Congress leader Digvijaya Singh may face arrest over Khargone violence tweet

The Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday (April 12) accused Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh of hatching a ‘conspiracy to spread religious frenzy’ in the state, and said it was contemplating legal action against him over a tweet in which he sought to link a mosque in another state to violence in MP’s Khargone city during a Ram Navami procession.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said on Wednesday (April 13) the police may soon arrest Congress leader Digvijaya Singh in a case related to allegedly posting fake and communally sensitive content online.

On Tuesday morning, Singh in a tweet posted a picture showing some youths hoisting a saffron flag at a mosque while mentioning about Khargone violence. He later deleted the tweet.

Digvijaya Singh also raised questions over the Khargone administration in connection with the violence there, while tagging a video of BJP leader Kapil Mishra in which he was seen exhorting Hindus to protect their identity while referring to Hindi film ‘The Kashmir Files’, which is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley.

A curfew was clamped in the entire Khargone city on Sunday evening after stone-pelting during a Ram Navami procession earlier that day triggered arson.

“Digvijaya Singhji wants to fuel communal tension by spreading confusion. The picture of hoisting the flag at a mosque is not from Madhya Pradesh. Opinions are being taken from legal experts regarding action in this matter,” MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra told reporters.

Also read: In Khargone, MP, bulldozers demolish house built under PM Awas Yojana

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also took to the micro-blogging site, saying, “Digvijaya Singh has tweeted a photo of youths hoisting saffron flag at a religious place, which is not from Madhya Pradesh. This tweet of Digvijay Singh is a conspiracy to spread religious frenzy in the state and a conspiracy to throw the state in the fire of riots, which will not be tolerated.”

Earlier in the day, Singh along with the picture on his Twitter handle said, “Is it appropriate to put up a flag at a religious place while holding swords and sticks? Did the Khargone administration allow a procession carrying weapons? Will bulldozers run over the homes of all those who throw stones, irrespective of religion? Don’t forget Shivrajji, you have taken an oath to run the government in a fair manner.”

After this, some BJP leaders, including Bhopal MLA Rameshwar Sharma, raised questions over the picture posted by Singh. Some social media users claimed the picture posted by Singh was from Muzaffarpur in Bihar.

Following sharp reactions from social media users, Singh deleted the tweet. He is yet to react to the state government’s comments about contemplating legal steps in connection with his post.

Singh had on Monday blamed the Khargone administration and police for the violence there during the Ram Navami festival. He had also sought to link BJP leader Kapil Mishra with communal riots and referred to the latter’s presence in Khargone. However, Mishra had said ‘Jihadis’ were responsible for pelting stones and arson in Khargone.

In a fresh tweet on Tuesday, Singh tagged a video of Mishra and said, “Did the Khargone administration and the police not hear this speech? Is this type of speech not inciting the public on the basis of religion? This is a speech from a place in Khargone and where else did Kapil Mishra’s speak? Was the Khargone administration and the police not aware of this?”

In the video, Mishra was seen telling a gathering: “We should not have any other identity than Hindu. If they talk about identity other than Hindu, then understand that they are talking about caste, they are creating division among us and preparing to create your ‘Kashmir File’.’

Mishra further told the gathering around him that if they don’t understand ‘Kashmir Files’ today, then they should be ready for ‘Delhi Files, Bengal Files, Kerala Files, Bhopal Files, etc’.

“So, it is important today to understand that what happened in Kashmir should not happen in our locality, it should not happen in our area,” he said.

Claiming that some people raised slogans in favour of terrorists, including Burhan Wani, at a religious place in Srinagar, Mishra said, “I want to tell them from the land of Khargone that the house from where Burhan will emerge, we will enter that house and kill (him).”

Mishra had allegedly delivered a hate speech in February 2020 at a rally against the anti-CAA protesters in Delhi. Northeast Delhi witnessed communal riots in February that year in which at least 53 people lost their lives and over 700 were injured.

(With inputs from agencies)