"I will not be scared even if there are 1 lakh cases registered against me for speaking of brotherhood, harmony and speaking against communal violence," senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijaya Singh told reporters on Wednesday, 13 April, ANI reported.
A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the leader for sharing a photograph related to Khargone communal violence in Madhya Pradesh, which later allegedly turned out to be fake.
The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by the BJP district (Bhopal) president Sumit Pachauri at a Bhopal police station on Tuesday.
Singh was booked under Section 153 (a), 295 (a), 465 and 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code, sources told IANS.
Reacting to the development, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said, "The issues on the basis of which FIR was filed against Digvijaya Singh, same was also done by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, so a case should be filed against him as well," ANI reported.
Speaking on the violence that unfolded in Khargone, he added, "If there's a violent incident, then the police are there to control such a situation but pre-orchestrated conspiracies are dangerous for the nation."
Meanwhile, Mandsaur BJP MP Sudhir Gupta took a jibe against Digvijaya Singh, comparing him to a bedbug and a "canker in the Indian society." He also alleged that Singh was a supporter of anti-national elements.
What Had Happened?
Earlier on Tuesday, Singh posted a photograph capturing a group of people hoisting a saffron flag at a mosque, and wrote about the communal violence in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district.
His tweet reportedly read, "Is it appropriate to hoist a saffron flag on a mosque? Did the Khargone administration allow this (Ram Navami) procession to carry weapons?"
The leader deleted the post soon after the controversy erupted. Later on Wednesday, the leader took to Twitter to say,
"Instead of answering my question they have filed FIR against me. Is that Democracy BJP Model or Modi Model? What about the Hate speeches made by BJP and RW fraud Babas?"Digvijay Singh, via Twitter
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Home Minister Narottam Mishra claimed the photograph shared by Singh was fake.
"The former chief minister has shared a fake photograph in social media, which has nothing to with Khargone violence issue. He not only shared a fake photograph but mentioned my name as well in his post," Chouhan said after a meeting with the Director General of Police (DGP) and other senior bureaucrats.
Chouhan also called Digvijaya Singh's post a 'conspiracy to spread religious frenzy in the state.
The Khargone Violence
Nearly 100 people have been arrested so far in connection with communal violence broke out in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district on the occasion of Ram Navami on Sunday.
A day after communal unrest broke out, the local administration on Monday, undertook a demolition drive in areas where the violence had erupted. The houses and shops demolished were mostly owned by members of the Muslim community.
This came after the state home minister had said that "the houses of those who are pelting stones, will be turned into a pile of stones".
On Monday, Digvijaya Singh held Khargone district administration and the police responsible for communal violence, IANS reported.
(With inputs from IANS.)
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