On Friday 24th June 2022, Nikesh Raju Pashte (age 28) of Sangampada, in the Thane district of Maharashtra, was detained for posting allegedly insulting remarks on Prophet Mohammad on social media. The arrested accused is a ‘mathadi’ worker (a wholesale market porter) from Sangampada in the district’s Bhiwandi town.
An official in the Nizampura police station said, “A plumber complained to the police about the objectionable and provocative post on the Prophet made in a WhatsApp group. Based on the complaint, the police registered the offense and arrested the accused. The complainant said that the post could trigger tension between two communities.”
An offense was recorded against the accused under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 153(A) (promoting enmity between different communities), 295(A) (deliberate and malicious conduct, designed to outrage religious sentiments of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), and 499 (defamation).
It is notable that the Bharatiya Janata Party suspended national spokesman Nupur Sharma and dismissed Delhi BJP media chief Jindal on June 5 after their alleged disparaging statements about the Prophet sparked controversy in India and the Gulf countries. Violent protests were carried out by Islamists in various cities in India after this incident. Public properties were vandalized and stones were pelted at the security personnel who were trying to control the situation. The rioters spread this violence, especially after the Friday Namaz on June 3 and June 10.
This is not the first arrest in Bhiwandi for allegedly insulting social media posts against the Prophet Muhammad. On Sunday (June 12), a young Muslim boy named Saad Ashfaq Ansari was arrested by the Bhiwandi police in Maharashtra for supporting ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and questioning the nature of the relationship between the Prophet Muhammad and his wife Ayesha. Before getting arrested, he was assaulted and abused by a Muslim mob for his stand in the ongoing blasphemy row and for supporting Nupur Sharma.
