Jaspreet Singh, a 2016-batch IPS officer posted as Special Superintendent in the Intelligence Branch, was deployed for maintaining law and order and ensuring that prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were not violated in the area.

The FIR has been registered under Section 295A (whoever with a deliberate and malicious intention of outraging religious feelings of any class) of the Indian Penal Code at the Bhowanipore police station in Kolkata on the basis of a complaint by Gurmeet Singh, a member of Youth Khalsa Club.

“We are probing the matter,” a senior police official said.

The FIR says unkidentified BJP leaders and workers uttered derogatory remark “Khalistani” against the on-duty officer and not only outraged his religious feelings but also intended to spread hatred between communities.

The incident took place when a group led by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari was on its way to unrest-hit Sandeskhali and was stopped by the police at Dhamakhali in the district.

The police officer had condemned the BJP activists for the slur and asked them to keep his faith out of this.

As the video of the incident went viral, support for Singh poured in from all quarters. The state police slammed the alleged slur against Singh, saying, “This comment is as much malicious and racial as it is communally inciting. It is a criminal act. We unequivocally condemn the unprovoked, unacceptable attack on an individual’s religious identity and beliefs aimed to incite people to take to violence and break the law.”

The remark by the BJP leaders also drew a sharp reaction from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who while extending her support to the officer said he was only doing his duty and should not have been called a ‘Khalistani’ just for wearing turban. “We respect all religions. If an officer wears a turban, how can you call him Khalistani? There are Muslim IAS, IPS, and WBCS officers; how can you call them Pakistani just because someone is a Muslim officer?” she asked.