Kerala BJP leader P C George sent to 14-day judicial custody in hate speech case

On Monday, a large contingent of police had turned up at George’s residence at Poonjar in Kottayam. He later turned up before a magistrate court at Erattupetta and surrendered.

The court allowed police to have custody of George till the evening and subsequently remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.

BJP state president K Surendran accused the CPI(M)-led Kerala government of going after the senior politician as if he is a “terrorist”. “George had tendered an apology for a slip of the tongue. The police have not acted upon issues related to the insult to Hindus and Christians,” Surendran said.

The case against George stems from remarks he made while participating in a TV channel discussion on January 5 this year. During the show, he had equated all Muslims in India with terrorists and demanded that they go to Pakistan.

Subsequently, Muhammed Shihab, a resident of Erattupetta, filed a police complaint under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 196(1)(a) and 299 – pertaining to actions that promote enmity between groups and outrage religious feelings – and also under Section 120(o) of Kerala Police Act against George.