Delhi resident Manish Singh has filed a complaint against social media platform Instagram for showing God Shiva in an objectionable manner in one of its stickers. The complainant has alleged that the sticker, which shows God Shiva with alcohol in one hand and a mobile phone on the other, hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus.
The complainant mentions that God Shiva is venerated by millions and millions of Hindus and accuses Instagram officials of committing serious offences. The sticker was in a Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). Lord Shiva is also seen winking in the sticker.
The complainant alleges that the “accused is deliberately and intentionally hurting the feeling and sentiments of the millions and millions of Hindus, including the complainant, by portraying the Supreme God, Lord Shiva, in such a state.”
The complainant also says that the sticker has been introduced with the “sole intention of inciting the followers of the Hindu community and in the process promote disharmony, hatred and enmity, further, the conduct of the accused persons may result in extreme provocation of the followers of the Hindu community and this may result into breach of peace.”
Consequently, the complainant has demanded that a criminal case be registered against the CEO of Instagram and other officials under sections 153 and 295A of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
