The Bengaluru Police has summoned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president JP Nadda and the party’s IT cell head, Amit Malviya, in connection with an animated clip posted by the party’s state unit that showed the Congress appeasing Muslims at the cost of other faiths and castes, people aware of the matter said on Wednesday.
The police summon came against the backdrop of the Congress’s Ramesh Babu filing a case against Nadda, Malviya and the BJP’s Karnataka chief BY Vijayendra under the Indian Penal Code’s (IPC) Section 505(2) (statement conducing public mischief), and the Representation of People Act’s Section 125 (promoting enmity between classes).
“The act of the accused person (s) is to wantonly provoke rioting and promote enmity between different religions and is prejudicial to maintenance of harmony apart from intimidating members of SC/ST community not to vote for particular candidate and causing enmity against members of SC/ST community,” the complaint said.
In its summon, the police asked the BJP leaders to appear before it within a week as part of the investigation.
“This is to inform you that on May 5, 2024, Ramesh Babu lodged a complaint at High Grounds Police Station. A video was posted on May 4, 2024… on the official social network @bjp4karnataka of the Bharatiya Janata Party on the ‘X’ Platform. The content of the video is deemed to incite animosity, aversion, and ill-will against members of the SC/ST community. Therefore, an FIR has been registered at High Grounds Police Station… Accordingly, you are hereby directed to appear before the undersigned investigating officer at 11.00 am at High Grounds police station within 7 days of receiving this notice,” the summon addressed to Malviya and Nadda said.
{{/usCountry}}“This is to inform you that on May 5, 2024, Ramesh Babu lodged a complaint at High Grounds Police Station. A video was posted on May 4, 2024… on the official social network @bjp4karnataka of the Bharatiya Janata Party on the ‘X’ Platform. The content of the video is deemed to incite animosity, aversion, and ill-will against members of the SC/ST community. Therefore, an FIR has been registered at High Grounds Police Station… Accordingly, you are hereby directed to appear before the undersigned investigating officer at 11.00 am at High Grounds police station within 7 days of receiving this notice,” the summon addressed to Malviya and Nadda said.
{{/usCountry}}There was no immediate reaction from the two BJP leaders.
In a complaint to the Karnataka chief electoral officer, the Congress said that the BJP intended to promote enmity between communities through the clip.
“It is clear that the video social media post by them is to intimidate members of SC/ST community not to vote for Congress party by projecting that funds reserved for them will be usurped by Muslims,” it said in the letter.
The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday wrote to social media platform X, asking it to take down the controversial video. The video was no longer available on the party’s official Karnataka unit handle on Wednesday night.
This is the second video in the last few days from an official social media account of the BJP to attract significant criticism. On May 1, BJP’s official Instagram handle posted an animated video making similar claims, and then took it down.