Brahmin lawyers in Gwalior file police complaint against RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

A group of lawyers from Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, belonging to the Brahmin community, filed a complaint at the Inderganj police station in Gwalior, seeking registration of an FIR against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat for his alleged statements against the community.

The complaint was signed by lawyers Mayank Pathak, Ankit Vashishth and Neeraj Bhargava. It seeks registration of criminal offence against Bhagwat under sections 153 (A) (B), 295 and 505 of the IPC for what they alleged was “an attempt to seek political benefits by creating religious intolerance through caste segregation.”

Speaking to the media, Pathak said, “Mohan Bhagwat ji has given a statement targeting the Brahmin community saying the caste system was created by pandits, and not by god. These words used for the Brahmin community are an attempt to seek political benefit by spreading religious intolerance and caste segregation. This action is punishable under IPC sections 153 (A), (B) 295 and 505. We have given an application to lodge a criminal offence against him. An FIR should be registered because he has indulged in low-level politics by targeting a particular community to seek political benefits. But people belonging to all communities understand everything, so he would not get any political benefit. Attempting caste segregation to take political benefit shows sick and low-level mentality.”

The complaint comes despite clarifications that the statement by RSS chief at the Sant Ravidas Jayanti programme at Mumbai on February 5 had been misconstrued by the media. It was said that by the word ‘pandit’, Bhagwat did not mean the Brahmin community, but scholars.

However, controversy has not stopped on the issue and a section of the Brahmin community has been protesting against Bhagwat in Gwalior. They had raised slogans against the RSS chief and said they would launch a massive agitation if Bhagwat did not apologise for his comments.