Police have registered two cases against senior Congress leader and the party's Bastar Lok Sabha seat candidate Kawasi Lakhma in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district for allegedly violating the model code of conduct through his alleged objectionable remarks, officials said on Saturday. While an FIR was registered against him at Mirtur police station for allegedly making an objectionable remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, another case was registered at Kutru police station for his alleged statement against police and administration, a district official said.
The cases were registered on Friday evening based on the complaints lodged by the district returning officer, he said. Lakhma, who represents the Konta assembly constituency in Sukma district and served as a minister in the previous Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government, has been fielded by the party in the Bastar Lok Sabha seat. Bijapur district falls in Bastar Lok Sabha constituency.
As per the election official's complaint, Lakhma on April 8 evening held a public meeting in Mirtur without taking permission from the competent authority and made objectionable remarks against the PM in the local dialect, he said. Similarly on the same day, Lakhma held a public rally in Kutru cricket ground and made an objectionable remark against the police and district administration, he said.
At the rally, Lakhma said there is a reserve of tin near Tongpal (Sukma district) and the villagers told him that the police were taking measurements (of the forest area). He then asked the villagers to attack the police with bow and arrow, he added. Lakhma was booked under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 500 (whoever defames another shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the official said, adding that a probe was underway.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also lodged a complaint with the Election Commission seeking to quash the candidature of Lakhma for allegedly making objectionable comments against the PM. With this, a total of three FIRs have been registered against Lakhma for alleged violation of the model of conduct. Earlier, he was booked for allegedly distributing cash to people outside a temple in Jagdalpur, the headquarter of Bastar district last month.
(With inputs from PTI)
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