Nagpur: Nagpur Police, on Sunday, arrested Kunal Raut, the President of Maharashtra Youth Congress, for allegedly defacing a poster of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the city.

The incident occurred near the Zilla Parishad office in Nagpur on Saturday, according to an official from the Sadar Police Station. Kunal Raut, who is also the son of former state energy minister and Congress leader Nitin Raut, was involved in the alleged defacement.

The Youth Congress leader, along with a few others, purportedly used black paint to deface a poster of PM Modi, erasing 'Modi Sarkar' and replacing it with ‘Bharat Sarkar.’

However, a Congress leader contended that Raut's arrest was 'abrupt.' He claimed that a notice was sent to the Youth Congress leader via WhatsApp under Section 41-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) on Sunday, directing him to appear before the police at noon on Monday. Contrary to this notice, Raut was taken into custody on Sunday itself, the Congress leader added.

Speaking exclusively to Republic about Kunal Raut's arrest, Abhishek Dhawad, Spokesperson for Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress (MPYC), said, "MPYC stands with our President, and it needs to be understood that BJP or any individual cannot be greater than our country. The Government of India does not belong to a particular individual. The Prime Minister should not use the government’s funds for his personal advertising and marketing."