Presidential Election 2017: BJP spokesperson files police complaint against Rana Ayyub for criticising Ram Nath Kovind

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Monday registered a police complaint against journalist Rana Ayyub after she posted a tweet about National Democratic Alliance’s announced its presidential candidate. Sharma, in her complaint, called the tweet “defamatory, hate-filled and derogatory”.

Sharma filed the complaint against the journalist under The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 for “insulting and humiliating” the current Bihar governor. Ayyub, earlier on Monday, had tweeted criticising the NDA’s decision to propose Ram Nath Kovind as its presidential candidate.

The complaint, registered with the Delhi police commissioner, says, “To classify a sitting and incumbent Governor of Bihar and now NDA nominee for post of President of India, namely Shri Ram Nath Kovind ji, as “Worst Bet” for the post of President of India is not only directly undermining the abilities and position in society of a member of the Scheduled Castes but is also blatantly and scurrilously slanderous and casteist.” Soon after the complaint was widely ciculated on Twitter, Ayyub responded to Sharma’s complaint with a series of tweets.

Rana Ayyub is best known for her investigative journalism book titled Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up.