The Chhattisgarh Police on Thursday arrested self-styled godman Kalicharan Maharaj from Madhya Pradesh’s Khajuraho, three days after an FIR was registered against him in Raipur for allegedly insulting Mahatma Gandhi and praising his assassin Nathuram Godse .
Kalicharan was arrested from a rented house near Bageshwar Dham, around 25 km from Khajuraho town, Raipur Superintendent of Police Prashant Agrawal said.
The ‘godman’ had booked a guesthouse in Khajuraho but did not check in, moving into the rented house to evade arrest, said a police officer.
Kalicharan will be taken back to Chhattisgarh and produced in court, the officer said.
On Sunday, the FIR was registered against Kalicharan after an abusive speech by him during the conclusion of a two-day ‘Dharma Sansad’ in Raipur went viral on social media. He reportedly said the “the aim of Islam is to capture the nation through politics and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi destroyed the country... salutations to Nathuram Godse who killed him”.
The Akola-based ‘godman’ also exhorted people to elect a “staunch Hindu leader” to protect Hinduism.
Congress leader Pramod Dubey had lodged a complaint before the police and a case was registered against Kalicharan at Tikrapara police station under Sections 505 (2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) and 294 (obscene acts) of the Indian Penal Code.
