FIR against Rahul Gandhi over remarks 'threatening country's sovereignty’; Cong says political stunt
Guwahati (PTI): A police case has been registered in Assam against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his purported recent remarks "threatening the sovereignty of the country", with the opposition party dismissing the complaint as a ‘political stunt’ on Monday.
A complaint was filed at Panbazar police station here by advocate Monjit Chetia on Saturday evening against remarks made by Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, during the inauguration of the Congress’ new national headquarters in New Delhi last week, police said.
Cheita alleged that Gandhi, in his speech, had said that "BJP and RSS have captured every single institution, and we are now fighting the BJP, the RSS, and the Indian state itself."
The advocate alleged that the Congress leader made these remarks "with deliberate design and calculated intent to undermine the sovereignty and integrity of the Indian state and to provoke rebellion against the democratically elected" government.
“Unable to gain public trust through democratic means, the accused now seeks to incite disaffection against the central government and the Indian state,” Chetia claimed in the complaint.
The FIR was registered under Sections 152 and 197(1)(d) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhitha, 2023.
BNS Section 152 addresses and penalises acts that threaten the sovereignty, unity, or integrity of India through various means.
Section 197(1)(d) deals with false or misleading information, jeopardising the sovereignty, unity and integrity or security of India.
Reacting to the case, leader of the opposition in Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia said, “The FIR filed against Rahul Gandhi is a political stunt. The case has been filed by someone on behalf of the BJP to threaten opposition voice.”
Defending Gandhi’s remarks, he alleged that in several instances, agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and CBI have acted at the behest of the BJP-led government.
"Even the Election Commission has stopped providing information of polling station-wise voting data.
These prove that what Rahul ji is saying, that we are also fighting against the state machinery which is supposed to be neutral, is being used as a political tool by the BJP,” Saikia maintained.
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26-year-old Telangana student shot dead in US
Hyderabad, Jan 20 (PTI): A 26-year-old student from Telangana was allegedly shot dead in the US by unidentified persons, his family members said here on Monday.
K Ravi Teja, who completed MS and was looking for a job, was living in Connecticut.
The family received information about his death from a relative staying in America.
However, the circumstances leading to his death were unclear, the family members said, adding the incident is said to have happened in Washington DC.
Teja, who went to the US in 2022 to pursue MS after completing engineering from a private college here, was doing part-time jobs, his cousin Santosh told PTI.
Teja's sister, who also lives in the US, has reached the hospital where the body was kept.
Teja's father Chandramouli was inconsolable as he spoke to reporters about the tragic death of his son.
He said his son was looking for a job after completing MS eight months ago and was hoping to secure a job in March this year, and would visit them after getting a job.
Chandramouli said he last spoke to Teja on January 18 night.
He also said his son had asked him to come down to the US.
"I got him educated by driving a taxi. We sent him to the US by selling off a small piece of land we had. He brought me to a level (in society) but left me now," Chandramouli said.
He urged the government to help in bringing back his mortal remains here as early as possible.
"I have come to know that my son was shot dead. I am told that it will take seven days. My appeal to the government is to send back the mortal remains as early as possible. I am not able to speak anything else... I sent him alive, but his body will come now," a grieving Chandramouli said.
Asked about the condition of Teja's mother, he said she is like the family's bedrock which has now shattered. "What can be said about her," he said.
The family belongs to Nalgonda district in Telangana and lived in Chaitanyapuri in Hyderabad.
In November 2024, a 22-year-old youth from Khammam district of Telangana was shot dead by miscreants at a gas station in the United States where he was working, family members had said.
