Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Minister Raja Pateria was arrested on Tuesday morning for his controversial “be ready to kill Modi to save the Constitution” remark about the Prime Minister.
He was produced before a court at Pawai in Panna district which refused to grant him bail and sent him to 14-day judicial custody, Mr. Pateria’s lawyer Govind Narayan Baghel said.
The State Congress, meanwhile, issued a show-cause notice to Mr. Pateria, terming his remarks as extremely objectionable.
Earlier, Mr. Pateria was arrested by the police from his residence at Hata town in Damoh district. “A police team went to his house around 5.30 a.m. to inform him about the arrest. They took him to Pawai (in Panna district) around 7 a.m.,” Hata sub divisional officer of police Virendra Bahadur Singh said.
Meanwhile, MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra said sections 115 and 117 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) have been added in the First Information Report (FIR) registered against Mr. Pateria.
While Section 115 deals with ‘abetment of offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life if offence not committed’, 117 deals with ‘abetting commission of offence by the public’.
In a video that surfaced on social media on Monday morning, Mr. Pateria could be heard telling Congress workers at a meeting in Pawai, “Be ready to kill Modi. Kill in the sense of defeating him... Modi will end the elections. Modi will divide on the basis of religion, caste and language. The future of Dalits, tribals and minorities is in danger. If you want to save the Constitution, then be ready to kill Modi. Kill in the sense of defeating him.”
Subsequently, an FIR was registered against him under IPC sections 451 (house-trespass), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (statements conducing public mischief), and 506 (criminal intimidation).
The offence of house trespass was included in the FIR as the meeting of Congress workers had allegedly been held at the Pawai PWD guest house without permission. MP Congress chief Kamal Nath tweeted late Monday night that he condemned the controversial remarks.
Later, MP Congress Committee served a notice to Mr. Pateria asking him to explain why he should not be expelled from the party. The notice said that he used very “objectionable and condemnable words” against the Prime Minister.
“In 45 years of political life, I have always followed truth and non-violence with full conscience and will always do so. No one can point fingers on this issue. The alleged video of a leader is going viral in the State, if there is even an iota of truth in it, then we strongly condemn such statements,” Kamal Nath said in a tweet.
He also wished long life to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
But Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Govind Singh defended Mr. Pateria and said the former Minister has been a follower of non-violence throughout his life.
Mr. Pateria should not have been arrested as he immediately clarified that he was only talking about defeating Modi and also expressed regret, he said.
Published - December 13, 2022 08:38 am IST
