Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police on Thursday arrested Abhijit Iyer Mitra for his alleged derogatory remarks about Odisha and Lord Jagannath on social media.
Reports said Abhijit was arrested from an area under the NIzamuddin Police limits. After preliminary interrogation at the police station, he was taken to a nearby hospital for medical examination.
Reliable sources said that the Odisha Police would produce Abhijit in a local court at Saket in New Delhi and appeal for a transit remand.
The State Police has booked Abhijit under Section 295 A of the IPC for hurting religious sentiment.
Notably, the derogatory remarks of Abhijit on Odisha, the Sun Temple of Konark and Lord Jagannath had triggered widespread resentment across the state.
So Odisha Police has arrested my friend @Iyervval for his satirical humor because it “hurt religious sentiments”. This is the other side of Indian democracy where religious sentiment supersedes and prevails over all other fundamental rights. We remain stuck in Middle Ages. Shame.
— Aarti Tikoo Singh (@AartiTikoo) September 20, 2018
With members cutting across the party lines in the State Assembly during the privilege motion in the House earlier in the day demanding stringent action against him, Speaker Pradip Amat on Thursday approved the formation of a six-member House Committee led by the Leader of the Opposition Narasingha Mishra to probe the matter.
All-Party Meeting To Decide Action Against Abhijit Iyer Mitra’s Derogatory Remarks
The approval for the formation of the House Committee was taken at the all-party meeting convened by the Speaker after adjourning the House.
