On Monday, popular social media user Sameet Thakkar has been remanded to judicial custody. He has been re-arrested and sent to judicial custody by a local court in Girgaon. The development was confirmed on Twitter by his sister Sneha Singhvi.
Singhvi tweeted, “Hearing is over. Sameet Thakkar has been re-arrested for making the grave mistake of tweeting (against the Maharashtra CM and his son)…Earlier, he was kept in police custody and now sent to judicial custody.” Multiple FIRs have been registered against Thakkar in Nagpur and Mumbai for his remarks where he has allegedly referred to the Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray as “baby penguin”.
Activist Sunaina Holey had tweeted that Thakkar was re-arrested by BKC Police.
हियरिंग पूरी हो चुकी है और ट्वीट करने का जघन्य अपराध करने वाले @thakkar_sameet को फिर से अरेस्ट कर लिया गया है।
— Sneha Singhvi (@snehasneha173) November 9, 2020
पिछले दिनों ,वो पुलिस कस्टडी में था, अब ज्यूडिशियल कस्टडी में है। https://t.co/S2kX2wTxNo
Earlier, the Mumbai Police rearrested Sameet Thakkar from the court premises after a Nagpur court granted him bail. “After being in police custody for 7 days, my brother(Sameet) was granted bail by the Nagpur Court today. However, just after he got bail, he was once again arrested. This time by Mumbai VP Road Police who are now taking him to Mumbai in Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express,” Smaaet’s brother Rishi had stated.
Sameet Thakkar tied with a rope, his face covered in black cloth
Earlier last week, an unsettling video of Sameet with his hands being tied with a rope and his face covered with a black cloth, led by police officials had surfaced on the internet. The video was from October 30, when Sameet was being taken to the court which extended his police custody till November 2. In the video, it could be seen that a man with a black cloth wrapped around his head was being led by a man with a rope. The video was captured from a distance and there are policemen clearly visible. Sneha Singhvi, the person who shared the video on Twitter, confirmed to us that the man with a black face cover was indeed Sameet Thakkar.
Sameet’s brother Rishi Thakkar had then reacted that it was gross “human rights’ violation by police as his brother’s hands were tied & face was covered with black cloth when he was brought to court. Rishi Thakkar also added that his brother was being treated like a hardened criminal. He further told ANI, “My brother is paying the price of calling Maharashtra CM a modern-day Aurangzeb & his son, a baby penguin – the terms coined by NCP leaders who are currently in govt with them”.
