Indian lawmaker arrested for criticising Modi
A state lawmaker in India was arrested in a tweet by officials for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raising concerns over freedom of speech in the world's largest democracy.
His arrest came on the day of the arrival of British prime minister Boris Johnson in the country.
Jignesh Mevani, a prominent campaigner for India's marginalised low-caste Dalit community, accused the Hindu nationalist leader of idolising Nathuram Godse, the assassin of India's independence icon Mahatma Gandhi.
Some fringes of the Indian right revere Godse as a hero for killing the man they blame for the partition of India and Pakistan, saying that Modi himself has criticised in the past.
Mevani wrote earlier this week that Modi worships God and considers him as God accusing the prime minister of fomenting religious division.
He has also demanded that Modi apologise for communal violence in Gujarat, where Mevani is a member of the state legislature.
He was arrested on Thursday on charges of attempting to disturb public tranquillity and peace, the police told AFP.
He was taken across the country to Assam in India's north-east, where the complaint had been filed, and a court in Kokrajhar denied him bail, ordering him to be held in custody for three days.
The arrest of Mevani's lawyers called it illegal and unconstitutional and took down by Twitter in India after a legal complaint.
The Indian police have previously arrested social media users for provocative tweets critical of Modi or the right-wing government, sparking fears that the government was crushing dissent.
Mevani is believed to be the first elected politician to be held on such grounds.
The activist-politician is a vocal critic of Modi's right-wing politics and rose to national prominence after launching a protest against the flogging of seven Dalits by cow vigilantes zealots who target Muslims and Dalits to protect the bovines sacred to many Hindus.
Since Modi came to power in 2014, sectarian violence and right-wing Hindu vigilantism have increased, and critics allege that the popular leader's reluctance to condemn radical elements is emboldening them.
More than a dozen Indian states have witnessed violent clashes between Muslims and Hindus over the past two weeks, with one person killed in Gujarat.
In the capital, Delhi, bulldozers have been sent in to demolish the homes of Muslims accused of rioting.