National

Five arrested for putting Bin Laden on advertisement

KANPUR: Five employees of the local branch of an insurance company have been arrested for putting up posters of terrorist Osama bin Laden to advertise a new scheme, police said on Wednesday.

The employees of ICICI Prudiential Life Insurance Company, in a bid to launch a new policy of the company named ``Mission Jehad'', had pasted posters of Laden and put up green flags at their office at Mall Road here, they said.

Inflammatory slogans

They had also exhibited hand-bills with inflammatory slogans saying ``Dear terrorist naya farman jaari (new order has been issued), ten maro milton ke saath branded shirt lejao (get a branded shirt with Milton after completing ten insurances) and ``Be best terrorist in the group win Reebock shoes''.

After a group of BJP activists raised a protest against the posters, the company employees tried to burn them down to avoid arrest, they said.

Police later took five of them into custody, including the branch head Sanjeev Bhatia on charges of breach of peace and anti-national activity.

Condemning the act and expressing regret, the ICICI Prudential said in a statement here it was an internal sales promotion activity adopted by its Kanpur team for which it had chosen an ``inappropriate'' theme.

It said the company had initiated an investigation into the matter and assured appropriate action against those involved. -- PTI

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