Congress councillor, trader held in MP over pro-Pak slogans

The police on Friday arrested a Congress councillor and one more person in Madhya Pradesh's Indore after a video purportedly showed 'Pakistan zindabad' slogans being raised during a protest in Indore to condemn the Pahalgam terror attack, an official said.

The case in this connection was registered on the basis of the video in which some people could be heard raising the slogans, he said.

The arrested Congress councillor, however, has claimed that the video was fake.

Talking to PTI, Sadar Bazar police station in-charge Yashwant Barole said, "A protest was held in the city's Badwali Chowki area on April 25 against the Pahalgam terror attack. A purported video of the protest surfaced on April 30 in which some people could be heard raising 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans."

On the basis of the video, an FIR was registered on Wednesday night under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 196 (1) (b) (any act that adversely affects the mutual harmony of different communities and which disturbs or is likely to disturb the public peace), he said.

"During the investigation of the case, local Congress councilor Anwar Qadri and the head of a local traders association, Razik Baba, were arrested. Both of them were leading the protest," Barole said.

Following their arrest, both of them were produced in a local court which remanded them in judicial custody, he added.

According to Barole, since permission was not taken for the protest, BNS section 223 (disobedience to lawful order of any public officer) has been added in the FIR.

"Investigation into the case is underway. Other accused will be identified and legal action will be taken against them as well," he said.

The station in-charge said the authenticity of the controversial video of the protest was being investigated by technical experts.

After the controversial video surfaced on social media, local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Golu Shukla demanded strict police action against those involved in the protest.

Councillor Qadri had on Thursday said nobody raised 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans during the protest.

Before his arrest, he had called the alleged video fake, and also claimed that three-four BJP leaders had also participated in the protest.