Headlines
Goa Congress files complains against Mahesh Sharma 'hate speech'
Panaji, Sep 16
The Congress in Goa has filed a
police complaint against union Minister of State for Culture Mahesh
Sharma for allegedly delivering a hate speech against minority
religions, a party leader said on Wednesday.
Congress
spokesperson Sunil Kawthankar, one of the two party office-bearers to
sign the complaint filed against Sharma at Panaji police station, said
the minister had hurt the religious sentiments of Christians and Muslims
through his comments.
"With a malicious intent to hurt the
religious feelings of Christians and Muslims, he went too far in making
remarks that can be defined a hate speech intended to create religious
discord between members of different religions and destroy the secular
fabric of our nation," Kawthankar said.
In an interview to a
national television channel this week, Sharma allegedly said: "I respect
Bible and Quran but they are not central to the soul of India in the
way Gita and Ramayana are."
Sharma subsequently clarified that he had been misquoted.
The
complaint has been filed under sections 153 (A) (promoting enmity
between groups) and 295 (intentionally outraging religious feelings) of
the Indian Penal Code.
Sources at the Panaji police station confirmed receipt of the complaint, adding that a case had not been registered yet.