FIR against Congress leader Mahant for remarks against PM

A case was registered on Friday against senior Congress leader Charan Das Mahant in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district for his alleged objectionable remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public rally earlier this week.

The FIR was registered against Mahant at Kotwali Police Station here based on the complaint of the District Election Officer, a senior police officer said.

He was booked under section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC for his alleged remarks during a public rally here on April 2, the official said.

The state BJP had lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer of Chhattisgarh against Mahant, accusing him of inciting Congress workers and the public to commit violence against the prime minister. Later, Mahant in a video statement said he respected the prime minister, and his statement was misinterpreted. If anyone was hurt by it, he expressed regret, he said.