Right-wing commentator TG Mohandas was taken into police custody from his residence in Kochi on Sunday, days after being charged for making provocative comments in a video about the CJP-led protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, an officer said.
Mohandas was taken into custody by a team of Cyber Crime police in Thiruvananthapuram from his residence in Mattancherry in Kochi. He was briefly questioned about the comments he made about the protests in Delhi before being whisked for medical examination at a government hospital in the city, an officer confirmed.
Mohandas would be brought to Thiruvananthapuram, where the FIR was registered, by Sunday night, formally arrested and produced before a magistrate on Monday, officers said.
His detention comes 11 days after he was booked under sections 192 and 353(1)(b) of the BNS, section 66 of the IT Act and section 120 (o) of the Kerala Police Act by the Thiruvananthapuram City Cyber Crime police for his controversial remarks about the NEET paper leak-related protests in the national capital. Complaints were filed against him by leaders of the SFI and AISF, student wings of the CPI(M) and CPI respectively.
Mohandas, in a 30-minute-long video uploaded on YouTube, had spoken about how he would have declared curfew and later opened fire on protesters at Jantar Mantar if he were in charge.
{{/usCountry}}Mohandas, in a 30-minute-long video uploaded on YouTube, had spoken about how he would have declared curfew and later opened fire on protesters at Jantar Mantar if he were in charge.
{{/usCountry}}“If I were in charge, first I would impose a curfew in a 4-km radius around Jantar Mantar. Then, I would give instructions to the crowd to disperse three times. I would then open fire on them. People will scatter and run for their lives. Some will die and others will be maimed. Within four hours, the situation will be peaceful. The bodies will be collected and taken to hospitals. That’s one solution,” he said.
He also remarked in the same video that “secular women who participate in such protests enjoy being gangraped.”
Mohandas’ comments sparked condemnation from all quarters and led to demands for his arrest in Kerala.