The Bhiwandi police had detained a 16-year-old boy for his objectionable Facebook post against Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, after a complaint was filed against him.
According to Thane police, an FIR was registered on charges of outraging the religious feelings of others and creating enmity between different communities following a complaint filed by a Bhiwandi resident along with some Bajrang Dal members. The minor boy was later taken into custody.
DCP (Zone II) Navnath Dhavle said, “Based on a complaint that somebody had put a post on Instagram that was defamatory to Shivaji Maharaj, we registered an FIR at the Shanti Nagar Police Station in Bhiwandi. After the probe, we found that the post had been uploaded on Instagram by a minor following which we took him into custody and as per law was sent to Bhiwandi Children’s Home.”
According to the police, the complaint was filed lodged by one Uday Pawar, an auto-rickshaw driver and data entry operator from Bhiwandi. Pawar said in his complaint that he had come across a post on Instagram which hurt his feelings. He then approached the local Bajrang Dal activists and they together went to the Shanti Nagar Police Station where the FIR was registered based on the complaint.
The Background of the Controversy
A minor boy, who identifies himself as a ‘video creator’ on Instagram, published a story denigrating Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja and eulogising tyrant Tipu Sultan.
In his Instagram story, the accused claimed, “Shivaji ka baap hai Tipu Sultan or Shivaji chu*iya.” He further claimed that the tyrant is the father of India, the Marathas and the Muslim community.
“The king of the Mughal empire…The king of Hindu…Isko bolte baap,” the accused added in his Instagram post. Hindu rights activist, Trupti Garg, took cognisance of the matter and sought intervention from the Mumbai police.
It must be mentioned that a popular Twitter handle ‘The Random Indian’ ran extensive campaigns on Instagram and Telegram to bring the matter to the attention of the concerned authorities.
Meanwhile, a police complaint was filed by a functionary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal.
Following the complaint, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered in connection to the case. The accused was then detained and taken into police custody.