On Thursday, the Chhattisgarh Police arrested Raipur based journalist Nilesh Sharma for his popular political satire. He has been accused of spreading fake news against the ruling Congress leaders in the state of Chhattisgarh.
Nilesh Sharma is an Editor of the web portal indiawriters.co.in and print magazine ‘India Writers’. According to the reports, he runs a popular series based on political satire in the name of ‘Ghurva Ke Mati’. The series uses fictional characters resonating with the Congress leaders and MLAs in Chhattisgarh.
Catering to the growing intolerance, one of the little known Congress worker Khilwan Nishad lodged a complaint against Sharma and accused him of using derogatory language against the Congress leaders of the state. The cyber cell of the Police immediately acted upon the complaint and arrested Sharma late in the night.
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According to the reports, Nishad accused the journalist of favouring the BJP and the RSS and said that he is a part of ‘Godi media’. He alleged that through his show ‘Gharwa Ke Mati’, Sharma is deliberately using derogatory language against the Congress leaders. “The portal indiawriters.co.in is spreading negativity and drawing a wedge among the leaders and office bearers of Congress”, he added in the FIR. Nilesh Sharma was produced before a local court and was arrested on Thursday evening.
It is important to note that the same web portal ran a similar series that was highly critical of the then Raman Singh-led BJP govt. Earlier in the month of October, two journalists of another web portal were arrested for allegedly publishing content against the Congress lawmakers in the state and extorting money from them.
Rahul Gandhi accused BJP for not respecting ‘Free Speech’
Pertinently, it is also important to note that Congress’ Rahul Gandhi has probably failed to teach the ‘free speech’ lesson to its own government in Chhattisgarh as he has been doing it at the national level. Gandhi for several times in the past has attacked BJP led govt for allegedly not respecting the Freedom of Speech and Expression.
In a similar incident that took place in Manipur in the year 2019, where journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem was detained by the Manipur Police for his comment targeting the state govt, Rahul Gandhi had said that BJP had no respect for the ‘Freedom of Speech’. Kishorechandra Wangkhem, the journalist at The Frontier Manipur, had after Manipur BJP chief S Tikendra Singh died of Covid, posted on Facebook, “Cow dung and cow urine didn’t work?”
In another instance, Gandhi had attacked the RSS and the BJP for allegedly policing and controlling the freedom of expression. Rising in support of the ‘Sacred Games’ a web series that showcased former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as a coward, he had said that freedom of expression is a fundamental democratic right and that the character in the show was just fictional.
The Police has lodged an FIR under Section 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of the peace), section 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief, 505 (1) (b) with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquillity) and section 505 (2) (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill will between the classes) of the IPC.
