Headmaster arrested in Chhattisgarh for administering ‘oath against Hindu deities’

A government schoolteacher in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district has been arrested on charges of hurting religious sentiments for allegedly asking people to follow Buddhism and not to worship Hindu deities, The Hindu reported.

Ratalal Sarovar, 60, administered the pledge to a gathering of 15 residents of a village under Ratanpur police station limits on January 22, the day when the Ram temple in Ayodhya was consecrated.

Bajrang Dal member Rupesh Shukla filed the police complaint after a video of the event was shared on social media.

In his complaint, Shukla said that Sarovar’s actions have hurt the sentiments of the followers of Sanatan Dharma, a term some people use as a synonym for Hinduism. The complaint highlights that the incident took place on the day of the inauguration of the Ram temple.

The police arrested Sarovar on Sunday after filing the first information report on charges of promoting enmity between different religious groups and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.

Sarovar’s family has said that the pledge was part of the 22 oaths prescribed by Bhimrao Ambedkar, adding that the issue has been blown out of proportion.

“My father was only reiterating the pledge at a community event, and those who joined did so of their own free will,” Ratalal Sarovar’s son Manoj Sarovar told...

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