Hate speech case: Kalicharan Maharaj remanded to magisterial custody

On Wednesday, a magistrate court had remanded Kalicharan to police custody for one day. Police told the court they wanted to take his voice samples and probe whether more people or outfits were behind the speech. As the custody period got over on Thursday, police again produced him before the magistrate’s court, and he was remanded to magisterial custody.

Kalicharan had allegedly delivered a hate speech during a programme, Shivpratap Din, held in Pune on December 19. He was arrested from Raipur on Tuesday by a city police team.

The programme was organised by Samasta Hindutva Aghadi at Natubag in Shukrawar Peth to mark the killing of Adilshahi General Afzalkhan by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Police had also booked Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote, Nandakishor Ekbote, Mohanrao Shete, Dipak Nagpure and Captain Digendra Kumar in this case under sections 295 (a), 298, 505 (2) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

Police have alleged that hate speeches were made during the programme against Muslims and Christians.

A resident of Shivajinagar in Akola district of Maharashtra, Kalicharan was earlier arrested by the Chhattisgarh Police in a case lodged at Tikrapara police station last month, for allegedly making derogatory statements against Mahatma Gandhi during his speech at an event in Raipur.