6 including BJP worker booked in MP for observing black day on Gandhi jayanti

Six people including a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker were booked on Saturday for allegedly promoting enmity by observing a ‘black day’ on the birth anniversary of Mahatama Gandhi in Bundelkhand region’s Chhatarpur, 344 km northeast of Bhopal, said police.

“An FIR was registered under section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of IPC (Indian Penal Code) against Rajesh Agrawal, Prashant Mehto, Pankaj Pipapriya and three others, all residents of Chhatarpur, on the complaint of one Abhilekh Khare, a resident of Chhatarpur on Saturday,” said Chhatarpur superintendent of police, Sachin Sharma. He added that no arrest has been made so far.

The police officer said that Mehto, Agrawal and Pipariya, with three others, had put up objectionable posters on a rotary in Chhatarpur city on Friday, calling it a black day.

“In the posters, they wrote objectionable words and made false statements about Gandhiji,” said Sharma.

Chhatarpur district Congress spokesperson and complainant Abhilekh Khare said, “These people are from BJP and its parental organisation. They are promoting animosity among people by posting objectionable comments. On Friday, they not only put up demeaning posters but also shared it widely on social media and tried to create a rift between people of two religions.”

BJP’s Chhatarpur district president Malkhan Singh said the party doesn’t approve of such acts.

“Mahatma Gandhi is our idol. We don’t approve of any such act like observing a back day on October 2 and we condemn it, whosoever might have done it. I don’t know about the association of the accused with the BJP, but if they are in the party, then we will take disciplinary action against them.”

(With inputs from Anupam Pateriya in Sagar)