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Published: May 21, 2020 1:30:23 am
Punia had allegedly criticized the UP government and chief minister Yogi Adityanath for their handling the migrant workers crisis
A day after his alleged tweet on Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath riled up many who accused him of targeting the Hindu faith, Congress leader Pankaj Punia was arrested Wednesday from Haryana”s Karnal district.
Punia has held multiple positions in the All India Congress Committee since 2003. In 2018, I was a nominated member of the AICC. In 2015, I had also remained Secretary, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee. In 2008, I remained vice president of HPCC.
In his tweet, now removed, Punia had allegedly criticized the UP government for handling the migrant workers ‘ crisis. I wrote, “The Congress only wanted to help the migrant workers to reach their home and pay for them. But the government started engaging in politics. Such lowly acts are only done by saffron-clad sanghis”.
Although Punia removed the tweet and even clarified that it was not “targeting any religion”, I continued to retweet other such tweets that quoted his original tweet.
Haryana police’s action against Punia comes close on the heels of the ongoing tussle between the UP government and Congress General Secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vandra over the 1000 buses that the Congress party had arranged out of which some were awaiting permission at the UP-Delhi border in Ghaziabad to transport stranded migrant workers. The buses were today denied permission and sent back.
Facing at least two FIRs on similar charges in Agra and Ghaziabad, the FIR was registered against Punia in Karnal late Wednesday evening on charges of “promoting enmity between communities, disturbing communal harmony and targeted harassment”.
The complainant in the current case, Vivek Lamba (a Karnal resident) lodged a complaint at police station, Madhuban demanding legal action against Punia. I shall be produced in the court tomorrow.
“Complaint against Mr. Pankaj Punia holder of the Twitter account PankajPunia@INC seeking the registration of FIR u/s 153, 295-A, 505(2) of the IPC along with the relevant provisions of the IT Act 2006. Sir, today when the national is fighting the menace of Covid-19 certain disgruntled elements with vested interests are causing provocation to cause not by deliberately and maliciously outraging the religious feelings of Hindus and their belief. I have used abusive words between the relation of father and daughter, those words are not tolerable. One such incident has been reportedly witnessed on his official Twitter handle where one person namely PankajPunia@INC you malingnately posted provocative falsehood to promote enmity between sections of society on ground of religion and his acts are prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, and are not only provocative but also deliberately and maliciously outrage the religious feelings of Hindus as PankajPunia@INC you want only and knowingly, by words written insulted the religious and religious believes of Hindus”, the complaint converted into FIR no. 128 registered at Madhuban police station, Karnal reads.
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