MP: Police at Kamal Nath's residence based on FIR by BJP candidate

Around the same time that officials from the Election Commission of India's (ECI) flying squad conducted a search in a helicopter carrying Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in Tamil Nadu on Monday, a Madhya Pradesh police unit arrived at the residence of former chief minister Kamal Nath in Chhindwara following the registration of an FIR against his assistant.

The MP police stated that an FIR (first information report) had been filed against Kamal Nath’s personal assistant R.K. Miglani for allegedly conspiring to circulate a fake video about the BJP's Chhindwara candidate Vivek 'Bunty' Sahu.

The police action against Kamal Nath just three days before the polls has raised concerns regarding the integrity of the forthcoming elections. Chhindwara is scheduled to vote on 19 April.

Notably, Sahu had earlier contested against Nath in the Assembly polls and lost.

As per the FIR, Miglani and a local reporter conspired to circulate a fake obscene video of Sahu. The police, however, did not disclose much about the case.

"It was a routine visit regarding a complaint received recently," said Kotwali police station in-charge Umesh Golhani, soon after police officers in half-a-dozen vehicles reached Kamal Nath’s Shikarpur residence.

"R.K. Miglani lured a TV journalist named Sachin Gupta and asked him to circulate an obscene fake video of mine on social media. After receiving this information, I filed the complaint at Kotwali police station with proof regarding my complaint," Sahu stated.

A police officer confirmed that an FIR had been registered against Miglani under the Information Technology Act and sections 120b (conspiracy), 500 (criminal defamation), and disobeying a public servant’s order of the Indian Penal Code.

Chhindwara has been Kamal Nath’s stronghold since 1980, when the nine-time Lok Sabha MP won his first Parliamentary election from the constituency. His son Nakul Nath was elected from the seat in 2019 and is now pitted against Sahu.

Kamal Nath has not commented on Monday’s development. However, around the time that the police officers were at his Shikarpur residence, the Congress leader cited a raid by police and excise officials on Sunday at the house of Congress legislator Nilesh Uike to attack the BJP government. Uike represents the Pandhurna Assembly segment, one of the seven that constitute the Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency.

In a post in Hindi on X, Kamal Nath wrote: "The BJP is continuously trying to put pressure on Congress leaders and those who don’t fall in line are raided and face action. There was a similar attempt to pressure Nilesh Uike, but he didn’t bend, so he was raided… I appeal to party workers that they should not be afraid of this harassment… The people of Chhindwara will not tolerate such atrocities. I am not just hopeful, but confident that in the end, truth will prevail".

Uike said the BJP was misusing the administration and mounting pressure because it was losing from Chhindwara.

Congress MP president Jitu Patwari said, "This action was an example of misuse of power and dictatorship of the BJP-led state government. This is being done to win the election but they won’t win this time."