Kottayam : Former MLA PC George has been taken into police custody for his controversial remarks against the Muslim community. He was taken into custody by the Fort Assistant Commissioner of Police and group after reaching his house in Erattupetta, during early hours on Sunday. He was later taken to the Thiruvananthapuram Fort Police Station in his own vehicle.
Police at the Fort police station took suo motu action against the former legislator on the directions of the state police chief Anil Kant. ‘A case has been registered against the former MLA under section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code’, a police official had informed.
The FIR stated the accused made a speech promoting enmity between religious groups, when he addressed the Ananthapuri Hindu Mahasammelan in Thiruvananthapuram. In his speech, PC George accused Muslims of trying to turn it into a Muslim country by increasing its population, and that their traders were mixing infertility drugs in their drinks. Addressing a programme on Friday, the former Kerala Congress leader had alleged that tea laced with ‘drops causing impotence’ were sold in Muslim-run restaurants to turn people ‘infertile’ in a bid to ‘seize control’ of the country.
Condemning the remarks, the Congress has urged the state government to take strong action against George. Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly V D Satheesan alleged that George made the statement with an intention to ‘ignite communal passion and create deep divisions in society’. George had also alleged that Muslims served the food after spitting in it. ‘Why should we eat their spit? Their scholars claim that their spit is a fragrance’, he had said.
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The Muslim Youth League, the youth outfit of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), had filed a petition with the state police chief seeking legal action against the senior politician. The ruling CPI(M) asked George to withdraw his statement and apologise. In a statement, the CPI(M) state secretariat called upon the people to stand together against all efforts to create communal polarisation in the state.
The 70-year-old politician, who represented the Poonjar constituency in the state Assembly for 33 years, also urged non-Muslims to boycott businesses run by Muslims. They set up businesses in non-Muslim areas to pocket money, George, who formed the Kerala Janapaksham Secular party after quitting the Kerala Congress, had said. George had lost from Poonjar, once his bastion, to the Left Democratic Front candidate in the 2021 Assembly polls in a triangular fight.
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