Indore Municipal Council passes resolution to remove councillor Qadri:BJP alleges funding jihadists and criminal background, Congress stages walkout from meeting

In a meeting of the Indore Municipal Corporation Council, a resolution to remove Anwar Qadri from his post as a councillor was passed. The resolution was presented by Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav and supported by BJP councillors. Mayor Bhargav stated that Qadri, being absconding and in jail, has no justification to continue as a councillor. She added that his reply from jail was emotional and not factual. The Mayor questioned Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, State President Jitu Patwari, and Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, on whether the party supported ‘Love Jihad’. Congress councillors protested by leaving the house before the resolution was presented. Allegations of funding jihadists BJP councillor Rupali Pendharkar claimed that Qadri funded jihadists and fled. A debate ensued, with Councillor Manish Sharma suggesting that action should also be taken at Qadri’s residence and that funding investigations was necessary. Opposition Leader Chintu Choukse condemned the move, saying the BJP was murdering democracy. He argued that Qadri’s guilt had not yet been proven and that the BJP had framed him in a false case. Choukse expressed confidence in the judiciary and stated that Qadri would eventually be acquitted and continue working as a councillor. Mayor’s letter to divisional commissioner Anwar Qadri, a Congress councillor from Ward No. 58, has faced a termination process since June. On 20 June, Mayor Bhargav wrote to Divisional Commissioner Deepak Singh, requesting Qadri’s removal due to an FIR and his criminal background. Serious allegations and criminal history Serious allegations against Qadri surfaced in June when a viral video showed two youths claiming Qadri had paid them to trap Hindu women and push them towards conversion and prostitution. Police immediately registered a case. A reward of ₹40,000 was placed for his arrest after he absconded. During the investigation, his daughter Ayesha was also arrested for allegedly helping him hide but was later granted bail. Qadri surrendered to the district court on 29 August. Qadri’s criminal record includes a one-year imprisonment in 2011 for life-threatening assault and a robbery case in Ujjain in 1996, earning him the nickname ‘Dacoit’. He has also been involved in several incidents of assault and trespassing in Indore. Political career and controversial incidents Qadri has been a Congress councillor three times, while his wife has been a councillor twice. He served as General Secretary of the City Congress under Pramod Tandon and contested elections once as an independent. On 28 April 2025, Qadri burnt effigies of Pakistan and terrorism in protest against the Pahalgam attack. During the event, some supporters chanted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’, prompting BJP MLA Golu Shukla to file an FIR. Qadri was subsequently arrested and sent to jail.