Left-oriented student wing, All India Students Association, (AISA) on Saturday staged a protest outside Delhi University's Arts Faculty against the arrest of Hindu College associate professor Ratan Lal on Friday night. Following the protest, there was a heavy deployment of police. Apart from the district police, four companies from an outside force, including women personnel, were put in place during the protest, police said. The student activists held placards that read “Stop attack on our teachers", "Stop curbing democratic voices" and "Release professor Ratan Lal". Lal was arrested on Friday night and granted bail on Saturday by a Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Tis Hazari court.
An First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against Lal on Tuesday night based on a complaint filed by a Delhi-based lawyer.
In his complaint, advocate Vineet Jindal said Lal had recently shared "derogatory, inciting and provoking tweets on the Shivling".“The statement made by Lal on his Twitter account is instigating and provoking.
The statement (of Lal) was posted on the issue of shivling found at the Gyanvapi mosque complex which is very sensitive in nature and the matter is pending before the court, he said in his complaint.
According to Delhi police, the accused had allegedly posted a photo of the structure and made objectionable comments on Tuesday.
Lal was arrested on Friday night under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate act to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Lal, associate professor at Delhi University’s Hindu College, had earlier said he had simply posed a question as a student of history. “People can be hurt by anything. Academic discourse cannot be sidelined on account of perceived hurt. I had asked a simple question to enquire if the so-called shivling was broken or cut.
Mullahs and Pandits don’t need to comment on it. An art historian should answer this question,” said Lal.