Maharashtra: Teenager booked for 'glorifying Aurangzeb' on social media status

A teen-aged boy 'glorified' Mughal Emperor on his social media status following which he was booked by the Beed police.

Mumbai: A teen-aged boy, who hails from Ashti town, was booked for allegedly putting a social media status glorifying Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, police said on Saturday. Tension had prevailed in the Ashti town in the Beed district of Maharashtra on Friday after the boy had put the status, following which some right-wing outfits had given a call for bandh.

The tension in Ashti was reported just days after some youths displayed photos of Aurangzeb, the 17th-century Mughal emperor, in a procession in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. Tension had also prevailed in Kolhapur city of western Maharashtra over the alleged use of Tipu Sultan's image as social media status along with an objectionable audio clip. Tipu Sultan is the 18th-century ruler of Mysore. Police in Kolhapur had arrested 36 persons in connection with the violence that erupted in the city and registered cases in this regard.

A senior police official said that a 14-year-old boy currently on a vacation to Mumbai has been booked last night under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for posting a social media status message glorifying Aurangzeb. The officer said as per the procedure the boy will be presented before a juvenile court. He also said no untoward incident was reported during the 'bandh', where commercial establishments in the market in Ashti, which is around 80 km from Beed, were closed.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday made it clear that his government will not allow anyone to disrupt the law and order situation in the state. "For the past few days, some people have been making a conscious effort to spoil the environment in Maharashtra. Ever since the verdict of the Supreme Court, some people have been enraged, and attempts are being made to spoil the atmosphere. Attempts are being made to create religious tension by glorifying Aurangzeb, Tipu Sultan. This attempt will not succeed. Conspiracy to disrupt law and order in Maharashtra for political gains will be foiled," Shinde said in a Tweet in Marathi.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut had accused the BJP of relying on historical figures like Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan after "Bajrang Bali' did not help the national party in the Karnataka elections. "As per my knowledge, the people of Kolhapur were not involved in this clash. People from outside Kolhapur were brought in to disturb the situation. Why is this happening again and again ever since your government came to power? You speak of Hindutva. Is your Hindutva so weak that it gets threatened when someone puts up someone's photo? Do you need Aurangzeb to win the elections? Bajrang Bali didn't help you in Karnataka. So, you need Aurangzeb in Maharashtra,"