|HT|
The Kerala police on Sunday arrested Kerala Janapaksham Party leader P C George, also a former legislator, for his alleged hate speech during a meeting of Hindu seers two days ago in the state capital. He was arrested under Section 153 A of the Indian Penal Code for causing enmity between two communities that invite three- year jail if the charges are proved right. There was a big uproar after his speech turned viral in some social media sites and many Muslim organisations including the Muslim Youth League sought action against him. He was arrested from his house in Poonjar in Kottayam district in the early hours by a special team of police and he will be produced in a court later in the day.
Muslim Youth League state president P K Firos was the first to file a complaint with the state police chief Anil Kant saying his speech was laced with blatant hatred and he insulted the Muslim community. Later ruling Communit Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Congress also decried his speech and asked him to apologise for hurting the sentiments of a community. But the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said some of his observations were right but the party would not subscribe to all what he said during the meeting. “We urge the people of Kerala to stand united and fight all attempts to create a communal divide in the state. In Kerala, communal harmony is paramount and the Left front government will do everything possible to maintain it,” said the CPI(M) state secretariat deploring his speech.
George who represented Poonjar assembly constituency for more than 25 years started his career with the Kerala Congress, a regional party dominated by Christians. In 2017 he formed a new party Kerala Janapaksham and aligned with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In the last assembly election, he tasted defeat in Poonjar.
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