Former MLA, Congress leader arrested in Chhattisgarh over remarks on Prime Minister

Representative image | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In separate incidents, a former MLA from Bilaspur and a Congress leader from Bhilai were arrested for allegedly making objectionable remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Operation Sindoor, police officers in Chhattisgarh said on Wednesday (May 4, 2025).

In Bilaspur, former MLA Arun Tiwari was arrested on Tuesday (May 3, 2025) following a complaint by Panna Nagar resident Ranjeet Kumar Yadav, who alleged that Mr. Tiwari had repeatedly made derogatory comments about the Prime Minister on social media. Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the Civil Lines Police Station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.

S.R. Sahu, Station House Officer of Civil Lines Police Station, said that Mr. Tiwari has been charged with “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class of citizens by insulting their religion or religious beliefs,” in addition to charges related to obscenity. He was produced before a local court on Wednesday (May 4, 2025) and remanded to 14 days’ judicial custody.

Mr. Tiwari represented the Sipat constituency (now renamed Beltara following delimitation) in undivided Madhya Pradesh between 1985 and 1990 as a Congress legislator. Since then, he has been associated with several political parties, including the BJP, and had also joined the now-defunct All India Indira Congress (Tiwari). In the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, he contested as an independent candidate from both Bilaspur and Beltara, but was unsuccessful in both constituencies.

In a separate case in Bhilai, Congress leader Brijmohan Singh was arrested on Wednesday for comments allegedly made against the Prime Minister in response to a social media post related to Operation Sindoor, a police official said. The complaint was filed by BJP leader Tushar Dewangan. Mr. Singh has been charged under provisions similar to those invoked in Mr. Tiwari’s case.

Mr. Singh had earlier contested the 2008 Assembly elections on a Congress ticket but did not win.

Published - June 04, 2025 08:53 pm IST