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Bilaspur/Durg: A former MLA and a Congress leader were arrested in Chhattisgarh for allegedly uploading objectionable remarks on social media against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Operation Sindoor- India's military response against terrorism emanating from Pakistan.
The accused duo is identified as ex-MLA Arun Tiwari and Congress leader Brij Mohan Singh, residents of Ratanpur in Bilaspur district and Bhilai city, respectively.
Tiwari was picked up from his farmhouse in Ratanpur on Wednesday, two days after local resident Ranjeet Kumar Yadav submitted a complaint at the Civil Lines police station, said Station House Officer SR Sahu.
The complaint claimed Tiwari used extremely objectionable and indecent language on his Facebook handle, Sahu said.
Tiwari was booked under sections 296 (Punishment for obscene acts and songs in public places), 299 (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class of citizens by insulting their religion or religious beliefs), and 352 (Intentionally insulting someone with the intent to provoke a breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and under the Information Technology Act, he said.
Tiwari had represented the Sipat assembly constituency in undivided Madhya Pradesh as a Congress MLA between 1985 and 1990. The constituency was renamed Beltara in delimitation ahead of the 2008 Chhattisgarh assembly elections.
He unsuccessfully contested the 2023 Assembly elections from Bilaspur and Beltara seats as an Independent candidate. Subsequently, he was expelled from Congress.
Another accused, Brij Mohan Singh, was arrested on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday for his alleged derogatory remarks against the prime minister, Bhilai Nagar City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Satyapraksh Tiwari said.
He was booked under relevant sections of the BNS following a complaint lodged by a local BJP leader with Vaishali Nagar police station.
Singh had unsuccessfully contested the 2008 elections on a Congress ticket from Vaishali Nagar seat in Durg.
Singh had allegedly uploaded a post on Facebook accusing the Modi government of diverting from its stand while referring to a "ceasefire" between India and Pakistan. He wrote another post using abusive and derogatory remarks.
Both accused were remanded in judicial custody by separate courts.