Madurai: The Roman Catholic priest, George Ponniah was arrested today (July 24) in Madurai following his derogatory remarks about ‘Bharat Mata’ while addressing a protest meeting at Arumani last week.
He had allegedly made a hate speech about Bharat Mata, Hinduism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the DMK government while attending a religious meeting.
The arrest was made after his “hate speech” went viral on social media, and few Hindu groups condemned his remark and demanded his arrest.
BJP condemns the act
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Tamil Nadu also demanded a case against him under the National Security Act and the Goondas Act. The party workers will also be holding a protest condemning Ponniah’s speech on July 28.
A case filed
According to the media reports, more than 30 complaints so far had been filed against Ponniah after his hate speech.
What’s the case?
The priest had attended a meeting called in memory of Stan Swamy on July 18, in Arumanai town, Kanniyakumari district where he uttered the controversial statements while addressing the public. The priest claimed here that the DMK won the elections due to the votes given by the minority community.
ANI reported that the priest allegedly accused BJP MLA MR Gandhi of being the main culprit in the 1982 Mandaikadu communal riots and said that BJP and RSS loyalists were ashamed to mention the names of PM Modi and the Home minister.
His statement on Bharat Mata during this meeting ignited the outrage.
His comment reads, “I wear shoes when I walk outside, cause I don't want the dirt of Bharat Mata to touch my body.”
A case was filed against George Ponniah under sections 143, 153A, 269, 295A, 505(2), 506(1) of IPC, and Section 3 of Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 on July 20.