On 26 January 2016, while India was celebrating her Republic Day, Manjunath Mudugal, an ITI student from Koppala (Karnataka) was arrested for allegedly posting derogatory comments about Tipu Sultan on Facebook
As reported by India Today, the incident was highlighted to the police by a few local residents and he was asked to remove all “controversial” pictures from his Facebook account.
A few days back, when Kiku Sharda was arrested for mimicking Gurmeet Ram Rahim, people ensured that their angry voices reached governments and lawmakers. The outrage went beyond social media to news headlines and TV debates. Even in 2012, when girls from Palghar, Maharashtra were arrested for an ‘offensive’ Facebook post on Bal Thackeray, the news escalated as an abuse of power. However, the media is apathetic towards Manjunath Mudugal for a similar case.
It is noteworthy that the champions of “Freedom of Speech” have decided to ignore this news to such an extent that it could hardly be read on any of the national newspapers or twitter timelines of mainstream media journalists.
The Hindu has written 2 small lines for the incidence, stating, “The police said Manjunath Mudugal, an ITI student, was held for attempting to disturb communal harmony by sharing objectionable pictures.”
