‘Hate speech’: P C George remanded to judicial custody for 14 days

The police on Tuesday night had arrested George, a former legislator of regional Christian party Kerala Congress (M), after a judicial first-class magistrate court in Thiruvananthapuram cancelled the bail granted to him.

George did not move any bail application at the magistrate court as he had already petitioned the high court.

On Wednesday, he was taken to police custody from a police station in Kochi, where he turned up as part of the probe into another hate speech delivered early this month during a temple festival in Kochi. While being taken to Thiruvananthapuram, George was greeted by BJP workers.

George’s son Shone, who is a member of Kottayam district panchayat, alleged that the arrest of his father was a conspiracy of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. “He (Vijayan) wanted to convince someone by lodging George in jail for at least one hour. He wanted to appease certain quarters by arresting my father at a time when his bail application is pending in the high court,’’ said Shone.

The magistrate court in Thiruvananthapuram had cancelled George’s bail after the prosecution informed the court that he violated the bail conditions. The prosecution brought to the notice of the court another alleged hate speech George delivered earlier this month during a temple festival in Kochi, which amounted to violation of the bail conditions.

On April 29, addressing the Ananthapuri Hindu Mahasammelan in Thiruvananthapuram, George had alleged that restaurants run by Muslims should be avoided because they use “some kind of drops” that cause impotence. He also talked of “love jihad” and an “agenda to establish a Muslim country” by “sterilising men and women [of other faith]”.