The Chhattisgarh Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Hindu religious leader Kalicharan Maharaj on the charge of promoting enmity between classes after he allegedly used derogatory words against Mahatma Gandhi and hailed his assassin Nathuram Godse, an official said on Monday, December 27. During the conclusion of the two-day 'dharma sansad' at Ravan Bhata ground in Raipur on Sunday evening, Kalicharan had used an "abusive" word against Gandhi and asked people to elect a staunch Hindu leader as the head of the government in order to protect the religion.
His statement drew flak from leaders of the ruling Congress in the state. Based on the complaint of Congress leader Pramod Dubey, a case was registered against Kalicharan on Sunday night at Tikrapara police station under sections 505 (2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) and 294 (obscene acts) of the Indian Penal Code, a police official said. Further investigation into the case is underway, he added.
During the event at Raipur, Kalicharan had said, "The target of Islam is to capture nation through politics. In front of our eyes they had captured in 1947 (referring to partition)...They had earlier captured Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. They captured Bangladesh and Pakistan through politics...I salute Nathuram Godse that he killed Gandhi."
The state Congress' communication wing head, Sushil Anand Shukla, had condemned the religious leader's remarks. "The use of abusive words against Mahatma Gandhi is highly objectionable. Kalicharan should first prove that he is a saint," he said.
The news of the FIR against Kalicharan Maharaj comes after the Uttarakhand police added two more names to the FIR filed in connection with the ‘dharma sansad’ held in Haridwar between December 17 and December 19. The names of Annapurna Maa, general secretary of the Hindu Mahasabha which is one of the oldest Hindu organisations in India, and Dharamdas Maharaj, were added to the FIR. Earlier, the police had only named Jitendra Narayan Tyagi, who was earlier known as Waseem Rizvi before converting to Hinduism.