New Delhi: Delhi Police has arrested 17 people for allegedly pasting posters critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the ongoing vaccination drive against Covid-19.
According to officials, around 21 FIRs have been registered against those arrested under the Defacement of Public Property Act and Section 188 in connection with the posters critical of the Prime Minister.
The police action came as posters reading “Modiji humare bachon ki vaccine videsh kyu bhej diya (PM Modi why did you send vaccines of our children to foreign countries?)” were pasted in several parts of the city.
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Earlier on Thursday, at least nine people were arrested for allegedly pasting posters with comments critical of Prime Minister Modi. The police lodged 10 FIRs across several districts in connection with the matter.
This comes as Prime Minister Modi-led government at the Centre has come under sharp criticism from several quarters for exporting vaccines amid the unprecedented surge in Covid-19 cases in the country in the second wave of the pandemic.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, came to the government’s defence earlier this week and accused the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of spreading misinformation on India’s vaccination programme.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said over 84 percent of the vaccine doses sent abroad were part of the commercial and licensing liabilities of the two Indian manufacturers.
Asserting that “a safer neighbourhood is good for India too”, Patra added that 1.07 crore vaccine doses sent abroad were India’s aid to different nations and noted that 78.5 lakh of those were dispatched to seven neighbouring countries.