UP Police have arrested Karni Sena leader Thakur Shekhar Chauhan on 9 June after a video of him making objectionable remarks about Muslim women went viral on Twitter.
The SHO at Masuri police station said Chauhan had been booked under section 153-A (promoting enmity between groups), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (with intent to incite, or which is likely to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community) of the Indian Penal Code. Chauhan was produced in front of a magistrate and sent to jail on 9 June night itself, the SHO said.
In the video, Chauhan is saying, “Suraj Pal Amu, who is the chief of Karni Sena has sent us here (Dasna Devi temple) because of which we have come here and will leave accordingly. If someone gets even a scratch from the Hindu community, or our Guruji, then we will take the unborn babies from the wombs of women (Muslim) and kill them.”
Hours later, the police took note of the video and by the end of the day on 9 June, they said, “Ghaziabad police tweeted, “Through social media we got to know about offensive remarks being made by a young man in a video. In connection with the incident, a case was registered on the police station Masuri as per rules. Today on 9 June the accused man Shekhar Chauhan was identified, arrested and legal action is being taken.”
Karni Sena and Chauhan are also supporters of Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghananad Saraswati who has repeatedly been in the news. He congratulated a man for allegedly vandalising a Sai Baba idol in Delhi, made derogatory remarks at Prophet Muhammad, and his disciple thrashing a Muslim boy for entering the Dasna Devi Mandir to drink water.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)