Kerala politician PC George arrested for hate speech against Muslims, gets bail

By Sreejith Kumar | NT

Thiruvananthapuam: On a day of high political drama, Kerala police arrested Kerala’s loose-tongued politician and former MLA PC George from his house on charges of hurting religious sentiments and making a hate speech. The arrest was recorded at the Armed Reserve (AR) camp on Friday.

Later in the evening, the Judicial First Class Magistrate granted him conditional bail. The court asked him not to deliver hate speeches and to cooperate with the investigation.

George was arrested for his hate speech at the Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelanam, organised by a Sangh Parivar outfit at East Fort in Thiruvananthapuram on April 29. The event was inaugurated by Kerala Governor Arif Muhammed Khan.

George had alleged that ‘Love Jihad’ is a huge menace affecting Hindu and Christian families in the state. He went on to say that Muslims spit on food before distribution and non-Muslims will develop impotency if they drink tea from restaurants owned by Muslims. Love Jihad is a conspiracy theory pushed by Hindutva organisations that Muslim men woo Hindu women with the sole purpose of converting them to Islam.

But George, while addressing the media after securing bail, defied the bail conditions when he said that ‘he stands firmly by his speech’. He also said his arrest was Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Ramadan gift to radical Islamists.

George’s arrest created a political storm in Kerala with Sangh Parivar outfits coming out in his support, while Democratic Youth Federation of India, the youth wing of Communist Party of India (Marxist), workers threw rotten eggs on the vehicle the carried George from his house in Erattupetta to Thiruvananthapuram.

While Indian Union Muslim League leader PK Kunhalikkuty said the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) will together defend any attempt to create hate in the society, BJP state president K Surendran said his party will support and protect George.

The police even denied permission to BJP leader and Union Minister from Kerala V Muraleedharan to visit George at AR Camp. An angry Muraleedharan lashed out at the police action. However, he evaded the question if he supported George’s diatribe.

Suo motu case The police took up a suo motu case against George in the wake of mounting pressure from social and political organisations. Indian Youth Congress, DYFI and Muslim Youth League had petitioned the director general of police demanding action against the hate-speaker.

Public prosecutor’s absence
While the court considered George’s bail application, the Kerala government’s public prosecutor was conspicuous by his absence. This has created another political controversy.

Opposition political parties termed the prosecutor’s absence “unprecedented”.

Indian Union Muslim League leader ET Muhammed Basheer said the government should answer why it did not send the public prosecutor to oppose George’s bail application.

In 2018, PC George was summoned by then Women’s Commission for his derogatory remarks against a nun. A seven-time legislator, he is the president of Kerala Janapaksham (Secular). He was the chief whip of the Congress-led United Democratic Front from 2011 to 2016. Later, he switched his political loyalties only to align with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).