The State police have booked Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) leader and former legislator P.C. George on the charge of making incendiary comments on a particular group of people to cause communal discord and provoke rioting.
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On Friday, Mr. George's remarks at the Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelan had stirred a controversy and drawn flak from organisations on either side of the political spectrum.
State Police Chief (SPC) Anil Kant has ordered the Fort police to register a case against Mr. George on the charge of “wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause rioting” under Section 153 of the Indian Penal Code. An official said the police would add more Sections if the investigation revealed further offences.
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Moreover, the police might also book the organisers on the charge of providing a bull horn to persons intent on destroying communal peace by spewing invective against a particular religion.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] led the charge by terming Mr. George's comments "hate speech". In a strongly-worded statement here, the CPI(M) State secretariat accused Mr. George of attempting to destroy communal peace. The CPI(M) accused Mr. George of pandering to the interests of forces attempting to sabotage communal peace by spewing invective against a particular group.
It alleged that Mr. George had unleashed false propaganda to "other" a particular community. Mr. George had allegedly attempted to polarise people on religious lines so that communal forces could reap political dividends. Mr. George's comment was deliberate and willful and not the usual off-the-cuff remarks. The CPI(M) said it would muster people to resist devious attempts by communal forces to destroy public peace.
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheeshan and Indian Union Muslim League leader K. Firoz strongly objected to Mr. George’s statement. Both demanded that the police prosecute Mr. George on the charge of creating communal discord.