MP Congress leader arrested for ‘Kill’ Modi comment, sent to jail for 14 days

MP minister Narottam Mishra said section 115 of IPC, which relates to abetment to commit offence punishable by death or life sentence, has been added to the FIR against Raja Pateriya. If convicted, this section provides for a maximum punishment of 14 years

SAGAR: Madhya Pradesh Congress leader and former minister Raja Pateriya was arrested on Tuesday morning in connection with his speech that asked people to “kill” Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “save” the Constitution, police said.

MP Congress leader Raja Patriya was arrested by a team of the Panna police in eastern MP who travelled to the adjoining district of Damoh to make the arrest.

Pateriya, a former technical education minister, was arrested from his residence in Hatta tehsil of Damoh district in eastern Madhya Pradesh by a police team from the adjoining Panna district.

He was brought to Pawai 70km away and produced before a judge.

Pawai deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Saurabh Ratnakar said Pateriya was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.

As he emerged from the court, Pateriya waved to his supporters outside and insisted he hadn’t done anything wrong. “I said nothing wrong, I am a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi,” he told reporters.

On Tuesday, MP Congress president Kamal Nath told reporters in Bhopal that he condemned the party leader’s statement and a show cause notice has been issued to him.

The notice - HT has reviewed a copy - said he had used condemnable words against PM Modi which was an act of serious indiscipline. The notice, in Hindi, asked him to reply within three days why he shouldn’t be suspended from the party membership.

A case was registered against Pateriya after a video emerged on Monday in which he is heard attacking the Prime Minister and accusing him of putting the lives of minorities, Dalits and tribals in danger.

“Modi will end the elections. Modi will divide on the basis of religion, caste and language. The future of Dalits, tribals and minorities is in danger. If you want to save the Constitution, then be ready to kill Modi. Kill in the sense of defeating him,” the MP Congress vice president said while addressing a meeting of Congress workers at Pawai town in Panna district on Sunday afternoon.

Pawai deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Saurabh Ratnakar said the FIR was registered on a complaint by a Public Works Department sub-engineer Sanjay Khare under sections 451 (house trespass), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace, 505 (1)(b) (making statement which is likely to cause fear or alarm to the public), 505 (1)(c) (making a statement which is likely to incite any class of persons to commit an offence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

MP home minister Narottam Mishra, who announced Pateriya’s arrest on Twitter, said sections 115 (abetment of an offence punishable with death or life imprisonment) and 117 (abetting commission of an offence by the public or by more than ten persons) of the IPC have been added to the FIR.