Asaduddin Owaisi's party supporters protest after FIR against him in Delhi

AIMIM supporters on Thursday held a protest outside Parliament Street police station here after party chief Asaddudin Owaisi was named in an FIR for allegedly posting and sharing messages on social media against the maintenance of public tranquility and inciting people on divisive lines, officials said.

Over 20 people have been detained, they said.

"AIMIM supporters were protesting outside Parliament Street police station. Around 25, including two to three women, have been detained," a senior police officer said.

The Delhi Police has registered FIRs against former BJP spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand and others for allegedly posting and sharing messages on social media against the maintenance of public tranquility and inciting people on divisive lines, officials said on Thursday.

The FIRs were registered after an analysis of social media, they said.

The cases have been registered against those who were posting and sharing messages against the maintenance of public tranquility and were inciting people on the basis of divisive lines," a senior police officer said.

The cases have been registered under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code, he said.

One case has been registered against Sharma and another against multiple social media entities, including Owaisi, Jindal, Narsinghanand, Shadab Chauhan, Saba Naqvi, Maulana Mufti Nadeem, Abdur Rehman and Gulzar Ansari, based on the analysis, the officer said.