The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) on Friday said that the police were targeting innocent party members in connection with the video showing people shouting pro-Pakistan slogans and warned that it would hold a protest in front of the District Police office if the three arrested were not released within three days.
SDPI State Secretary Ashraf Machar told reporters here that three members were arrested by the Belthangady Police in connection with the video shot during counting of votes at Ujire in the taluk on Wednesday.
He said that the police barged into their houses at midnight and took them away. Condemning this, Mr. Machar said that it was not necessary for Indian Muslims to raise pro-Pakistan slogans. It was the Sangh Parivar that always spoke about Pakistan, he said.
He said that SDPI members were celebrating the victory of candidates supported by the party and were raising slogans in favour of the party. A few people with communal mindset have doctored the video and inserted pro-Pakistan slogans, he said and added that it was a strategy adopted by a private television channel and the Sangh Parivar to malign SDPI.
Mr. Machar said that the police have arrested the three under pressure. The Superintendent of Police should hold a detailed probe into the incident and take action against those who doctored the video, he demanded.
SDPI National Committee member Riyaz Farangipet said that the Superintendent of Police should hold a detailed and unbiased probe into the incident and withdraw cases filed against innocent party members. If the police failed to withdraw the cases within three days, SDPI would take out a protest march to the Superintendent of Police’s office, he said.
Mr. Farangipet said that the police did not book Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja for delivering a provocative speech after the incident. The police were working at the behest of the Sangh Parivar, booking suo motu cases against Muslims while keeping quite when it comes to Sangh Parivar, he said.
