DEHRADUN: A senior BJP functionary in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand has been charged by local police for “promoting enmity” and “outraging religious feelings” after he allegedly threatened to “burn down shops belonging to members of the minority community and gouge their eyes out for targeting Hindu girls over love jihad.”
Lakhpat Bhandari, vice-president of Pauri Garhwal district unit of BJP, made the comments during a “chetna and chetavni (awareness and warning)” rally, which saw a large turnout, in the district’s Srinagar town on Thursday.He also accused the police of “taking no action against the perpetrators of love jihad”.
Taking suo-motu cognisance of the statements as per SC directives over “derogatory speeches”, the district police charged Bhandari under BNS sections 196 (promoting enmity between different communities) and 299 (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings). SSP, Pauri Garhwal, Lokeshwar Singh, said, “Necessary legal action will be initiated against the accused. Moreover, as far as incidents of any crime against women, irrespective of their faith, is concerned, police always take proper action against the accused.”
Bhandari said, “We were forced to hit the streets following a recent incident of harassment of a class 6 student by a Muslim man. This was not the first such case. Earlier, we had caught men from the minority community running social media accounts with Hindu names to befriend our daughters.” He added: “The rally’s motive was to urge parents to be more cautious and to prevent their daughters from falling in this trap and at the same time to warn members of the minority community against targeting our daughters with wrong intentions…”
Lakhpat Bhandari, vice-president of Pauri Garhwal district unit of BJP, made the comments during a “chetna and chetavni (awareness and warning)” rally, which saw a large turnout, in the district’s Srinagar town on Thursday.He also accused the police of “taking no action against the perpetrators of love jihad”.
Taking suo-motu cognisance of the statements as per SC directives over “derogatory speeches”, the district police charged Bhandari under BNS sections 196 (promoting enmity between different communities) and 299 (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings). SSP, Pauri Garhwal, Lokeshwar Singh, said, “Necessary legal action will be initiated against the accused. Moreover, as far as incidents of any crime against women, irrespective of their faith, is concerned, police always take proper action against the accused.”
Bhandari said, “We were forced to hit the streets following a recent incident of harassment of a class 6 student by a Muslim man. This was not the first such case. Earlier, we had caught men from the minority community running social media accounts with Hindu names to befriend our daughters.” He added: “The rally’s motive was to urge parents to be more cautious and to prevent their daughters from falling in this trap and at the same time to warn members of the minority community against targeting our daughters with wrong intentions…”