter is under investigation and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings.
ALSO READ | ‘He Thinks All Islamic Religious Places Are…’: BJP Targets Akhilesh Over Mosque Visit
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.
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