Maharashtra: 17-year-old held for offensive remarks on Shivaji

Cops, who were initially hesitant to register the complaint, finally took the FIR after Shiv Sena city chief Prakash Patil (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) along with members of a Hindu organisation put pressure on them.

Thane:Maharashtra Police on Saturday arrested a 17-year-old boy on the basis of a complaint from another person, who said his religious sentiment was hurt after someone had posed an offensive message about Chhatrapati Shivaji on his Instagram page.

Police said they acted on the complaints of Uday Pawar, a resident of Kacheri Pada in Bhiwandi. In his FIR, Uday said he found offensive remarks against Shivaji after opening his Instagram page at midnight on May 5 after returning from work. To substantiate his claim, he also forwarded the comment from an Instagram account named avesh_id to cops. Uday also complained against the Instagram account holder who, he alleged, has hurt his religious sentiment. In his complaint to the police, he noted that the message carried offensive words written about Shivaji Maharaj. Cops at the Shantinagar Police Station registered his case after hesitating for some time.

They finally registered the FIR after Shiv Sena city chief Prakash Patil (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray group) along with members of a Hindu organisation reached the police station in large numbers. They also demanded the arrest of the accused.

At last, Shantinagar police registered a case under section 153A, 295A of the IPC against the 17-year-old boy and arrested him within a few hours. He was, however, released on bail the next day. Tension is prevailing after the matter came to light in the city. On June 2022, the objectionable statement of the suspended spokesperson of the BJP, Nupur Sharma, created tension in Bhiwandi City.

A youth was booked and arrested from a place that falls under the Nizampura Police Station for circulating a WhatsApp post highlighting Nupur's comment then.