New Delhi: Ratan Lal, an associate professor at the Delhi University was arrested in connection to an allegedly objectionable social media post on the shivling claimed to be found at Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque, PTI reported.
Lal, a professor of history, had been booked on Wednesday on the basis of a complaint filed by a Supreme Court lawyer named Vineet Jindal.
Earlier, Lal was summoned by the police for questioning and later arrested, The Indian Express reported. The professor has been booked under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) and 295A (malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code.
In his complaint, Jindal had alleged that a post made by the professor on social media has hurt the sentiments of Hindus.
“The contents of the statement made by the accused about Shiva Linga is derogatory and provocative,” Jindal added. “It is quite aggravating and defamatory statement for the whole Hindu community.”
After the complaint was filed, Lal said he had been receiving death threats and sought protection from the government.
After being booked on Wednesday, Lal had defended his social media post saying that it was a critical take on religion.
“Critique of religion has been a part of discourse since the time of Gautam Buddha to [BR] Ambedkar, from [social reformers] Periyar to Phule,” he told The Print. “…Will pandits [priests] identify and declare a piece of relic historically important or will historians do that ?”
In a video message on Facebook, the professor said on May 17 that he makes statements based on arguments and historical references. “I am ready for to openly debate what I say…I do not make statements based on faith, but on logic.”
In another Facebook post on Tuesday, he had posted photos of a letter he had written to the president, prime minister and Union home minister requesting for two armed bodyguards or a licence for an AK-56 rifle for his self-defence. Scroll. In
