Model and Bollywood actress Payal Rohatgi has been detained by Rajasthan police over her alleged comments against former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his family.
Speaking to ANI, SP Mamta Gupta confirmed, “Payal Rohatgi has been detained. Case registered.”
Rajasthan: Model & actress Payal Rohatgi detained by Bundi police, allegedly for her comment on former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. SP Mamta Gupta says, “Payal Rohatgi has been detained. Case registered.” pic.twitter.com/KkKxXDwpgA
— ANI (@ANI) December 15, 2019
However, Bollywood actor Payal Rohatgi took to Twitter and said that she has been arrested by the Rajasthan Police for making a video on Motilal Nehru. “Freedom of speech is a joke,” she tweeted tagging the Prime Minister and Home Minister of India.
Tagging the PMO and HMO, Rohatgi wrote, “I am arrested by Police Rajasthan for making a video on Motilal Nehru which I made from taking information from Google. Freedom of Speech is a joke.”
I am arrested by @PoliceRajasthan for making a video on #MotilalNehru which I made from taking information from @google ? Freedom of Speech is a joke ? @PMOIndia @HMOIndia
— PAYAL ROHATGI & Team- Bhagwan Ram Bhakts (@Payal_Rohatgi) December 15, 2019
In a video along with the tweets, Payal had alleged that Motilal Nehru had 5 wives. She had made this claim quoting a biography of MO Mathai, which was written by Edina Ramakrishna. Mathai was an Indian Civil Service officer and had served as the Private Secretary of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Read: Mumbai Police blocks Payal Rohatgi on Twitter. Here is why is it in poor taste
In the video, Payal had quoted the book saying that although Swaroop Rani was the legal wife of Motilal Nehru, he had four other wives. The others were Thussu Rahman Bai, Mrs Manjari, one Iranian woman, and a Housemaid, she had claimed. She also said that Motilal had a son named Muhammad Ali Jinnah from the Iranian woman, while also claiming that Jawaharlal Nehru was actually the son of Thussu Rahman Bai from her former husband.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pggWxSAWyzs]
In October, a case was registered against actress Payal Rohatgi under sections 66 and 67 of the Information Technology Act for allegedly insulting the family of Motilal Nehru. The case was registered by Rajasthan police on a complaint filed by Rajasthan Youth Congress leader Charmesh Sharma.
It may be noted that M.O. Mathai had written two memoirs narrating his time with Jawaharlal Nehru, titled Reminiscences of The Nehru Age and My Days with Nehru. But there is no record of any biography of Mathai written by someone named Edina Ramkrishna. In his books, Mathai has not mentioned the alleged facts about Motilal Nehru as quoted by Payal, although the books do contain several other controversial claims about the Nehru family.
Moreover, the claims made by Payal Rohatgi about the Nehru family keep appearing on Social Media, and they have no basis as they are fake claims. Other than various social media platforms, some websites are also spreading this fake news. But actually there is no book making these claims.
