New Delhi: A Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader in Tamil Nadu, Muthuvel, has allegedly extorting money from a parish priest in Ariyalur district by threatening to ruin his reputation. He has been arrest, The News Minute reported.
Dominic Savio, the parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes in Ariyalur, said in his police complaint that Muthuvel demanded Rs 25 lakh from Savio and said he would otherwise claim that the priest had been harassing schoolchildren. An FIR has been registered Indian Penal Code Sections 153 (provocation with the intent to cause riot), 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth), 298 (uttering words to hurt religious sentiments of any person), 389 (putting a person in fear of accusation to commit extortion), 504 (intentional insult to breach pace), 505 (i) (b) (intent to cause fear or alarm or fear to the public), and 505 (i) (c) (incite a community to commit an offence).
Muthuvel, according to The New Minute, was instrumental in politicising the suicide of a schoolgirl in the state, pushing her to allege that her school tried to convert her to Christianity. In her statement to the magistrate, the girl hadn’t made any reference to conversion.
Savio’s police complaint says that he was approached by a man named Vinodh six months ago, who claimed he had a recorded conversation between himself and Muthuvel. “In the recording, Muthuvel is heard speaking about a suicide case of a student in Thanjavur and planning to launch a campaign against Savio for harassing students,” TNM reported.
The website reported that Peter Alphonse, the Tamil Nadu Minorities Commission chairman, has said this is not an isolated incident. “This is their [VHP’s] modus operandi. Not only schools but there have also been many such instances where right-wing groups threaten and extort money daily. The police should carry out a thorough probe into this matter,” Alphonse said.