BJP MLA Sangeet Som booked under stringent NSA

The Bharatiya Janata Party received a jolt when MLA Sangeet Som, arrested recently on charges of inciting communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, was booked under the National Security Act (NSA) on Tuesday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party received a jolt when MLA Sangeet Som, arrested recently on charges of inciting communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, was booked under the National Security Act (NSA) on Tuesday.

Two other legislators--- BJP’s Suresh Rana and BSP’s Noor Saleem Rana---were granted bail by Muzaffarnagar chief judicial magistrate.

The trio was facing charges of delivering provocative speeches that incited communal violence in Shamli and Muzaffarnagar districts. Sangeet, however, faced the additional charge of uploading and sharing a provocative video clip on a social networking site. The court on Monday rejected his bail application.

The NSA authorises authorities to detain an accused for one year without presenting him in court. A district magistrate can book a person, posing threat to national security and peace, under the NSA after examining charges against him.

Som, lodged at Orai district jail, was arrested from village Salawa of his constituency Sardhana in district Meerut on September 21. Additional chief judicial magistrate Muzaffarnagar had sent the trio to 14 days judicial custody.

They were wanted for violating prohibitory orders and provoking communal tension with inflammatory speeches at different meetings (mahapanchayats) in the district.

The communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas claimed 49 lives and displaced over 40,000 people.

The BJP has lashed out at the Samajwadi Party government alleging that its workers were being targeted and implicated in cases "without evidence".