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19-yr-old held for hate speech against Muslims
Gurugram police commissioner KK Rao added that they received a complaint from a resident of Jamalpur who attended the mahapanchayat.
A 19-year-old man was arrested on Monday for allegedly making provocative comments against the Muslim community at a mahapanchayat in Gurugram’s Pataudi sub-division on July 4, police said, adding that a complaint was lodged in this regard soon after the event a week ago.
Police have identified the accused as Gopal Sharma, who refers to himself as Ram Bhakt Gopal, a resident of Pataudi. Sharma earlier allegedly opened fire during a protest near Jamia Millia Islamia in Delhi on January 30,2020. He was arrested from Gurugram’s Sector 83 and produced before a court, which sent him to judicial custody for 14 days, police said.
“His speech was inflammatory. It could have caused riots and ruined the law and order situation,” said Gurugram police commissioner KK Rao.
He added that they received a complaint from a resident of Jamalpur who attended the mahapanchayat. Police booked Sharma under sections 153A (promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code.
The complainant alleged, “In his speech, he called for attacks on the Muslim community. A video of his speech went viral on social media and the situation turned tense in the village...”
