BJP removes Haryana IT cell chief after his old tweet on Islam goes viral

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday removed its Haryana IT cell incharge amid calls for his arrest over a five-year-old controversial tweet involving Prophet Mohammed and Islam, reported news agency PTI. According to a statement issued by Haryana BJP secretary Gulshan Bhatia, party's state unit chief O P Dhankar removed Arun Yadav with immediate effect. But the statement didn't mention the reason behind Yadav's removal.

Yadav's tweet that went viral on social media dates back to 2017. While no complaint has been filed against the BJP fuctionary, there has been growing calls on social media for his arrest. #ArrestArunYadav was one of the top trends on Twitter with over 1.3 lakh tweets on the microblogging platform."The BJP has sacked yet another 'fringe element'. But instead of this eyewash, will these 'hate minions' be arrested?" Youth Congress chief Srinivas BV tweeted.Many compared Yadav's tweet with that of Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair and the constrasting treatment they have received."Hello @DGPHaryana @DelhiPolice If Zubair can be arrested for his 2018 tweet, then why not Arun yadav ?" tweeted Shaikh Sadeque, president of the Tipu Sultan Party.