Kunal Raut arrested for defacing PM Modi’s poster

Staff Reporter

Sadar police arrested Kunal Raut, President of Maharashtra Youth Congress and son of former State Minister and Congress MLA Dr Nitin Raut, on Sunday from Kuhi. The arrest was made in connection with the defacement of a poster of Prime Minister Narendra Modi near the Zilla Parishad office. According to Sadar Police, the incident took place on Saturday when Raut, alongside other Congress leaders, vandalised a poster of Prime Minister Narendra Modi near Zilla Parishad in Civil Lines. “They not only erased the inscription ‘Modi Sarkar’ but also added ‘Bharat Sarkar’ to the poster. The act involved defacing the picture with black paint,” said a Sadar police official.

A case has been registered against Raut under Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Section 3 of the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, and Section 427 of the Indian Penal Code. The Sadar police team arrested Raut in Kuhi town on Sunday afternoon. Local Congress leaders reportedly protested the arrest and raised slogans. Raut was transported to Nagpur, where he underwent a medical check-up, according to the police.

Contrary to police statements, a Congress leader asserted that a notice was issued on February 4 under Section 41-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) via WhatsApp which instructed Kunal Raut and others to appear for investigation on February 5 at 12 pm. However, Raut was apprehended abruptly by the police, the leader claimed. Raut will be produced before the Court on Monday.