A case was filed against Bharatiya Janata Party Kerala vice-president and Guruvayur assembly candidate B Gopalakrishnan on Sunday in connection with his alleged communal remarks about the constituency needing a “Hindu MLA”, police said.
An officer at the Guruvayur police station said the case was filed under section 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and section 125 (promoting enmity on grounds of religion) under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The FIR was registered, the officer said, on the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), which found merit in the allegations after perusing the video on the candidate’s social media account in which he made the remarks. The poll panel had earlier asked the district collector to submit a report on the allegations.
The BJP leader was found to have violated section 123(3) of the Representation of People Act, 1951 and provisions of the Model Code of Conduct.
In a video on his social media accounts, Gopalakrishnan had called for a “Hindu MLA” to reclaim the land of Guruvayurappan, the presiding deity of the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple located in the constituency.
{{/usCountry}}In a video on his social media accounts, Gopalakrishnan had called for a “Hindu MLA” to reclaim the land of Guruvayurappan, the presiding deity of the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple located in the constituency.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP leader alleged that both rival LDF and UDF fronts, for decades, were fielding Muslim candidates despite a significant Hindu population in the constituency.
“Guruvayur is an international pilgrimage destination. Why hasn’t there been a Hindu MLA?...For the past 50 years, this land of Guruvayur is in the hands of temple looters and those who oppose temples. I have been deputed by the Lord himself to release this land from the clutches of temple looters,” he had said in the video.
Following the registration of the FIR, the video has been removed from the account.