A day after the Muslim Youth League petitioned the police to revoke the bail granted to Bharatiya Janata Party leader P.C. George in a hate speech case, the row escalated further on Tuesday.
The police have so far received three complaints against Mr. George over his remarks about love jihad. Officials, however, said they were awaiting instructions from higher authorities on whether or not to file a fresh case against him.
Dismissing the allegations, Mr. George maintained that he had not violated any of the conditions under which he was granted bail last month. “I was merely stating facts to the followers of my church, and that too in the presence of the Pala Bishop. None of my statements were religiously sensitive,” he told The Hindu over the phone.
Besides the BJP, support for Mr. George also came from the Kerala Catholic Bishops Conference’s (KCBC) Temperance Commission, which had organised the event where he allegedly made the controversial remarks. While the BJP argued that he was only stating facts, the Temperance Commission outrightly denied the leader making any controversial statements.
“There was no mention of any particular religion in his speech,” said Prasad Kuruvila, general secretary of the commission. “His words should be seen as an expression of the concerns of a common man on issues such as substance abuse, rather than an attempt to hurt any religion,” he added.
The Muslim Youth League, however, remained firm in its demand for action and warned that it would approach the High Court directly if the police continued to delay registering a fresh case against Mr. George. Having already filed three complaints against him, its representatives also met with the Kottayam District Police Chief to discuss the matter.
“Our demand is that the police revoke his bail and also file a fresh case over his love jihad remarks. If they fail to act, we will move the High Court ourselves,” said Muhammad Shihab, president of the Muslim Youth League’s Erattupetta municipal committee.
The controversy stems from Mr. George’s claims that nearly 400 girls from Meenachil taluk had fallen victim to love jihad, of whom only 41 had been brought back. He also urged parents to ensure their daughters were married before turning 24, citing it as a preventive measure.
The remarks were made during an addiction awareness programme organised by the KCBC Temperance Commission at Pala on Sunday.
His statements have drawn attention, especially as they came shortly after he spent four days in judicial custody in a hate speech case. That case, filed by the Muslim Youth League, alleged that his remarks in a television debate on January 5 were inflammatory and could incite religious hatred.
Mr. George had faced legal action for making similar remarks on earlier occasions too. In April 2022, he was booked for inflammatory statements at the Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelanam in Thiruvananthapuram. Later that year, another case was registered against him for a controversial speech in Kochi.
Published – March 11, 2025 07:24 pm IST