MUMBAI: Dr Sangram Patil, a British national who hails from Maharashtra's Jalgaon, was detained at Mumbai International Airport on Saturday in connection with his social media post against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
The move was sharply criticised by many on social media. Officials said Patil, along with his wife, was questioned and subsequently released after a preliminary inquiry. Dr Patil and his wife, who is also a doctor, have been settled in London for several years.
The action was based on a defamation case filed on the complaint of BJP media cell functionary Nikhil Bhamre, who has alleged that Patil made derogatory remarks against the party and its leaders.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Patil slammed the BJP-led government for arresting Dr Sangram Patil while rewarding the rapist of the Badalapur minor rape case, Tushar Apte. He alleged that Maharashtra is a democratic state, but its Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' conduct is "completely autocratic".
"We condemn this arrest in the strongest words. We demand why BJP and its leaders are intolerant of criticism against them. In a democracy, each citizen has the right to find loopholes and criticise the government and the leaders who are in power," Sapkal said.