Police question Subramanian Swamy for article that calls for revoking of voting rights of Muslims

From: The Times of India

Subramanian Swamy questioned in inflammatory article case

PTI | Jan 16, 2012, 11.09AM IST

NEW DELHI: Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy was today questioned by Delhi Police in connection with a case of writing an "inflammatory article" in a newspaper.

Swamy, accompanied by lawyers, reached the inter-state cell of Delhi Police's Crime Branch here at around 11:AM.

The Janata Party chief has been granted interim protection till January 30 by the Delhi high court against his possible arrest in the case.

Delhi high court had on Friday last granted interim protection to Swamy and asked him to give an undertaking that he would not write such articles in the future. The court also issued notice to the Delhi Police, seeking its response to Swamy's anticipatory bail plea.

Delhi Police had on October three registered a case of spreading enmity between communities against Swamy for his remarks suggesting revoking of voting rights of Muslims.

The Crime Branch registered a case under Section 153A (spreading enmity between communities) of Indian Penal Code for his newspaper article in July this year.

The Harvard-educated economic scholar, Swamy in an article in a newspaper had suggested Indian Hindus collectively respond to terror acts.

He wrote, "We need a collective mindset as Hindus to stand against the Islamic terrorist.....If any Muslim acknowledges his or her Hindu legacy, then we Hindus can accept him or her as a part of the Brihad Hindu Samaj (greater Hindu society) which is Hindustan.

"Others, who refuse to acknowledge this, or those foreigners who become Indian citizens by registration, can remain in India but should not have voting rights (which means they cannot be elected representatives)," Swamy had written.