Doctor, Right-Wing Leader Booked by Gujarat Police for Communal Speech

The two accused had allegedly made incendiary speeches against the Muslim community at a protest against a hotel.

The Gujarat Police on Wednesday, 10 November, lodged a case against oncologist Shailesh Shah and a right-wing activist Pinkal Bhatiya for allegedly delivering communal speeches.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Gujarat Police on Wednesday, 10 November, lodged a case against oncologist Shailesh Shah and a right-wing activist Pinkal Bhatiya for allegedly delivering communal speeches, The Indian Express reported.

The two accused had allegedly made incendiary speeches against the Muslim community on 24 October, at a protest against the inauguration of Hotel Blue Ivy in Anand.

The hotel, which is co-owned by Hindu and Muslim partners, is involved in a dispute in the state's high court. Dr Shailesh Shah has alleged illegal construction on the hotel's premises.

At the protest event organised outside the hotel by Shah, inflammatory remarks were made against the minority community, and the road outside the hotel was washed for its 'purification,' The Indian Express had reported.

Speaking to The Deccan Herald, Shah said, "There is no doubt that I started the agitation but the target was not a particular community. I don't approve of it. Our protest was against illegal construction of the hotel. During the protest, other people made some objectionable comments."

Police Inspector Yashwant Chauhan told The Indian Express, “The FIR has been lodged on Wednesday and we are in the process of collecting supporting documents and evidences and taking statements of the parties involved. Investigation is on.”

The FIR has been registered under sections 295a (for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) and 114 (for crime committed when abettor present) of the Indian Penal Code.

(With inputs from The Indian Express and The Deccan Herald.)