Abhijit Iyer Mitra has been arrested and taken to Nizamuddin police station today on September 20th for making derogatory remarks against Odisha. Iyer is taken to hospital for a medical examination after which he will be produced before Saket court before taken on remand by Odisha police. However, he was only told that a case has been registered against him.
“Abhijit has no knowledge of why he has been detained neither he was informed who has registered the case against him, nor was he given the copy of the FIR,” said tweeted a journalist friend of Abhijit, Aarti Tikoo Singh.
What absolute rubbish is this!
Just heard @Iyervval has been detained by Nizamuddin @DelhiPolice
Harassing an intellectual without FIR.
THIS IS INSANE!!#IStandWithAbhijit pic.twitter.com/yEI2LWsYr6— Arjun (@ArjunSKadian) September 20, 2018
Apparently, Odisha Police has detained him without a warrant and no one knows his whereabouts.
— Aarti Tikoo Singh (@AartiTikoo) September 20, 2018
Odisha Assembly Speaker Pradip Amat approved the proposal for a House Committee to investigate the matter on Thursday. The leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra is made the chairman of the House Committee, Debi Mishra, KV Singh Deo, Pramila Mallick, Arun Sahoo, and Sanjay Das Burma are made the other members of the committee.
So Odisha Police has arrested my friend @Iyervval for his satirical humor because it “hurt religious sentiments”. This is the other side of Indian democracy where religious sentiment supersedes and prevails over all other fundamental rights. We remain stuck in Middle Ages. Shame.
— Aarti Tikoo Singh (@AartiTikoo) September 20, 2018
Abhijit is a noted defence expert and has also pulled Rafale Deal controversy of the opposition multiple times with proof. He has been arrested on the direction of authorities in Odisha for allegedly offending ‘religious sensibilities’ with his satirical video on the Sun Temple.
UPDATE: Just talked with @Iyervval‘s lawyer, friend @TweetinderKaul. He is at the courts awaiting Abhijit. Will be applying for bail.
Odisha Police is INSISTING on remand – they want to take him to Odisha. FOR WHAT? This is plain harassment of a citizen on political pressure.
— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) September 20, 2018
“Remarks of Abhijit Iyer have disrespected and hurt the sentiments of the people of Odisha and Odia language. He should be summoned to the State and the House should decide on the quantum of punishment,” said Mishra.
“We demand stringent punishment against him and will not leave House till an announcement on this is made,” said Bahinipati.
Abhijit Iyer Mitra is a famous columnist and has also written for Swarajya. He also interviewed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Member of Parliament Subramanian Swamy for the magazine.
Odisha Assembly passes resolution for setting up a Legislative Council
