Lok Sabha elections: Police case against Sreedharan Pillai over communal remarks

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Police have registered a criminal case against BJP state president

P S Sreedharan Pillai

over the religious and communal overtones in his speech. The complaint was filed by CPM leader and former MLA

V Sivankutty

.

Attingal

police registered the case (as crime number 765/2019) under Sections 153, 153A and 153B of the Indian Penal Code. The Sections deal with those who are trying to promote enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.

The police also recorded the statements of Sivankutty. The police will give a report in the high court regarding the action that it has taken in the matter on Monday.

Chief electoral officer

Teeka Ram Meena

has also sent a report to the Election Commission of India seeking action against Pillai after finding that his speech in Attingal was primafacie a violation of the representation of people’s Act. In his report, the

chief electoral officer

has said that the speech violated the Section 123 (3A) of act.

The Section bars “the promotion of, or attempt to promote, feelings of enmity or hatred between different classes of the citizens of India on grounds of religion, race, caste, community, or language, by a candidate or his agent or any other person with the consent of a candidate or his election agent for the furtherance of the prospects of the election of that candidate or for prejudicially affecting the election of any candidate”.

Pillai, in his speech at Attingal last week, had said that people like Congress president Rahul Gandhi and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury had asked the Air Force for the number and religion of those who were killed in the air strike in Balakot. Pillai had also made insidious comments against a community, with regards to identifying the people from that community.