Allahabad University faculty booked over remarks on Hindu deities

PRAYAGRAJ: An assistant professor of Allahabad University was on Sunday booked for allegedly making objectionable remarks on lord Ram and Krishna. The action came Sunday evening at the joint complaint of Vishva Hindu Parishad, Hindu Jagran Manch, and Bajrang Dal.

The right wing groups in their complaint, filed at the Colonelganj police station, alleged that professor Vikram Harijan, a professor at the department of medieval and modern history, made the offensive remarks about the deities in a post on X. The FIR was lodged at the complaint of Shubham, a district convener of the VHP, police said.

Harijan was booked under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion), 295-A (deliberate and malicious act, intended to outrage religious feelings) and Section 66 of the IT Act. Professor Vikram Harijan in his post on X suggested that Lord Ram should be jailed under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and alleged that Lord Krishna is guilty of sexual harassment.

The remarks, the complainant said, made several students of the university angry and hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community. When Dr Vikram Harijan was asked about the matter, he said, "I have written this within the ambit of the Constitution. Lord Ram killed Shambhuk because Shambhuk belonged to the Shudra caste and was teaching the youths."

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He said Lord Krishna used to run away with women's clothes. "If this happened in today's time, would any woman have tolerated it?" VHP's Shubham said, "The Indian Constitution grants the freedom of speech, but individuals like Vikram Harijan are exploiting it to spread social unrest. They seem unaware that the Constitution does not permit making comments that may endanger the country's security and public order."