Tweet on Shivling in Gyanvapi mosque: Arrested DU professor gets bail

A Delhi court on Saturday (May 21) granted bail to Ratan Lal, a history professor from Hindu College in New Delhi, who was arrested by police on Friday night for allegedly promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion and committing “acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony”.

The court said the professor’s post “does not indicate an attempt to promote hatred between communities”.

“The feeling of hurt felt by an individual cannot represent the entire group or community and any such complaint regarding hurt feelings has to be seen in its context considering the entire spectrum of facts/circumstances,” the court said.

The court also directed Lal to “strictly refrain from posting any social media posts or interviews” regarding the issue.

“It is true that the accused did an act which was avoidable considering the sensibilities of persons around the accused and the public at large. However, the post, though reprehensible, does not indicate an attempt to promote hatred between communities,” the order said while denying the police’s request for judicial custody, according to an NDTV report.

Police had sought a 14-day judicial remand of Lal.

According to police, Lal, an associate professor of Delhi University’s (DU) Hindu College, had penned a social media post reportedly questioning the discovery of the ‘Shivling’ inside Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque complex. He was picked by north Delhi’s Cyber Police station.

A Delhi-based advocate Vineet Jindal had made a police complaint against Lal claiming that he had shared a “derogatory, inciting and provocative tweet on the Shivling” and an FIR was filed on Tuesday (May 17).

The lawyer said in his complaint that Lal’s statement in the tweet was “instigating and provoking”. According to the lawyer, the issue is very sensitive in nature and is pending before the court. In his tweet, Lal had posted a photo of the so-called ‘shivling’ allegedly discovered in the mosque compound and satirically questioned the authenticity of the discovery.

However, Lal defended his post and said this is nothing new. If you speak about anything, someone or the other’s sentiment will be hurt, he said, adding that being a historian, all he did was to make several observations.

Also read: SC moves Gyanvapi case to Varanasi district court; says ‘selective leaks’ should be stopped

“As I wrote them down, I have used very guarded language in my post and still this. I will defend myself,” he said.

We, bahujan stand with prof. Ratanlal
Please ! support this hastag #WesupportProfRatanlal#WesupportProfRatanlal pic.twitter.com/pnIlIuoFHw

— DK मूलनिवासी (@MacD1932) May 18, 2022

In fact, last week, Lal had tweeted his 20-year-son was receiving threats on Facebook messenger after he had posted about the Gyanvapi mosque issue.

Lal also happens to be the founder and editor-in-chief of Ambedkarnama, a news portal focusing on Dalit issues. His Twitter bio also describes him as an “activist, writer and a child of Ambedkariate Revolution”.

Meanwhile, even as a hashtag #WesupportProfRatanlal appeared on Twitter, with many claiming that ” there is no freedom of speech there is no fundamental rights”, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh condemned the arrest. He tweeted, “I strongly condemn Prof Ratan Lal’s arrest. He has the Constitutional Right of opinion and expression.”

I strongly condemn Prof Ratn Lal’s arrest. He has the Constitutional Right of opinion and expression. @INCIndia https://t.co/gupumAwuXr

— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) May 21, 2022

In the aftermath of Lal’s arrest, there were midnight protests at Delhi University, demanding his release.

Mid night protests against the arrest of DU professor Ratan Lal.#ReleaseProfRatanLal pic.twitter.com/2GmJ1xF9s4

— Alishan Jafri (@alishan_jafri) May 20, 2022