The police in Mau in eastern Uttar Pradesh lodged an FIR against actor and general secretary of the Samajwadi Party, Sanjay Dutt, 49, on Tuesday for an allegedly inflammatory speech he had made.

“Dutt referred to a particular religion in the course of his speech,” said AV Rajamauli, Mau district magistrate to HT by telephone. “We have watched a CD of the speech he made. It’s a clear violation of the code of conduct.”

Dutt, accompanied by SP general secretary Amar Singh and Rajya Sabha member Jaya Bachchan arrived in Mau to campaign for the Ghosi Lok Sabha candidate, Arshad Jamal Ansari.

Addressing a predominantly Muslim crowd, Dutt said: “I was tortured in jail during the three and a half years I was there because as you know, my mother was a Muslim.”

“Today I stand before you for justice and I hope you will not disappoint me,” he added.

“It is a speech that could have disturbed communal harmony in this extremely sensitive district,” said Vidyasagar Mishra, Mau circle officer. Mau town has nearly 40 per cent Muslim population.