Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh): Three weeks after he was booked for sedition for likening the Taliban to Indian freedom fighters, Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal Shafiqur Rehman Barq on Tuesday made another controversial remark saying Muslims are not safe in India.
Speaking with reporters, Barq said Muslims were subjected to injustice and discrimination. "Injustice is being meted out to them. Baseless allegations are being levelled against them and are subjected to mob lynching. Their patience is being tested. There is a limit," he said when asked whether Muslims were feeling safe in the country.
Also read: SP MP, booked for sedition, questions Delhi's talks with Taliban
"India is theirs' (Muslims) too. They have been co-existing peacefully for the past 800 years and history is a testimony to this," he said.
Barq demanded a judicial probe into the mysterious killing of Rabia Saifi, a young woman who was employed with the Delhi Civil Defence. She was found murdered with 50 stabbings, in the bushes in Faridabad.
Also read: Samajwadi Party MP booked for supporting Taliban
A week ago, Barq was charged under IPC Section 124A (sedition) following a complaint from BJP leader Rajesh Singhal after the SP leader said that when India was under British Rule, the entire country fought for independence. “They (Taliban) want to be free. This is their personal matter. How can we interfere?” he said. He had called the Taliban a force that did not allow Russia or the United States to establish themselves in Afghanistan, “and now they wanted to run their own country.”
Barq had later clarified that his statements were taken out of context and that he was with the policies taken by the Indian government.
