The Arumanai police booked the priest under various sections of IPC and he has been lodged at Palayamkottai Central Prison.
A Catholic priest has been arrested in Kanyakumari district for his alleged ‘disparaging remarks’ against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and the country’ The priest, Father George Ponniah, reportedly made disparaging remarks against the Prime Minister and Home Minister while addressing a protest meeting held at Arumanai over the closure of churches and the ban on conducting prayers in houses.
A video of the priest’s speech had gone viral on social media and based on the video, few leaders of various outfits, including Hindu Makkal Katchi and Bharatiya Janata Party, filed a complaint against him. Based on the complaint, the Arumanai Police booked him under various sections including promoting enmity between different religious groups, outraging the feelings by insulting religion or religious beliefs and statements promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes under the Indian Penal Code and Epidemic Diseases Act for conducting the meet amid the pandemic, said reports.
As soon as the police filed an FIR, the priest went absconding, leading the police to form five separate teams to trace him. The police started tracing the cell phone signals and traced him to a location near Kallikudi. The police team reached the spot and arrested the priest. He was taken for a medical check-up at Kuzhithurai government hospital and later produced before the Kuzhithurai magistrate. Later, George Ponniah was taken to Palayamkottai Central Prison.
However, soon George Ponniah complained of ill-health and was transferred to the prison hospital. He reportedly complained of chest pain and was treated at the emergency ward of the prison hospital.
Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kuzhithurai and State Minorities Commission Chairman S Peter Alphonse have condemned the speech made by the priest. Moreover, scores of BJP workers, led by the party’s state treasurer SR Sekar, staged a demonstration in Coimbatore, demanding that the priest be charged under the Goondas Act for his remarks.
Source: The News Minute