Hindu religious leader held for insulting Gandhi in India

By ASHOK SHARMA
Associated Press

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian police have arrested a Hindu religious leader for allegedly making a derogatory speech against India’s independence leader Mohandas Gandhi and praising his assassin. Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead by a Hindu extremist during a prayer meeting in the Indian capital in 1948, because he was considered sympathetic toward Muslims during the partition of the subcontinent in 1947. The suspect was arrested in central Madhya Pradesh state and faces up to five years in prison if convicted. Attacks by Hindu hard-liners against Muslims and other minorities have intensified after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014. The opposition is also demanding the arrest of several Hindu religious leaders for making highly provocative speeches against Muslims at a closed-door meeting.