Deoghar DC faces sedition charge after airport row

BJP MPs Manoj Tiwari (left) and Nishikant Dubey. Pic/PTI

The Delhi police have filed a zero FIR against the Deoghar district commissioner (DC) in Jharkhand on the charge of sedition and under the Officials Secret Acts following BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's complaint, officers said.

This comes a day after the Jharkhand police lodged an FIR against BJP MPs Dubey and Manoj Tiwari, Dubey's two sons and others. They were accused of "forcefully" taking flight clearance on August 31 from the Air Traffic Control at Deoghar airport, which is not ready for night operations. In his complaint, Dubey claimed that he decided to take information from the airport director regarding a high court case about night landing facility.

"I...headed towards his office. But I was stopped by the Jharkhand police and they hurled abuses at my sons... They threatened to kill me," Dubey stated, claiming that this happened at the instruction of DC Manjunath.

Dubey said that the next day Manjunath went to the restricted area of DRDO at the airport where no one can go without the PMO's permission. The airport director tried to convince him to go back but Manjunath didn't budge and misused his position.

In May, the Supreme Court had suspended all pending criminal trials and court proceedings under Section 124A (sedition) of the IPC, until the review of the law. The SC also stated that it "hopes and expects" the central and the state governments would refrain from filing fresh FIRs under Section 124A.

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