Actor KRK arrested over 2020 tweets against Akshay, RGV; police say he targeted Bollywood

Kamal Rashid Khan, popularly known as, has been arrested over his 2020 tweets about Akshay Kumar and Ram Gopal Verma with city police claiming that his posts were communal and he targeted Bollywood personalities.

A magistrate's court on Tuesday remanded Khan in 14-day judicial custody and adjourned bail hearing to September 2.

Khan was arrested by police from the Mumbai airport late Monday night after he arrived from Dubai.

He was produced before additional chief metropolitan magistrate S P Kekan at Borivali court on Tuesday. 

Police sought his custody for four days, saying  they needed to find out at whose behest he was posting such tweets from a foreign country despite knowing that they might create communal tension.

Police also needed to ascertain if he was trying to extort money from filmmakers or stars for not posting negative reviews of movies, the remand application said.

Khan mainly targeted Bollywood artists and was trying to create unrest between two groups of society by posting inflammatory statements and tweets against influential persons, police alleged.

Khan's lawyers opposed the remand plea, contending that his tweets were not inflammatory.

The tweets were about actor Akshay Kumar and film-maker Ram Gopal Varma but they had not filed any complaint and the First Information Report was registered by another person, the lawyers said.

After the court sent Khan in judicial custody by rejecting the police's plea, his lawyers filed a bail application.

It said that the tweets in question were only Khan's comments on the film titled "Laxmii Bomb" (released as only "Laxmii)  and no offense as alleged by police was committed.

Khan is acting as a "critic and/or reporter in the film Industry", the bail plea said.

The court then adjourned the hearing on bail to September 2.

Khan's lawyers later said he was taken to Shatabdi Hospital in the city due to his health condition. He had  returned to India for heart treatment, they said.

As per the police, after the release of the trailer of  Laxmii Bomb in 2020, Khan made a comment against its lead actor  Akshay Kumar, which was communal in nature.

In the same year, reacting to a picture posted by Ram Gopal Varma on twitter, Khan allegedly made derogatory remarks, the complaint said.

The FIR was  registered against Khan in 2020 in the case under various Indian Penal Code sections including 153 (giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 500 (punishment for defamation) and provisions of the Information Technology Act. 

Khan had starred in the 2008 film "Deshdrohi", among others.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women said Khan had also made derogatory remarks about women on social media and the Maharashtra police should act against him.

"Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to @DGPMaharashtra to book him under relevant provisions for his comments on women. Action taken must be apprised to the Commission," the NCW said in a tweet during the day.