BJP MLA Balmukund Acharya faces case over protest at Jaipur mosque

A first information report (FIR) has been filed against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Balmukund Acharya after a protest he led outside the Jama Masjid in Jaipur's Walled City sparked communal tension on Friday night.

According to a report by Scroll.in, Acharya was booked on charges of hurting religious sentiments after he allegedly led a crowd that chanted slogans and placed posters on the mosque premises during a demonstration against the Pahalgam terror attack.

In a statement released on social media, Acharya expressed regret over the incident and pledged not to enter mosques again.

Eyewitnesses said Acharya, along with BJP leaders and supporters, allegedly waved saffron flags and torches while raising offensive slogans. 

Hafiz Mansoor Ali Khan, a member of the Jama Masjid committee, said, "Acharya entered the premises around 8:30pm, placed a 'Pakistan Murdabad' poster at the gate and shouted 'Jai Shri Ram'."

The incident, captured on security cameras, led to the gathering of nearly 1,500 people from both Hindu and Muslim communities at nearby Badi Chaupar. 

Congress MLAs Rafiq Khan and Amin Kagzi, along with Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph, rushed to the spot to calm the situation and prevent escalation.

Following a complaint by the Jama Masjid Committee, Jaipur police filed an FIR against Acharya under Sections 298 (injuring or defiling a place of worship), 300 (disturbing religious assembly), 302 (uttering words with intent to wound religious feelings), and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

"The situation on Friday night was extremely tense," said Gur Bhupendra Singh, station house officer at Manak Chowk police station. "We managed to control the crowd with considerable difficulty."

At a press conference on Saturday, Congress legislators Kagzi and Khan said Muslims were deeply hurt by Acharya's actions and called for strict action against him.

Meanwhile, the BJP appeared to distance itself from Acharya's actions. Madan Rathore, BJP's Rajasthan state president, said, "I spoke to Balmukund Acharya, who said he was participating in a protest against the Pahalgam incident. He claimed he was trying to calm the crowd that reached the mosque. However, I firmly told him that no one should enter a mosque. Such actions create communal divisions, and we must remain united against anti-national forces, not target innocent citizens. We respect all religions."

Acharya, a first-time legislator representing the Hawa Mahal constituency, has previously campaigned against meat consumption, use of loudspeakers by mosques, girls wearing hijabs to school, and called for the removal of Bangladeshi and Rohingya refugees from Jaipur. He is also the chief priest of the Hathoj Dham temple.