Sambhaji Bhide booked for derogatory comments against Buddha, Jyotiba Phule and Periyar

In July, the Amravati police booked him for allegedly making offensive remarks about Mahatma Gandhi’s lineage during his speech, and on August 1, a case was registered against him in Nashik city for his alleged derogatory remarks against Saibaba of Shirdi and Phule.

Radical Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide was booked by the Navi Mumbai police for his alleged derogatory comments against Buddhism founder Gautam Buddha and social reformers Jyotiba Phule and Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy, revered as Periyar.

Based on a complaint lodged by advocate Amit Katarnavre, a resident of Panvel in Navi Mumbai, the New Panvel police station registered a case against Mr. Bhide on Sunday under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), 153-B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code. The FIR also included relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

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Mr. Bhide, who heads the fringe Sangli-based outfit ‘Shri Shiv Pratisthan’, was linked to the 2018 Bhima-Koregaon clashes. In July, the Amravati police booked him for allegedly making offensive remarks about Mahatma Gandhi’s lineage during his speech, and on August 1, a case was registered against him in Nashik city for his alleged derogatory remarks against Saibaba of Shirdi and Phule. The Nashik police later transferred the case to Amravati.

During the recently concluded Monsoon Session of the Legislative Assembly when the Opposition parties demanded action against Mr. Bhide for his derogatory remarks against Mahatma Gandhi, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said insults of national icons would not be tolerated.

“Already a case had been registered against the activist in Amravati, and the police would be collecting his voice samples for further investigation. Under Section 41A of Cr.PC [Code of Criminal Procedure], a notice was issued to Sambhaji Bhide Guruji, and he has acknowledged it. The probe into the matter is currently under way,” Mr. Fadnavis, who also holds the Home Department portfolio, informed the House.