A Manipur Congress spokesperson was arrested on Tuesday on charges of sedition for allegedly using derogatory language against Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a television debate, Imphal Times reported.
Sanoujam Shyamcharan Singh, an Imphal-based lawyer, was arrested on a complaint filed by M Barish Sharma, the local president of the Bhartiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha, The Indian Express reported.
Singh was charged under Sections 124A (sedition), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 505 (public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code. He was granted bail late on Tuesday.
In his complaint, the BJP youth wing leader alleged that Singh had used derogatory language against Shah during a debate on television channel Impact TV. The panelists in the debate discussed the home minister’s recent announcement about making Hindi a compulsory subject for students upto Class 10 across all northeastern states.
“The accused [Singh] deliberately maliciously humiliated and belittled the Hindus of mainland India by evening terming them as animal[s],” Sharma wrote in his complaint. “The accused continued to further use derogatory language, thereby hurting the racial and religious feelings of entire India which amounts to sedition despite the other panellists restraining him to do so.”
Ravi Khan, the vice-chairman of the legal cell of the Congress’ Manipur unit, told The Wire that Singh has been asked to appear before a court on April 27 for a hearing in the matter.
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