Sangram Patil, a British national of Indian origin, remains stuck in India after a look-out circular (LOC) was issued against him on 10 January upon a complaint filed by BJP IT-Cell over a controversial Facebook post. With court hearing scheduled for 27 February, all eyes are on the UK-based doctor, who is a native of Jalgaon. The doctor-YouTuber found himself in trouble after a criminal case was registered against him for criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media.
It has been more than a month that the British doctor, who works with United Kingdom’s NHS, has been unable to leave India. In an interview with BBC Marathi last week, he said, “My children and my job are in the UK. International law and Indian law give me the right to move freely. Restrictions have been imposed on that. I am not able to go home.”
The issue of his detention first surfaced on 10 January when he landed at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) with his wife. He was frisked and detained at for allegedly posting “objectionable content.” Later, on 19 January, he was stopped from taking a flight back to Manchester from Mumbai.
Being “unnecessarily targeted,’ says Sangram Patil
Sangram Patil, who has over 4.73 lakh subscribers on YouTube, claims that he is being “unnecessarily targeted despite co-operating with the investigating agencies.” He rejected the allegations and called it “unlawful.” According to court filings cited by The Indian ExpressPatil “categorically denied” writing any post naming or referring to the prime minister. adding that “criminal prosecution cannot be founded on subjective political interpretation or perceived sentiment”.
The FIR registered on 18 December at NM Joshi Marg police station, four days after Patil reportedly posted a comment on Facebook, accuses Patil of sharing content that “could create hostility between various groups that support and oppose the BJP’s ideology”. The complainant named Nikhil Bhamre is a social media coordinator of the Maharashtra BJP.
Describing the post, Patil said, “My post is a simple question to government supporters and nothing else. It doesn’t involve any community, any rumor or sensational news,” BBC Marathi reported. According to Patil, he questioned twice, first on 10 January then again on 16 January for over eight hours.
In an affidavit filed on 30 January, police urged the court to dismiss Patil’s “misconceived and premature” plea challenging the investigation.
Defending police action in the case, the affidavit added, “It is a matter of serious concern, warranting investigation as to why a foreign citizen, despite being a qualified medical professional, visiting India on a Tourist e-Visa, has engaged in posting defamatory, scandalous, obscene and inflammatory material without any substance and basis against the prime minister of India while residing outside the country.”
