37-year-old Marathi artist Mayuresh Kotkar has been arrested by Thane Police for posting an allegedly objectionable statement on social media against state cabinet minister and Shiv Sena leader and MVA minister Eknath Shinde.
Maharashtra: Thane’s Srinagar police arrested Marathi artist Mayuresh Kotkar for allegedly posting an objectionable statement on social media against state minister Eknath Shinde. He has been sent to judicial custody. Police complaint in this regard was filed by Shiv Sena workers
— ANI (@ANI) June 15, 2021
As per reports, Kotkar- a resident of Balkum in Thane, had posted an allegedly defamatory statement about minister Eknath Shinde on his social media profile on Friday.
Soon after, a complaint was lodged against Kotkar by a local Shiv Sena corporator named Yogesh Jankar.
In his complaint, Jankar alleged that Kotkar had posted a defamatory comment on the Facebook page of the minister. The content was not just defamatory but also inflammatory that could have led to a clash between two communities, Jankar added in his complaint.
Kotkar had posted a comment concerning the recent row over the naming of the international airport in Navi Mumbai, said the police.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the IPC for defamation, intent to incite, and statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes.
Kotkar has been sent to judicial custody and a probe is on by the Sri Nagar police in Thane.
Navi Mumbai Airport name proposal
As per reports, thousands of local residents and Navi Mumbai international airport project-affected people had formed a 12-km long human chain last week to protest against the proposal to name the upcoming airport after Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray.
Around one lakh villagers from the project area held placards demanding that the airport be named after the late Peasants and Workers’ Party (PWP) leader and parliamentarian Dinkar Balu Patil, popularly known as DB Patil.
Kotkar too had made several posts on his social media demanding the airport be named after DB Patil.
A committee spearheading the agitation has warned that the protest will intensify if the demands are not met. A call to gherao Konkan Bhavan in Raigad district on June 24 has been given to press for the demand.
