A local court on Tuesday acquitted Gauhar Chishti, the Khadim of Ajmer Sharif Dargah, and five others who were arrested for raising controversial slogan targeting suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma in 2022.
In June 2022, a video had gone viral wherein Gauhar Chishti and others could be seen raising the slogan outside the Ajmer Sharif Dargah against Nupur Sharma, who was suspended from the party for her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad.
As many as 22 witnesses and 32 documents were presented before the court during the trial which went on for over two years.
"In June 2022, the accused raised the slogan near the entrance of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. Khadim Gauhar Chishti, Tajim Siddiqui (31), Fakhar Jamali (42), Riyaz Hasan Dal (47), Moin Khan (48), and Nasir Khan (45) were arrested in connection with the case, who have all been acquitted by the court now," said public prosecutor Ghulam Nazmi Farooqui.
According to a report filed by constable Jayanarayan, at around 3 p.m. on June 17, 2022, provocative speeches were made during a procession in Ajmer when he was on duty.
As per the report, Khadim Gauhar Chishti and others raised the offensive slogan on loudspeakers in the presence of around 2,500-3,000 people who were present outside the Ajmer Sharif Dargah. A case was registered against the Khadim for inciting the crowd and calling for murder at a religious site.
After the incident, Gauhar Chishti fled from Ajmer and was given shelter in Hyderabad by a man named Ahsanullah. The police later arrested both of them from Hyderabad.