Indian lawmaker arrested after tweet criticising Narendra Modi
A state lawmaker in India was arrested for criticising the prime minister, Narendra Modi, in a tweet, officials have said, raising concerns over freedom of speech in the world’s largest democracy.
His arrest coincided with the arrival of the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, in the country.
Jignesh Mevani, a prominent campaigner for India’s marginalised lowcaste Dalit community, accused the Hindu nationalist leader of idolising Nathuram Godse, the assassin of India’s independence icon Mahatma Gandhi.
Some fringes of the Indian rightwing revere Godse as a hero for killing the man they blame for the partition of India and Pakistan – comments that Modi has criticised in the past.
But Mevani tweeted this week that Modi “worships and considers Godse as God”, accusing the prime minister of fomenting religious division.
He also demanded that Modi apologise for communal violence in Gujarat, where Mevani is a member of the state legislature.
He was arrested on Thursday on accusations of attempting to disturb “public tranquillity and peace”, the police said.
He was taken across the country to
Assam in India’s north-east, where the complaint had been filed, and a court in Kokrajhar denied him bail, ordering him to be held in custody for three days.
Freedom of speech is enshrined in India’s constitution and Mevani’s lawyers called the arrest “illegal” and “unconstitutional”.
The tweet in question has been taken down by Twitter in India after a legal complaint.
The police have previously arrested social media users for “provocative” tweets that were critical of Modi or the rightwing government, sparking fears that the government was crushing dissent.
Mevani is believed to be the first elected politician detained on such grounds.
The activist-politician is a vocal critic of Modi’s right-wing politics and rose to national prominence after launching a protest campaign over the flogging of seven Dalits by cow vigilantes – zealots who target Muslims and Dalits to protect the bovines sacred to many Hindus.
Sectarian violence and rightwing Hindu vigilantism have increased since Modi came to power in 2014, and critics allege the popular leader’s reluctance to condemn radical elements is emboldening them.
More than a dozen Indian states have witnessed violent clashes between Hindus and Muslims over the past two weeks, with one person killed in Gujarat.
In the capital, Delhi, bulldozers have demolished the homes of Muslims accused of rioting.