Congress calls Veer Savarkar ‘traitor’: Mumbai Court orders probe against Rahul and Sonia

A Mumbai court has ordered the police to probe into a complaint of defamation against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi and the party for calling Veer Savarkar a “traitor”. The complaint, filed by Ranjit Savarkar, grandson of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in Bhoiwada Magistrate’s Court, named Rahul Gandhi, his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and the Congress party for defaming great nationalist and freedom fighter V D Savarkar on Twitter in 2016.

“On March 5, 22 and 23, 2016, the official Twitter account of the Congress….published four tweets in pictorial forms, along with comments, calling Savarkar a traitor,” the complaint said.

The tweets also stated that Savarkar had begged for mercy from the British government (when he was lodged in Cellular Jail in Andaman) and he wanted to be a slave of the British Raj, the complaint alleged.

Rahul Gandhi and his party, thus, tried to “lower the moral and intellectual character” of the freedom fighter, Ranjit Savarkar said in the complaint.

The court, in order on July 9, directed Shivaji Park police station to conduct an inquiry and submit a report. “Concerned police station to conduct inquiry under section 202 of CrPC and submit report,” the court said.