COIMBATORE: Three

(VHP) cadres from the city were arrested on Wednesday for raising slogans against a community during the Vinayaka idol procession near Muthannankulam on September 6.

One of the arrested had posted the video of raising slogans during the procession on his Facebook page, which was noted by police. A case was registered against the three accused.

The arrested were identified as C Aravindsamy, 22, M Loganathan, 20, and K Sivasamy, 20, all from Ganapathy. Police booked the trio under sections 153 (B) (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (statements conducting to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code. They were produced before a judicial magistrate and later remanded in judicial custody. They were lodged at the Coimbatore central prison.

The VHP installed more than 150 Vinayaka idols across the city and the idols were taken to Muthannankulam for immersion on September 6. During the procession near Muthannankulam, a group of VHP cadres raised slogans against a community and Pakistan in connection with Jammu and Kashmir issue. Some of the VHP cadres had recorded the procession in their mobile phones and shared the videos among themselves.

A few social activists also shared the videos and questioned whether the intelligence officials and NIA would act against the cadres.

Meanwhile, one of the arrested men uploaded the video and shared it among his Facebook friends. RS Puram police sub-inspector Mohana Jothi saw the video and lodged a complaint with the RS Puram police on Wednesday. Based on his complaint, FIR was registered against the trio and they were arrested and remanded in judicial custody.

Before the idol immersion, city police officers strictly instructed Hindu outfits not to raise slogans against any community and promote enmity with other community people.