Mumbai: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday reacted sharply to the suspension of party MLA Abu Azmi from the Maharashtra Assembly over his recent controversial remarks praising Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.

In a post on X, Akhilesh slammed the action against Abu Azmi, saying, “If the basis of suspension starts getting influenced by ideology, then what difference will remain between freedom of expression and slavery.”

Defending the SP MLA, he said, “Whether it is our MLAs or MPs, their fearless wisdom is unmatched. If some people think that by ‘suspension’ one can put a rein on the tongue of truth, then this is the childishness of their negative thinking.”

“Today’s free-thinking says, we don’t want BJP!” he added.

Akhilesh Yadav’s response came hours after Abu Azmi was suspended from the House till the end of the Session.

The suspension came a day after Abu Azmi apologized for his remarks on Tuesday, stating that his words had been misinterpreted. In a video statement, Abu Azmi clarified that he was merely citing historical accounts and had no intention of disrespecting any revered figures.

However, soon after his apology, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that the SP MLA would not be forgiven and “his statement will cost him”.

Alwar, Rajasthan: A one-month-old infant, Alisba, died after allegedly being crushed under a police officer’s foot during a raid in Alwar’s Raghunathgarh village on Sunday (March 2) morning.

The raid, conducted at around 6:00 AM at the house of daily-wage labourer Imran Khan, was led by head constables Girdhari and Jagveer, along with constables Sunil, Rishi, and Shahid.

As per reports, Imran claimed that the police entered their house without warning while his wife was asleep with their one-month-old daughter, who was wrapped in a blanket.

“When I was sleeping on the cot with my infant daughter, the policemen arrived all of a sudden, pulled me out, and sent me out of the room. They also pulled my husband out. They stepped on my infant daughter’s head and killed her. This is murder, and I want justice,” Razida Khan, the mother of the deceased girl, told media.

After the police ignored the family’s complaint, angry villagers gathered outside the Alwar SP (Rural) residence, staging a protest demanding justice.

As per the report, ASP Tejpal Singh confirmed that an FIR was filed against unidentified police personnel, and Imran Khan’s family was assured of action.

Following this, Alwar SP Sanjeev Nain sent the accused officials to police lines. Police sources said the raid was linked to a cybercrime case, but Imran Khan was not named in any FIR. Imran denied any role in online fraud and claimed that the police seized his phone during the raid.

Condemning the incident, Rajasthan LoP Tika Ram Jully urged the Chief Minister to take stringent action against the responsible. “In Alwar, the police are harassing the public in the name of cyber fraud. Raids are being conducted, and money is extorted. I raised this issue in the Vidhan Sabha as well. An infant died during the raid by the police. The Chief Minister should take cognizance and ensure that the public is not harassed. Action should be taken against those responsible, but the public should not be harassed,” he told media.

Guwahati, March 4: YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia is set to appear before the Assam Police in Guwahati on Tuesday in the case related to his controversial comments on the stage of ‘India Got Latent’ show that has attracted massive backlash for the podcaster.

A case against Allahbadia was registered in Guwahati and he was served summons to appear before the Assam Police here.

The Guwahati Crime Branch last week questioned another YouTuber Ashish Chanchalani, who has also been embroiled in the controversy for his comments made during an episode of ‘India’s Got Latent’ show.

The interrogation lasted several hours after the YouTuber arrived at the Crime Branch office.

“YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani showed up for interrogation at the Crime Branch. He has complied with our inquiry. We will phone him if necessary, but we are not currently calling him again. We have not yet received a response from other people connected to the investigation. They will receive new summonses shortly,” Guwahati’s Joint Police Commissioner Ankur Jain told reporters here.

When Allahbadia made controversial comments on the show hosted by comedian Samay Raina, Chanchlani was listed in the Assam FIR.

Due to his remarks regarding parents and sex in an episode of the show, Allahbadia, better known by his stage name BeerBiceps, faced severe criticism and complaints.

Chanchlani has pleaded that the FIR filed at the Guwahati Crime Branch, Guwahati Police Commissionerate’s Cyber Police Station be quashed.

As the Maharashtra FIR was filed first, the YouTuber requested that the Guwahati FIR be transferred to Mumbai. While considering Chanchlani’s anticipatory bail motion, the Gauhati High Court granted him temporary relief on February 18 and instructed him to appear in person before the investigating officer within ten days.

The lawyer for Chanchlani contended that their client made no statements on the show and that the FIR’s accusations were limited to the co-accused. Under certain provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhtia, Information Technology Act, Cinematograph Act, and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, Guwahati Police filed a formal complaint against Chanchlani on February 10.