Rourkela youth arrested for Facebook post: Has India become a Totalitarian State?
Another Indian youth has been arrested for his post on Facebook. He had posted an illustration which was found to be objectionable. And that was enough to arrest him!
Pintu Sahu was taken to custody by Brahmanitarang police on Friday for posting an objectionable picture in his Facebook account, they said. The picture showed “Lord Hanuman sitting atop a mosque” and the picture was posted on December 6, the day the Babri mosque was demolished, they said. As tension was brewing among the community over the controversial picture, the police took Pintu into custody. “We got the smell of tension. Three software specialists were pressed into service to find out the source of the controversial picture. Finally, Pintu Sahu’s account was located,” informed the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Rourkela SS Sethi.
Sahu was picked up and arrested, Sethi said adding that he had been booked under the provisions of IT Act besides section 153(A), 295(A) and 298 of IPC for fomenting enmity between two communities and disturbing the peaceful atmosphere of the society. (link)
Given how earlier incidents have happened recently, this is very disturbing when taken in that context. Is India becoming a totalitarian state, where police and administration can come and arrest anyone for social media posting because “someone” found it objectionable?
This kind of law can take any form or shape and is an open invitation a dictator to emerge and smother every protest from the public!
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