Police kept tabs on Swami Paripoornananda

Hyderabad: Sri Peetham pontiff Swami Paripoornananda, the founder of the Rashtriya Hindu Sena, was kept under house arrest in Jubilee Hills under Section 151 of the CrPC (arrest to prevent commission of cognizable offences) by the West Zone police since Monday.

The police had on Monday externed actor and film critic Kathi Mahesh for certain comments that allegedly hurt the sentiments of Hindus.

He was given a deadline of 24 hours to respond why he should not be externed him under the Telangana Prevention of Anti-Social and Hazardous Activities Act 1980.

“While the pontiff was given a showcause notice to explain his stand, Mahesh was not given any such opportunity. Paripoornananda refused to acknowledge notice, following which Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar directed the Jubilee Hills police to extern him,” an official said.

The externment was against the “spirit of democracy,” said Mr Mahesh, adding that the latest move of the police was not the solution for the problem. The police picked up several statements of the pontiff. In one, he alleged that the government was collecting surcharge from Hindus for visiting

Kasi or Rameswaram, while Christians and Muslims were being given subsidy to visit Mecca and Jerusalem on pilgrimage. In December last year, the seer had allegedly asked the gathering if they wanted ‘Chatrapathi Shivaji rule’ or ‘Nizam rule’.