Kerala BJP leader remanded to 14-day police custody in hate speech case

Kottayam (Kerala) [India], February 25 (ANI): The Erattupetta Judicial First Class Magistrate Court has remanded Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader PC George to police custody for 14 days. He has been taken to Kottayam Medical College for a check-up after the magistrate considered medical reports indicating that he has health issues.
Earlier, PC George had surrendered before the Erattupetta court in Kottayam in connection with a hate speech case. This development comes after the Kerala High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea. George had made controversial remarks against Muslims during a television debate in January, leading to a complaint filed by a Muslim Youth League leader.
During the channel discussion, he said, "I am sitting in Eratupetta and saying this. Out of the 40,000 population here, 38600 are Muslims. There are no such communal forces without any conscience like you anywhere in this world. Do you have a conscience? Do you have a soft approach towards people from other religious groups? You should learn about the diversity we show. Are we saying that any Muslims should be killed? If you are a Muslim, then you are communal. It's become like that. You don't want India but Pakistan. Go to Pakistan."
The Erattupetta police subsequently registered a case against him under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Kerala Police Act - under Sections BNS 196 (1) a, 299, and 120 (o).
Police reached his residence in Poonjar near Erattupetta to record his arrest, but he was not at home. The police had earlier tried to arrest him, and he had sought two days to appear before the court.
The court had earlier sent George to police custody until 6 pm today, citing a defect in the custody application filed by the police. The police were directed to rectify the issue and resubmit the application.
George had earlier apologized for his remarks through a Facebook post, stating that he unconditionally retracts his reply that all Muslims in India are terrorists, and apologizes to all his Muslim brothers and sisters who love this country and were hurt by it.
"I unconditionally retract my reply that all Muslims in India are terrorists, and I apologize to all my Muslim brothers and sisters who love this country and were hurt by it. But I clearly know that there is a small percentage of people among them who have anti-national extremist thoughts. I will always strongly oppose them and all those who silently support them," he said. (ANI)