An FIR has been registered against DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's son Priyank Kharge for allegedly outraging religious feelings, after the DMK leader's comments on eradicating Sanatan Dharma. Stalin was booked for his call to eradicate Sanatan Dharma and Kharge for backing his remark, police said.
Stalin had on Saturday during an event in Tamil Nadu compared the Sanatan Dharma with diseases like dengue and malaria. His remarks provoked sharp criticism from political parties, with BJP insisting on the Congress to condemn his remarks.
The two were booked under sections 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts to outrage religious feelings) and 153 A (promoting enmity between different religious groups) of the IPC at Civil Lines Police Station here on Tuesday. The FIR came at the complaint of lawyers Harsh Gupta and Ram Singh Lodhi who highlighted media reports on Stalin's statement alleging that the politician's comments had hurt their feelings.
Death threat to Stalin
Meanwhile, security was heightened outside the DMK leader's residence after Ayodhya seer Paramhans Acharya on Monday announced a reward of Rs 10 crore for beheading Udhayanidhi Stalin over his alleged remarks against 'Sanatan Dharma'. "Sanatan Dharma neither has a beginning nor an end. It has never been destroyed and can never be destroyed," he said, warning that anyone trying to destroy Sanatan Dharma will be destroyed.
In response to the threat, the DMK leader reiterated that his speech was not a call for genocide but "what the BJP is doing in Manipur is genocide." "Manipur remained in a state of unrest for over five months. Over 250 people have been killed and churches have been demolished. Media, communication facilities and the Internet were all cut off for months,” Udhayanidhi said.
