Summary of this article
A Bihar-based cleric, Maulana Abdullah Salim (also referred to as Maulana Abdul Salim Chaturvedi), has been booked by Uttar Pradesh Police in Balrampur district following a complaint from BJP leaders.
The FIR was registered under sections related to intentional insult and public mischief after the cleric allegedly made derogatory comments about CM Yogi Adityanath's mother during a religious gathering in Bihar, linked to discussions on cow slaughter laws.
The remarks sparked widespread outrage, leading to BJP workers staging protests, burning effigies in Lucknow and other places, and demanding strict action against the cleric.
Uttar Pradesh Police have registered an FIR against a Bihar-based cleric, Maulana Abdullah Salim (also referred to as Maulana Abdul Salim Chaturvedi), for allegedly making derogatory and objectionable comments about Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's mother during a religious gathering in Bihar.
The case was filed at Nagar Kotwali police station in Balrampur district on March 7, based on a complaint by BJP district president Ravi Kumar Mishra. The cleric has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including provisions for intentional insult (Section 352) and statements conducing to public mischief (Section 353-2/3), as confirmed by Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar.
According to reports and viral video clips circulating on social media, the remarks were made in the context of discussing Uttar Pradesh's strict cow protection and slaughter laws. The cleric allegedly used highly offensive language, with some accounts quoting him sarcastically saying something along the lines of "Yogi ji ki maa ka gosht kha lo" (eat Yogi ji's mother's meat) while critiquing the enforcement of beef-related bans and police actions. The comments were widely interpreted as deeply insulting to the CM's mother and to Hindu sentiments regarding cows.
The incident triggered immediate backlash in Uttar Pradesh. BJP workers and supporters staged protests in Lucknow and Balrampur, burning effigies of the cleric and raising slogans demanding his arrest. Demonstrators described the remarks as "anti-national" and unacceptable, emphasizing the sacred status of mothers in Indian culture. Protesters warned of larger agitations if strict action was not taken promptly.
BJP leaders, including figures like Aparna Bisht Yadav, condemned the statements, highlighting that freedom of speech does not extend to vile abuse or disrespect toward family members. The controversy has spread across social media, with many users calling for the cleric's arrest and accountability.
Police stated that investigations are underway, and further legal steps will follow based on evidence, including the viral clips. The cleric, reportedly educated in Deoband and sometimes using the surname "Chaturvedi," is said to have links to religious and possibly political circles in Bihar.
This episode comes amid heightened sensitivities around religious speeches, cow protection laws, and inter-community discourse in the region. Authorities have urged calm while the matter is probed.
