New Delhi:
An FIR was registered in Assam on Thursday against Delhi chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi, for describing people from the northeast as immigrants in the Bhartiya Janata Party's (BJP) vision document.
Besides Bedi, the FIR names party's Delhi unit chief Satish Upadhyay, Union Minister Harsh Vardhan, spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor and the party's state in-charge Prabhat Jha.
BJP's vision document for the Delhi assembly polls, which was released on Tuesday, stirred up controversy by referring people from north eastern states in the national capital as "immigrants", after which Congress demanded an apology and removal of the words.
In protest, Congress also burnt effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Agartala. Hundreds of protestors walked in a procession raising anti-Modi and anti-BJP slogans and demanded apology from the prime minister.
The 24 page vision document, that entails the party's roadmap in taking Delhi forward by making it a world-class city and steps in public welfare includes a section on "North Eastern Immigrants to be Protected".
The section talks of special cells in all police stations and 24-hour helpline numbers to be set up "for protection of north-eastern migrants".
"Special cells in all police stations and special 24-hour helpline numbers to be set up for the protection of the NorthEastern migrants. To safeguard the students of NE origin, special guardianship will be arranged with local families for them," the document says.
The case against five BJP functionaries was registered under the Indian Penal Code's Section 153 A for promoting "enmity between different groups on the grounds of race, residence, language'' on Guwahati businessman Arun Pathak complaint.