Saharanpur: Congress Lok Sabha candidate Imran Masood was on Saturday arrested on charges of hate speech in which he threatened to “chop” Narendra Modi “into pieces”, remarks that led to an FIR being filed against him by police besides sparking an outrage.

Mr. Masood was arrested in the early hours, police said.

Congress had distanced itself from the remarks by Mr. Masood, who is contesting from Saharanpur, saying it abjures violence whether of language or otherwise while BJP had condemned it as inflammatory and dragged Congress president Sonia Gandhi into the controversy.

“If Modi tries to make Uttar Pradesh into Gujarat, then we will chop him into tiny pieces…I am not scared of getting killed or attacking someone. I will fight against Modi. He thinks U.P. is Gujarat. Only 4 per cent Muslims are there in Gujarat while there are 42 per cent Muslims in U.P.,” he had said.

However, he later apologised for his remarks, saying, “I should have been more cautious with my words” and that the same were said in the heat of electioneering.

U.P. Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Amrendra Sengar said an FIR has been registered against Mr. Masood at Deoband police station of Saharanpur.

Mr. Sengar told reporters in Lucknow that the Congress nominee has been booked under section 125 (promoting enmity between classes in connection with election) of the Representation Of The People Act, and various IPC sections.