On Friday (19th January), a man named Gopal Argal alias Gopal Ravan was arrested in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, for tearing a poster with an image of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. He also posted a video of his outrageous actions on social media. The poster seen in the video is a photo of Ram Mandir distributed by Vishwa Hindu Parishad members as a part of their “Akshat Nimantran” drive across the country.
Bheemta Gopal Argal, a supporter of Chandrashekhar Ravan has posted a derogatory video insulting Shri Ram Mandir and Pran Pratishtha.
— BALA (@erbmjha) January 16, 2024
This video is allegedly from Indore. Requesting @MPPoliceDeptt to take strict action against him. pic.twitter.com/aN5Vq7nG56
A video of accused Gopal Ravan reading a poster of Lord Ram while using abusive language also went viral online. Upon learning about the derogatory video, the Hindu Sena, and numerous other Hindu organisations reached the police station. Subsequently, Chhotu Kushwaha of the Hindu Sena filed a complaint and showed the contentious video to Gwalior SP Rajesh Singh Chandel. As per his Instagram profile, the accused is a fan of Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’ of Bhim Army.
#WATCH | Hindu Sena #MadhyaPradesh President Sanjay Agarwal Approaches Crime Branch Over Instagram Reel 'Insulting Lord Ram'#MPNews pic.twitter.com/GdMPBKU4BH
— Free Press Madhya Pradesh (@FreePressMP) January 19, 2024
Meanwhile, Gwalior Senior Superintendent of Police Rajesh Singh Chandel said that on January 16, a Hindu Sena member filed a complaint, leading to the accused’s arrest for offences including hurting religious sentiments. “He was charged under Section 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code,” SP Chandel stated.
Notably, a similar incident was reported in Karnataka, wherein police arrested two persons on January 17 for tearing Shri Ram posters in Jahangir Mohalla and Gungunte Palya villages in the Kolar district. One of the accused was identified as Zaheer Khan. The CCTV footage showed the arrested individual Zaheer Khan cutting the banner with a sharp object at approximately 10:45 PM on January 16. These banners were erected to mark the celebration of the Makara Sankranti festival and the upcoming Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
