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Chandigarh: The Karnal Police have arrested Youth Congress district president Rajat Lather and his associate Ashok Kumar for allegedly spraying black paint on posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. A district court granted bail to both on Saturday. A video of the incident — recorded late Thursday night at the Karnal bus stand — went viral on social media, showing the two men applying black ink on the posters. The clip prompted BJP leaders to file a complaint, following which the police arrested both Congress workers.
Karnal Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia said the duo had been booked under Section 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 3A of the Haryana Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1989, and Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
Political Reactions and War of Words
The act sparked strong reactions across political lines.
Karnal MLA Jagmohan Anand condemned the incident, calling it “an act of frustration, not democratic dissent.” He said defacing posters of the PM and CM amounted to “unacceptable disrespect” and warranted legal action.
The Congress, however, termed the arrests “politically motivated”. “Everyone has their own way of protesting, and our colleagues expressed their dissent in their own manner. But arresting them like hardened criminals was unnecessary,” said Parag Gaba, Congress urban district president. He added that while the party respected the law, “the manner of arrest raises questions.”
‘Wrong Sections, No Due Process’: Defence Counsel
Rajat Lather’s counsel said the case had been “wrongly framed” from the beginning.
“The Sections imposed are incorrect, and more importantly, the police made the arrests without following due procedure. They had no proper documents and did not clearly state the grounds of arrest. The court noted these lapses, which is why bail was granted,” the counsel said. Congress leader Inderpal Singh also alleged that the police action was politically motivated.
