Indore: Four Muslim youths were arrested from a Garba pandal of a private college in Madhya Pradesh by the police on the charge of fear of disrupting public peace and promoting “love jihad”. The complaint to the police was made by members of the Hindutva organisation, Bajrang Dal.
Police also registered a case against the organisers for allowing more than a permissible number of people on the occasion.
The four youths were taken into custody on Sunday night after activists of the Bajrang Dal created ruckus at the event over the participation of people from a “particular community”, eye-witnesses claimed.
“They (the four youths) were arrested under CrPC section 151 (Arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences) from a private college campus in Gandhi Nagar area during garba,” Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Parag Jain said.
All of them were sent to jail on Monday for fear of disrupting public peace, he said.
Bajrang Dal’s local coordinator Tarun Devda filed a complaint with Gandhi Nagar police station alleging that the administration had given permission for inviting only 800 people to the garba pandal but the organisers turned it into a commercial event and sold tickets. Nearly 2,000-3000 people were given entry to participate in the programme, he alleged.
Devda also alleged a large number of persons belonging to a particular community were especially present in the programme.
On the complaint of Devda, a case under section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against college management’s Akshay Tiwari, but he is not yet arrested.
The Indore police have however refused to speak of the Bajrang Dal’s involvement on the issue. Speaking to The Indian Express, Superintendent of Police, Indore West, Maheshchand Jain, said the action against the four young men was “unfair” and that he had recommended against their detention.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Prashant Choubey, speaking to the media remarked that “there was no instance of love jihad” found at the scene of the crime. However, both officials did not mention the Bajrang Dal at all.
(with PTI inputs)