Rakhi Sawant Apparently Escaping After Police Attempts Arrest over Valmiki Comments

New Delhi: Though reports on Tuesday evening said Bollywood actress Rakhi Sawant had been arrested by the Punjab police for allegedly making objectionable remarks against sage Valmiki, who is thought to have written the mythological Hindu epic Ramayana, the Punjab police has now said that the actress is absconding. “There is no confirmation on her arrest. A non-bailable warrant had been issued by Ludhiana court against Rakhi Sawant, Ludhiana police have gone to Mumbai,” Ludhiana commissioner of police Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh was quoted as saying. Sawant’s spokesperson, on the other hand, said Sawant had surrendered. 'Rakhi is with the police. She has surrendered,' spokesperson Parul Chawla told India Today. The warrant was issued by a Ludhiana court on March 9 on the basis of a complaint filed against Sawant for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Valmiki community with her comments made on a program on a private television channel last year, the police said. The case was filed by an advocate, Narinder Adiya, in July 2016, following which Sawant had been summoned by the court, but failed to make an appearance despite the court issuing repeated summons. Sawant’s allegedly controversial comments were in relation to the singer Mika Singh, accused in an assault case, who she said had had a transformation similar to Valmiki’s change – according to Indian mythology – from a robber to a sage. “By doing so she has hurt the religious sentiments of a large number of his followers,” the complaint said. In an interview with ANI, Sawant denied the charges and claimed she was being targeted because of her prominence in the film industry. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for April 10'