A BJP lawmaker from Jharkhand has allegedly said that people who wear a beard or a cap or eat beef would be beaten up if found near Hindu religious places.

A 67-second video that emerged on Wednesday purportedly shows Kushwaha Shashi Bhushan Mehta, MLA from Panki in Palamau district, making slanderous remarks about Muslims in Hindi without naming the community.

In the video, a garlanded man resembling the MLA appears to be saying that “such people” (Muslims) first participate in Hindu religious events and then disrupt them, and that this will not be tolerated any longer.

The speaker adds that he has already raised the matter in the Jharkhand Assembly and will now raise it in the streets too.

He goes on to say that “these people” disrupted the Shaurya Yatra organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal on October 3.

He then purportedly threatens that if “dadhiwale” (bearded people), “topiwale” (those wearing caps) and beef-eaters are seen near Hindu religious places, they will be beaten up.

A local reporter with a news channel in Palamau said the video had been filmed during the foundation-stone event for a wedding hall in Panki on Tuesday, Vijaya Dashami.

In a state ruled by a JMM-Congress-RJD alliance, the police had not registered an FIR for hate speech till 5.30pm on Thursday, when this report was filed, despite the video being in circulation for nearly 24 hours.

Palamau superintendent of police Reeshma Ramesan said: “We are examining the video and are yet to lodge an FIR as nobody has lodged any complaint so far.”

Reminded about the Supreme Court directive in April to police forces across the country to register FIRs suo motu (by themselves) against hate speeches, Ramesan said: “We will take action only after examining the video.”

Congress and JMM spokespersons issued similar statements condemning the MLA’s speech but were tight-lipped on the police’s failure to register an FIR.

State Congress president Rajesh Thakur simply said the police should act. “BJP leaders have fallen back on hate speech as they have nothing else to show the voters,” Thakur said.

“The BJP think-tank is welcoming hate speech makers back into the party, and so other leaders are taking the cue. However, people will give them a fitting reply during the polls.”

JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey too said the BJP was falling back on hate speeches.