The police in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka have arrested a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker for allegedly raising a ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogan over a year ago, following the arrest of three Congress workers on similar charges the day before, according to a report by an Indian media outlet on Tuesday.
As per an India Express report, the Mandya district police apprehended the BJP worker, identified as Ravi, 40, in connection with a case registered against him for allegedly raising a pro-Pakistan slogan during a protest in December 2022, when the BJP was in power in the state.
The arrest came after three Congress workers were detained for raising pro-Pakistan slogans inside the state legislature building on February 27, following the election of the party’s candidate Syed Naseer Hussain to the Rajya Sabha.
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The Indian Express report stated that the BJP protest was organized in response to remarks made by the then Pakistani foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bilawal had referred to Modi as the ‘Butcher of Gujarat’ during a speech at the United Nations, alluding to the 2002 killings of Muslims.
A video of the protest reportedly showed Ravi chanting “Pakistan Zindabad” while another person attempted to cover his mouth. However, the local BJP chapter criticized Ravi’s arrest as “political vendetta”.
The president of the BJP’s Mandya district unit was quoted as saying by the Indian Express that Ravi, a farmer, only spoke his native Kannada and was unaware of the meaning of the words.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara stated on Tuesday that pro-Pakistan slogans had been raised on two occasions. “We identified the suspects and arrested them. The law will take its course,” he was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
The police disclosed that the three Congress workers, identified as Iltaz from Delhi, Mohammad Nashipuri from Haveri district of Karnataka, and Munnawar from Bengaluru, remained in police custody following their arrest on Monday.
