Man booked for hate speech

Vadodara: Joint secretary of the Vadodara city Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) was booked for making hate speech during the riots on Ram Navami day in the city. The activist was arrested and is being quizzed by the police.Rohan Shah had allegedly given an inflammatory speech while speaking to the media when riots broke out during a procession organized on the occasion of Ram Navami in the city on Thursday. Shah and others were part of a procession during which the riots took place. A video of Shah giving the hate speech had gone viral on Thursday itself. It was widely circulated even outside the city with many adding messages questioning why action had not been taken against him. On Saturday, Vadodara police commissioner Dr Shamsher Singh said that an offence had been registered against Shah. “He has been detained and is being questioned,” he said. Shah was being quizzed at the office of the crime branch by members of the SIT that has been formed to investigate the riots in the city.Meanwhile, the city police has gathered footages for over 300 CCTV cameras and other sources. Deputy commissioner of police (crime) Yuvrajsinh Jadeja said that the police was in the process of identifying more accused and will arrest them too.A delegation of All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) including its state president Sabir Kabliwala visited the riot-affected areas and met people there. Kabliwala said that they also made representations to the city police seeking fair action regarding the riots including the hate speech. “We were assured that action will be taken against all involved in the riots as well as the video,” he said.