Comments by Manavjeet Dhillon, Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, had angered the BJP yesterday.
Seeking to end a controversy that erupted yesterday, a Bihar police officer today said he "did not mean to compare" the Popular Front of India (PFI) with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the BJP, when describing the workings of an alleged terror module linked to the PFI.
Yesterday, while explaining how the group worked — specifically on how it tried to recruit members — Manavjeet Singh Dhillon, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Patna, had cited the RSS's methods. "Like there are shakhas and training for using lathis by the RSS, similarly, under the guise of physical education, the PFI were calling the youth to their centre and promoting their ideology and attempting to brainwash them," he had told reporters.
This angered the BJP, junior partner in the state's ruling alliance with the Janata Dal (United), with one leader even saying the SSP "has lost his mental balance". Chief Minister Nitish Kumar then asked top police officers to seek an explanation from SSP Dhillon within 48 hours.
Today, SSP Dhillon sought to clarify his statement at a press conference. He said the controversy was a result of "selective misinterpretation".
"I was merely answering a journalist's question about how the group operated. I explained that point as per the seized documents and the arrested men's recorded statements — these have been presented in court too — in which they have named an organisation when describing how they worked," he said.
"My intention was never to compare two organisations. It's a meaningless to say that I was doing any such thing," the officer added.
The officer's original statement had come during an interaction with the media about detection of a "potential terror module" with links to the PFI. Police said they arrested two men from Patna, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a visit on Tuesday.
Asked if the group's activities targeted the Prime Minister's visit in any way, SSP Dhillon had said: "There is no connection... It was just that due to increased vigilance during the visit, including more monitoring of social media, we came across the PFI activities. What we found was that they were spreading information that was against the unity and sovereignty of India."