NEW DELHI — A British doctor has been unable to leave India for more than a month after police opened a case against him over a social media post about a top politician of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), BBC reported on Friday.Sangram Patil, who is of Indian origin and works with the NHS, was stopped from taking a flight back to London from Mumbai on 19 January after a lookout circular was issued against him, which prevents a person under investigation from leaving the country.Patil, who has a substantial following on Facebook and YouTube, has called the action against him “unlawful”.It’s not clear when the doctor will be allowed to go back to the UK. He has approached a court, seeking the police case registered against him be dropped and travel restrictions imposed on him be removed. The matter is due to be next heard on 27 February.”My children and my job are in the UK. International law and Indian law give me the right to move freely. Restrictions have been imposed on that. I am not able to go home,” he told BBC last week.A spokesperson from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office did not offer specifics but said last week that they “are supporting a British man in India and are in contact with the local authorities”.Police say they are investigating Patil over a complaint filed by Nikhil Bhamre, who handles BJP’s social media in the western state of Maharashtra of which Mumbai is the capital.Bhamre’s complaint, registered on 18 December, accuses Patil of publishing “objectionable content” against a top BJP leader on Facebook. The complaint did not name the BJP leader who was targeted, but it came four days after Patil had posted a comment about Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Facebook.Police registered a case against Patil under India’s criminal code “for making statements containing false information that could lead to a feeling of enmity and hatred between communities”. The offence is bailable and carries a maximum sentence of up to three years.Patil has rejected the allegations, saying it was “unlawful to register such a complaint against me for that social media post”.”My post is a simple question to government supporters and nothing else. It doesn’t involve any community, any rumour or sensational news,” Patil said. — Agencies
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