Cuttack, March 7: An abusive comment about India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in the visitors' book at the Netaji Birthplace Museum here has landed a central government employee in trouble.
The Congress today has demanded immediate arrest of one Pramod Ranjan Dey for using offensive language while referring to Nehru in the visitors' book.
Dey, who is a resident of Bhubaneswar, was on a trip to the museum yesterday. While making a remark in the visitors' book, Dey used offensive language about the former Prime Minister and blamed him for the plight of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
"Jawaharlal Nehru is a b*****d (the word is being withheld by The Telegraph) for whom Netaji did not get due recognition. Modi's government should declassify all the files related to the disappearance of Netaji. Jai Hind," goes the comment in the name of Pramod Ranjan Dey and Lopamudra Dey.
A controversy flared up when former Union environment and forest minister Jairam Ramesh spotted the abusive remark when he visited the museum around 4pm yesterday.
"A most inspiring visit, very well done," Ramesh wrote in the visitors' book. But the senior Congress leader was shocked to see the profane manner in which a visitor had referred to Nehru in the comment above his. This angered Ramesh, who reportedly hauled up the museum employees. Both Anil Kumar Beuria, inspector in charge of Darga Bazar police station where a complaint was lodged in this connection today, and museum curator J.P. Das confirmed the text of Dey's comment.
"A case has been registered under section 292 (A) of the IPC for use of indecent language," deputy commissioner of police Sanjiv Arora told The Telegraph.
If found guilty, the accused can face imprisonment up to five years and a fine of up to Rs 5,000.
Councillor of ward No. 18 Arun Kumar Sethi, who lodged the complaint, said: "Criminal proceeding against the person was sought after senior leader of our party (Jairam Ramesh) noticed the derogatory comment in the visitors' book and asked us to take up the matter."
"This is not just an insult to Pandit Nehru, but all freedom fighters," Cuttack City Congress president Mohd Moquim said.
"As it is a sensitive issue involving humiliation of a national icon, we have demanded arrest of the person within 48 hours," Moquim said.
"A case will be registered on the basis of the complaint. After seizure of the visitors' book at the museum investigation will start. But first the authenticity of the address and the person will be ascertained," assistant commissioner of police Sitaram Satpathy said.
Museum curator Das said: "There is very little we can do to prevent such objectionable comments in the visitor's book as no employee guards it."
"Normally, the visitors' book is taken up for scrutiny after office hours. Unfortunately, there was no scope for removing it as it was noticed during office hours by the former Union minister," Das said. When contacted over phone, Pramod Ranjan Dey, 35, said: "I did not mean to be disrespectful towards Jawaharlal Nehru. I whimsically wrote the comment on the spur of the moment after visiting the museum for the first time in my life. I now realise that I should not have written it. I apologise for the same".
"If I had any mischievous intent, I would not have left my address and cell phone number in the visitors' book," he said.
