South Tura candidate John Leslee K Sangma gets Election Commission notice for 'hate speech'

The Election Commission has sent a show cause notice to John Leslee K Sangma, an independent candidate in Meghalaya who is contesting in the South Tura by-elections, for alleged hate speech he made during campaigning.

John Leslee was given the notice by returning officer SB Marak on Saturday, and he has been asked to file a reply by Monday noon. The bye-polls will be conducted on August 23.

Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma is contesting the seat after he resigned his membership of the Lok Sabha. The complaint has been filed by a party worker of Conrad's party, National People's Party (NPP).

NPP general secretary Mathian N Marak had filed a complaint against Sangma on August 9 for comments he had made against former Lok Sabha MP Agatha Sangma, and her deceased father, former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma during a campaign in Nikrang Ading in Tura.

Marak had alleged that during the speech, John had made inflammatory statements and had "hurt the sentiments" of the people by alluding that PA Sangma had converted to Hinduism while showing a video where he was shown visiting a mandir and given a 'tika'. Marak alleged that the speech could lead to communal strife in the Christian majority state.