Gaurav Pandhi Detained Over ‘Derogatory’ PM Modi Post

• Congress leader Gaurav Pandhi detained by Delhi Police Special Cell.
• Action linked to an allegedly derogatory post about PM Modi.
• Pandhi questioned at the Special Cell’s Sadiq Nagar office.
• Congress leader says he will seek the FIR through court.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 8th Oct: The Delhi Police Special Cell detained All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Gaurav Pandhi on Tuesday evening over an allegedly “derogatory” social media post about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the Congress leader saying he was questioned until Wednesday morning.

Pandhi, who heads a specialised coordinator team in Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s office, said the incident took place amid a major Opposition protest in Delhi led by Rahul Gandhi.

According to Pandhi, a team of seven to eight Special Cell officers intercepted his vehicle in Central Delhi around 7.30 pm on Tuesday as he was about to get out of his car. The officers, he said, identified themselves and told him he was required to join them for questioning.

Pandhi said he was taken to the Special Cell office in Sadiq Nagar, where he remained until around 11 am on Wednesday.

A senior police officer said the action was connected to a post Pandhi had published on August 31, which police described as obscene and derogatory towards the Prime Minister. The officer said the Special Cell of the New Delhi Range registered an FIR after taking cognisance of the post.

Pandhi’s post used an analogy involving an older uncle holding a child’s hand tightly despite the child trying to pull away. The post remains online.

Pandhi said the police notice specifically instructed him not to change, delete or tamper with the post. He also alleged that officers seized two mobile phones and a tablet containing his work-related information and asked him to share their passwords.

The Congress leader further alleged that investigators questioned him about who had asked him to publish the post, whether he had shared it with anyone and whether he had asked any social media page or individual to amplify it.

The questioning also touched upon Tuesday’s Opposition protest, Pandhi said. Several Opposition MPs led by Rahul Gandhi had marched towards the Election Commission of India office and later staged a sit-in at Akashwani Bhawan while seeking a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Pandhi said the officers asked whether the protesters were attempting to create unrest, but clarified that his detention itself was not related to the protest.

He also alleged that the police had not provided him with a copy of the FIR. Pandhi said his legal team would approach the court to obtain the document.

Questioning the involvement of the Special Cell, Pandhi said the unit was created to handle serious matters such as terrorism, counterfeit currency, narcotics and organised crime. He argued that its involvement in a political social media post raised questions about the space available for political expression.

The police, however, maintain that the action was taken over the allegedly obscene and derogatory content of the post.