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NRI booked for remarks on Indian Dera leader
The FIR alleged that NRI Pawan Mehmi’s comments affected the religious sentiments of the entire Ravidasia community.
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Rwittika Chakraborty
- Tue, 09, Dec 2025
- 01:53 EST
- 18
Representative image / Pexels
NRI Ambedkarite Pawan Mehmi was arrested by Jalandhar rural police on the night of Dec. 7 after being accused of hurting religious sentiments with his offensive remarks against the head of Dera Sachkhand Ballan. Dera is a religious social organisation with mission of spreading the teachings of Ravidas and advancing public education and healthcare in India.
Dera Ballan head Sant Niranjan Dass, along with BJP leaders, had recently extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 650th anniversary of Guru Ravidas.
Complainant Amit Jassi, also known as Jassi Talhan and president of the Guru Ravidas Tiger Force, claimed that Mehmi wrote objectionable remarks on Facebook against Niranjan Dass, Akhil Bhartiya Ravidasia Dharam Sangathan vice president Sant Mandeep Dass, and trustees of Dera Ballan, while sharing their photograph from a Dec. 4 meeting with Modi to invite him for the Guru Ravidas anniversary.
The FIR mentioned two such remarks, with Talhan alleging that these comments affected the religious sentiments of the entire Ravidasia community.
The case was registered under Section 298 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita at Patara police station, followed by Mehmi’s arrest from his residence in the Prem Pura locality of Phagwara.
Mehmi, who is settled in Spain, was produced in a local court on Dec. 8, where he was released on bail.
This incident is not the first time Mehmi has been apprehended for writing against Dalit Dera heads despite belonging to the same Ravidasia/Ad-dharmi community as Dera Ballan.
In March 2019, an FIR was also filed against him under Section 295A of the IPC at the same police station by the same complainant for a song sung by Jiwan Mehmi. The song, penned by Pawan, was reportedly against deras and hurt the religious sentiments of many. He was declared a proclaimed offender in that case while he was in Spain and was later arrested in November 2022.
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