Chhattisgarh CM's father sent to judicial custody till Sept 21 over 'anti-Brahmin' remarks

Raipur: The father of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Nand Kumar Baghel was on Tuesday sent to judicial custody till September 21 over 'anti-Brahmin' statements.

Nand Kumar Baghel was sent to jail after he refused to seek bail in a local court where he was produced after being arrested on charges of making a hate speech.

Chhattisgarh police, while acting on an FIR lodged at Raipur's DD Nagar police station on a complaint of Sarv Brahmin Samaj, arrested Baghel senior from Delhi and brought him to Raipur. He was later produced before a judicial magistrate where he flatly refused to seek bail. The court then sent him to 14-day judicial remand.

Nand Kumar Baghel faces charges under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) and 505(1)(b) (with intent to cause, or likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the state or against public tranquillity) of the Indian Penal Code.

The arrest was made after the Chief Minister disapproved his father's latest remarks made late last week and put it on record that nobody is above the law, including his father as well.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has made it clear on several occasions that he has the highest regard for his father, but he didn't approve his anti-Brahmin remarks or any of his statements that disrupt social harmony.