Thursday, Congress politician Pawan Khera stated that he was unlawfully arrested by Assam police, adding that he had great faith in the court system. Khera, who was deboarded from a Raipur-bound IndiGo flight following his release on temporary bail, told the news agency ANI that he will soon depart for the Chhattisgarh capital to attend the Congress’s three-day plenary session.
“Without providing a copy of the FIR and notice, Assam Police illegally removed me from the flight and arrested me. I have total faith in the legal system, which preserved my right to free speech today, Khera was reported as saying by ANI.
“Our campaign to safeguard this nation and its constitutional ideals is being led boldly by my leader Rahul Gandhi, and I will support his efforts,” he continued.
A Delhi court granted Khera interim bail in a case involving his allegedly offensive remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Khera had recently referred to him as “Narendra Gautamdas Modi” in an apparent jab at the prime minister on the controversy surrounding business magnate Gautam Adani.
Khera was granted interim bail by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Archana Beniwal on the basis of a 30,000 bail bond and one surety of the same amount. The magistrate issued the order at approximately 6:10 p.m. after obtaining a copy of the supreme court’s release order for Khera.
Today, the president of the Congress, Mallikarjun Kharge, criticised the administration over the arrest, alleging that it is part of a pattern. “Whenever opposition members raise problems in Parliament, the Enforcement Directorate conducts searches on our leaders in Chhattisgarh prior to the plenary session,” he claimed.
“Today, our media director (Khera) was forcibly removed off an aeroplane and arrested. The Modi administration has transformed India’s democracy into “Hitler-shahi.” We condemn vehemently this dictatorship “Kharge tweeted in Hindi.
