Hindu religious leader arrested for alleged hate speech

Hindu religious leader Swami Kamlananda Bharati has been arrested for allegedly making a hate speech against the Muslims, police here said Monday.

Police said Monday that Bharati was arrested Sunday night in Srisailam, about 250 km from here. He is being brought to Hyderabad and would be produced before a court.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Hyderabad police took him into custody with regard to the cases booked against him in Mir Chowk and Dabeerpura police stations in the old city. The cases were registered on complaints made by some Muslims.

The president of Hindu Devalaya Parirakshana Samithi, a committee fighting for protection of Hindu temples, had allegedly made offensive remarks at a rally in Hyderabad Jan 8.

The rally was organised to condemn Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi’s hate speech against Hindus. Owaisi was arrested last week.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and other rightwing Hindu groups have condemned Bharati’s arrest. They alleged that he was arrested on Sankranti day when he had gone to the pilgrim town of Srisaialam for performing some rituals.

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