A lecturer from Assam’s Silchar, who was arrested for posting alleged derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the wake of violence in Delhi was released on bail by a court on March 5th, 2020.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Silchar, granted bail to Souradeep Sengupta on a surety of Rs 15,000 and on the condition that he would cooperate with the police, and not leave the town without the court’s permission.
The accused is a guest lecturer in the Physics department at Gurucharan College. He was arrested from his residence in the Itkhola area on February 28th, 2020 night.
The FIR against Souradeep Sengupta was lodged by 10 students of his college for “making derogatory remarks and abusing the Sanatan Dharma, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindutva” in the “context of the recent Delhi violence”. Sengupta is a guest lecturer of Physics at Gurcharan College for the past one year.
The students also alleged that the Sengupta tried to incite communal violence by making provocative comments against the Hindu community. Based on the FIR lodged at the Sadar Police Station Silchar, Sengupta was booked under sections 295(A), 153(A), 507 IPC and 66 (IT Act).
The lecturer had allegedly shared a post on Facebook in the reference to the communal clash in North East Delhi, suggesting that some sections were trying to recreate Godhra riots of 2002 in the capital territory. He later deleted the post following the backlash.
The lecturer had also allegedly posted derogatory remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Sengupta was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and IT Act for his alleged objectionable comments on Facebook.
