New Delhi, March 23: A police complaint was filed against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community. The complaint, submitted to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, seeks IPC charges related to communal enmity being invoked against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener.
The complaint has been filed by a Supreme Court lawyer, Alakh Alok Shrivastava, citing a "swastika meme" shared by Kejriwal on Twitter earlier in the week. The meme shows a man wielding a broom chasing away a symbol which some pointed out to be a "Hindu Swastika", whereas, the AAP says it was the "Nazi signature" - a symbol of fascism. Narendra Modi Walking on Hitler's Path, Says Arvind Kejriwal.
"Around 10:13 pm on March 20, the accused posted a tweet from his official Twitter handle depicting a broom chasing away a 'Hindu Swastika' symbol. This is an extremely sacred symbol in Hinduism and is worshipped by many Hindus," top court advocate Srivastava said in his complaint.
The lawyer alleged that the tweet was published online to promote disharmony, enmity, hatred and ill-will among different religious groups.
"I hereby request you to immediately register a first information report (FIR) against Kejriwal under sections 295A, 153A, 153, 504 and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," he added.
The charge of "insulting Hindus" was levelled against Kejriwal by Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari on Twitter. He had posted the following:
This is the power of Hindutva.
We Hindus live peacefully. We have never believed in Prachar or Prasaar.
It hurts to see power hungry @ArvindKejriwal berating Hindus nd Hinduism when it suits his vote calculations.#ShameOnKejriwal@CeodelhiOffice should take strict action https://t.co/E3o0kO6zWJ
— Chowkidar Manoj Tiwari (@ManojTiwariMP) March 20, 2019
The AAP had defended the allegations on social media, saying that the BJP and its affiliates were giving a malicious twist to Kejriwal's tweet.
Here's What AAP Social Media Chief Said:
As some people are confused, sharing these images for verification.@ArvindKejriwal's tweet potrays the Nazi symbol and not our traditional Swastika as some are trying to pitch it as. pic.twitter.com/m63gTkO2Vr
— Chowkidar's Master (@AnkitLal) March 20, 2019
It remains to be seen where the Police Commission takes cognizance of the complaint against Kejriwal and initiates a probe against him.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 23, 2019 07:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).