Barun Kashyap: I am not anti-Hindu, I stick by my statement

The Mumbai man who was jailed on charges of filing a false complaint that an autorickshaw driver threatened him for using a leather bag has denied reports that he made the whole incident up because he hated Hindus.

Barun Kashyap, 24, was released on bail from Arthur Road jail on Friday and told HT he was horrified to read a news report attributed to unnamed police sources that said he had confessed that he hated Hindus and that was why he cooked up the story of harassment by a gau rakshak. “I have never uttered anything like this. It is very provocative. It will ruin my image. The police are trying to malign me. I fasted for nine days (during Navratri) while in police custody and in judicial custody,” Kashyap said.

“I got out from jail on Friday and read the newspaper report that I am anti-Hindu. I am a born Hindu and I felt it was disturbing and ridiculous. I condemn this,” Kashyap said.

AAP member Preeti Sharma Menon, who has taken been helping Kashyap fight his case, alleged, the whole case against Kashyap had been cooked up by a police officer to win brownie points in the eyes of the ruling party.

Senior police inspector of Amboli police station Bharat Gaikwad said, “Kashyap has been given bail on a surety of Rs15,000. He will have to be present when the investigating officer of the case requires him for probe.”

The whole case started with Kashyap’s Facebook post that when he was in an auto on August 19, the driver asked him why his bag was smelling and if it was made of cowhide. Kashyap wrote he said it was made of camelskin but that the driver drove him to a temple and spoke to two men there and they examined the bag and threatened him.

The Amboli police registered a case and started investigation. The police claim that Kashyap accepted during interrogation that he had cooked up the entire incident. The police said Kashyap claimed in his post that he left his home at 11am, but that they found from CCTV footage that he left home at 1pm. Police also claimed to have CCTV footage that showed the auto took on detyour and that Kashyap reached office in nine minutes. He was jailed on charges of filing a false complaint.

Kashyap said, “I stick by my statement. My intention was not wrong. As a common man I thought if not today then tomorrow, they may target me. Hence, I approached the police with a complaint. I will resume work from tomorrow. Everyone from my society and people in office have been very supportive.” He works as creative head at a production house.