A Nagpur journalist Prashant Koratkar detained by Kolhapur police for making derogatory statements against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj which has caused enmity between two communities. The remarks were made during a threatening audio conversation with Kolhapur historian Indrajit Sawant.
Koratkar was detained by a team of Kolhapur police at the Mancherial railway station in Telangana at 2.45 p.m. on Monday, March 24. A Kolhapur court on March 18 rejected his anticipatory bail application and stated that custody was required for further investigation.
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The technical probe is required to find out, such as obtaining voice samples to confirm that it was he who dialled Sawant twice on the nights intervening Feb 24 and 25 and spoke for nearly six minutes. On Feb 25, Sawant registered a case against Koratkar at the Juna Rajwada police station, and a team was sent to Nagpur to arrest the journalist. However, he was not found.
On March 1, Kolhapur's court granted Koratkar interim relief from arrest, which the Kolhapur police later challenged.