Tushar Gandhi files police complaint against Hindutva leader for derogatory remarks against Mahatma Gandhi

Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, lodges police complaint against Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide for derogatory remarks against Father of Nation. Complaint seeks FIR under IPC Sections 499, 153A, 505. Bhide accused of making similar remarks against other historical figures. Govt. promised stern action, but no step taken yet. Fadnavis condemns Bhide's statements, FIRs lodged in Amravati and Nashik districts. Bhide's alleged involvement in 2018 Bhima-Koregaon clashes.

Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, on Thursday lodged a police complaint in Pune against radical Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide for his alleged derogatory remarks against the Father of the Nation.

Mr. Bhide, who heads the fringe Sangli-based outfit Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, had been accused of making offensive remarks against Mahatma Gandhi during a programme in Amravati district in July.

Mr. Gandhi, along with advocate Asim Sarode and other social activists, lodged the complaint at the city’s Deccan Gymkhana police station. In the complaint, Mr. Gandhi accused the Hindutva leader of being a “habitual offender” who consistently sought to heighten social tensions by making defamatory and divisive remarks about historical personalities.

He sought the registration of an FIR under Sections 499 (defamation), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code against Mr. Bhide. The complaint stated that the Hindutva leader had reportedly made similar controversial remarks against Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, and Sai Baba in the past.

“Mr. Bhide has made derogatory statements not just against Bapu but also against his family. While the State Home Minister [Devendra Fadnavis] had promised stern action, no step has been taken so far,” Mr. Gandhi said, adding that Mr. Bhide ought to be probed by the police and arrested for his remarks. 

Last month, speaking in the State Assembly, senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had demanded Mr. Bhide’s arrest for his remarks against Mahatma Gandhi. This led to Mr. Fadnavis condemning Mr. Bhide’s statements while stating that the government would take necessary action against him.

“Mahatma Gandhi is the Father of the Nation and a great hero in India’s freedom struggle. It is wholly inappropriate to utter these remarks against such a great man. People are bound to get angry and will never tolerate if one makes such remarks against Mahatma Gandhi,” Mr. Fadnavis had said.