A man named Chinta Hema Kumar was arrested by Hyderabad police on April 13 for displaying a portrait of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, during a Ram Navami procession in the city on March 30. Kumar is said to be a worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was taken to the Shahinayathgunj police station where a case was registered against him. However, he was later released after being served a notice to appear for questioning. The police identified him as the man waving the portrait of Godse after reviewing CCTV footage. He has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 504 and 505.
There have been calls from various groups for action to be taken against those who displayed the portrait of Gandhi’s assassin. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the police for not taking any action against them. Former Congress MP V. Hanumantha Rao also lodged a complaint against those who openly displayed the photo of Godse in the rally.
