Two days after journalist Saba Naqvi was also named in police cases registered against former BJP representatives Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal for alleged hate speech, the Press Club of India (PCI) has condemned Delhi Police for including her in the FIR.
From its Twitter handle, the club said it "vehemently condemns the lopsided and highhanded manner of Delhi Police in lodging FIR against Saba Naqvi, senior journalist and columnist".
The FIRs were part of a chain of events set off by Nupur Sharma's utterances against Prophet Muhammad on TV and Naveen Jindal's tweets against the Prophet. While Nupur Sharma, who was the BJP's national spokesperson, has bene suspended from the party, Naveen Kumar Jindal has been expelled. He was the Delhi BJP media unit head.
Several West Asian countries demanded a public apology from India. The government tried to defuse the row calling the comments "views of fringe elements". After the BJP acted against its two leaders, legal action came after two weeks of Ms Sharma's TV statements.
On Wednesday, Delhi Police filed a case against Ms Sharma, Mr Jindal, and also named Hyderabad-based politician Asaduddin Owaisi and journalist Saba Naqvi, among others, and others for "inciting people on divisive lines" and "inciting riots".
The Press Club has demanded immediate withdrawal of the FIR against her and all inquiries against her stopped.
On Thursday, Asaduddin Owaisi also condemned the police action and said inclusion of Muslim names is "to assuage BJP supporters".
Ms Naqvi has already expressed shock over the inclusion of her name and alleged that she has been "selectively targeted".
In a statement, she said: "I am a journalist and tasked with speaking truth to power. Social media and news sites suggest the FIR has been filed because of a WhatsApp forward that I shared only to delete it a few hours later. Many others also shared the same image yet I have been selectively targeted in the FIR."
Former AAP MLA Sukhbir Singh Dalal Joins BJP Ahead Of Delhi Assembly Polls Allahabad High Court Stays Arrest Of Fact-Checker Mohammed Zubair BJP To Not Name Chief Ministerial Candidate For Delhi Polls: Source Is Safe Car Enough? Volvo Crash That Killed CEO, Family Sparks Big Question "Nothing Short Of Nightmare": Woman Misses Life Event, Slams Air India Snack Food Epigamia Founder Rohan Mirchandani Dies Of Cardiac Arrest At 41 Chandrababu Naidu's Party Launches Its First Membership Drive In Delhi National Aviation University Hiring Faculty, Salary Up To Rs 2.18 Lakh Man Runs Tractor Over Brother In Karnataka, Then Surrenders To Cops Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.