Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring has been booked for making allegedly casteist and derogatory remarks about late Buta Singh, who was the Union home minister between 1986 and 1989, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday.

Warring made the comments during a campaign speech for the Tarn Taran Assembly bye-election scheduled for November 11.

A first information report was registered at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Kapurthala on Tuesday based on a complaint filed by Buta Singh’s son Sarabjot Singh Sidhu, PTI reported.

Warring has been charged under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to statements conducing to public mischief and promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion and race, along with provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act, the Hindustan Times reported.

Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Toora told the newspaper that after receiving the complaint on Monday, the police sought legal advice and were recommended the registration of an FIR.

The officer said that further action will be taken in accordance with legal procedure.

In his complaint, Sidhu alleged that Warring used the terms “Kala Mazhabi Sikh” and “Black Sikh” in a derogatory manner to refer to his late father, claiming the words were deliberately used to insult members of the Mazhabi Sikh community and the Scheduled Caste community at large, ANI reported.

The complaint alleged that the remarks were highly offensive, defamatory and casteist, amounting to body shaming and promoting caste-based discrimination, PTI reported.

“The words ‘Black Sikh’ reinforce the historically entrenched ideas like the superiority of the upper castes over the lower castes/untouchables,” the news agency quoted Sidhu as saying.

Sidhu added that the comments had caused “immense emotional distress and public outrage” among members of the Valmiki community in Punjab and could “disrupt communal harmony in the state”, the Hindustan Times reported.

Following criticism, Warring on Monday issued an unconditional apology, clarifying that he held Buta Singh in the highest regard and was “deeply respectful” of him.

He described Buta Singh as a “father figure” and said that if his words had hurt anyone, he offered his “sincere and unconditional apology”.

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