Election Commission directs police to book Kapil Mishra for communal tweet

New Delhi : The Election Commission on Friday ordered the police to file a FIR against BJP leader Kapil Mishra for a communal tweet he made against the protesters of CAA ahead of assembly elections in Delhi.

The poll body had earlier asked Twitter to delete the post that had tagged the protest sites in the city as "mini-Pakistans", terming it as a "highly objectionable" comment that "appeals to communal feelings".

On Thursday, Kapil Mishra referred Shaheen Bagh where a lot of Muslim community people are protesting against the CAA as an entry point to Pakistan.

"Pakistan is entering through Shaheen Bagh, and mini-Pakistans are being created in Delhi...Shaheen Bagh, Chand Bagh, Inderlok. The law is not followed here and Pakistani rioters are occupying the roads," he posted in Hindi.

In another tweet, he tagged the upcoming Delhi elections as an "India vs Pakistan" battle.

A notice has been issued to Kapil Mishra over the controversial remarks on the social media, he has been asked to file an explanation within a day. He has sought three days to reply. "I don't think I said anything wrong. Speaking truth is not a crime in this country. I spoke the truth. I stand by my statement," the BJP candidate said.

Election Commission charged him of violating the Model Code of Conduct that forbids "aggravating differences or creating mutual hatred or causing tension between different communities".

The 39-year-old is contesting the election as the BJP candidate from Model Town. A former close aide of Arvind Kejriwal, he fell out with AAP after publicly accusing the Chief Minister and a minister of corruption.