India, March 5 -- Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi has been charged with hurting religious beliefs a day after his remarks on Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb triggered an uproar on Monday, and forced an adjournment in the legislative assembly on Tuesday. Azmi has also withdrawn his remarks, after calls for more stringent action against him escalated.

Dismissing the portrayal of Aurangzeb as a cruel ruler in the movie Chhava, Azmi had described him as a "good administrator" and made other positive remarks about the Mughal emperor, drawing a backlash from politicians across the spectrum.

Late on Monday, various leaders of the Shiv Sena assembled at police stations and filed FIRs against Azmi. The Marine Drive police registered a case against th...