Baghel’s father gets bail after 3 nights in prison
CHHATTISGARH: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel’s father, Nand Kumar Baghel, who was arrested for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the Brahmin community, was released on bail from a Raipur jail on Friday evening, his lawyer said. Nand Kumar Baghel, 86, was arrested by the Chhattisgarh police on Tuesday. Since he did not seek bail when he was produced before a judge following his arrest, the court remanded him in judicial custody for 15 days. His lawyer Gajendra Sonkar, said he subsequently moved a bail application and sought a hearing.
“After hearing the arguments, Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Janak Kumar Hidko granted him bail on Friday,” Sonkar said.
Nand Kumar Baghel walked out of prison hours later after spending three nights behind bars.
Nand Kumar Patel was booked for promoting enmity between different groups on a complaint by Sarv Brahmin Samaj, the outfit that alleged that the chief minister’s father, speaking at an event in Uttar Pradesh, recently urged people to “boycott Brahmins”, evict them from the country, and said they were “foreigners”.
In a statement after the police filed the First Information Report (FIR) against his father, chief minister Baghel said the reported comments by his father hurt the sentiments of the community. “Every person is equal before my government. Everyone knows about my ideological differences with my father. Our political thoughts and beliefs are different. I honour him as his son but as a CM I cannot forgive him for such statements which disturb public order,” the statement said, adding that legal action in the matter will be ensured. “Nobody is above the law in my government even if he is the chief minister’s 86-yearold father,” he said.