A Catholic priest was arrested in Madurai on Saturday for his “hate speech” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and DMK ministers.
A case against George Ponnaiah has been registered under IPC sections 143, 153A, 269, 295A, 505(2), 506(1) and Section 3 of Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
Hindu groups condemned the comments of the Tamil Nadu priest and demanded his arrest after the alleged hate speech went viral on social media. BJP workers in the state have demanded a case be filed against him under the National Security Act and the Goondas Act, Tamil Nadu, reported timesnownews.com.
The priest, during a meeting convened in memory of Stan Swamy in Arumanai town, Kanniyakumari district, on July 18, said that DMK won the state assembly election in May due to the votes they got from the minority community.
The priest allegedly accused BJP MLA MR Gandhi of being the main culprit in 1982 Mandaikadu communal riots, according to ANI. He also said that BJP and RSS loyalists were ashamed of mentioning Modi and Shah’s names.
His other comment that sparked a row was on Bharat Mata.
“We wear slippers to ensure our feet don’t get dirty and get any disease because of Bharat Mata,” he had said.
Around 30 complaints have been filed against Ponniah after his speech.
