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Indira Gandhi’s grandson faces charges for ‘hate speech’
NEW DELHI: The grandson of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi faced criminal charges on Tuesday for allegedly inciting violence against Muslims during a campaign for next month’s general elections.
Varun Gandhi reportedly told a rally that his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would ‘cut the heads of Muslims’. According to footage aired by the NDTV news channel, Varun also said Muslims ‘have scary names like Karimullah, Mazullah’ and that ‘if you meet them at night you will be scared’.
But the BJP tried to distance itself from the remarks and a BJP official said party leaders were debating whether to punish Varun, AP reported. “All the Hindus stay on this side and send the others to Pakistan,” Varun had said in the video. “This is the Lotus hand,” he said, referring to the BJP’s symbol. “It will cut their throats after elections.”
India’s Election Commission said it had reviewed the BJP leader’s speeches and ordered he face “criminal charges” in Uttar Pradesh, where he had made the speeches. Election commission official Rajesh Malhotra said an official warning would also be issued to the BJP.
In his defence, Varun said the recordings had been tampered with. “The voice is not mine,” he told the CNN-IBN news channel. If convicted, Varun could be disqualified from running for office and imprisoned for up to five years.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Here is the 'secular' news source:
Watch: Varun Gandhi's speech that sparked controversy: IBNLive.com > Videos
NEW DELHI: The grandson of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi faced criminal charges on Tuesday for allegedly inciting violence against Muslims during a campaign for next month’s general elections.
Varun Gandhi reportedly told a rally that his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would ‘cut the heads of Muslims’. According to footage aired by the NDTV news channel, Varun also said Muslims ‘have scary names like Karimullah, Mazullah’ and that ‘if you meet them at night you will be scared’.
But the BJP tried to distance itself from the remarks and a BJP official said party leaders were debating whether to punish Varun, AP reported. “All the Hindus stay on this side and send the others to Pakistan,” Varun had said in the video. “This is the Lotus hand,” he said, referring to the BJP’s symbol. “It will cut their throats after elections.”
India’s Election Commission said it had reviewed the BJP leader’s speeches and ordered he face “criminal charges” in Uttar Pradesh, where he had made the speeches. Election commission official Rajesh Malhotra said an official warning would also be issued to the BJP.
In his defence, Varun said the recordings had been tampered with. “The voice is not mine,” he told the CNN-IBN news channel. If convicted, Varun could be disqualified from running for office and imprisoned for up to five years.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Here is the 'secular' news source:
Watch: Varun Gandhi's speech that sparked controversy: IBNLive.com > Videos