The name of a temple in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh was changed to that of a mosque on Google maps. According to reports, the youths identified as Shahrukh, Ameen and a 17-year-old minor boy changed the name of Ambemata temple to Kahkasha mosque on the popular search engine. Ratlam police apprehended the three miscreants after locals filed a complaint against the youths.
The three youths belong to Bhadwasa village in Namli town of Ratlam district.
“We received a complaint that the name of a temple has been changed on Google Map by a person of another religion. We’ve registered an FIR under section 295A. The accused has been arrested. Further investigation underway,” Ratlam ASP Sunil Patidar was quoted by ANI as saying.
Madhya Pradesh | We received a complaint that the name of a temple has been changed on Google Map by a person of another religion. We’ve registered an FIR under section 295A. The accused has been arrested. Further investigation underway: ASP Ratlam, Sunil Patidar (07.07) pic.twitter.com/ZaF8KKfmEL
— ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) July 8, 2022
According to reports, the mischief came to the fore after screenshots of the Google Map went viral creating tension in the village. A local resident named Rajesh Patidar along with a few other irate locals reached the Namli police station to lodge a complaint against Shahrukh.
Patidar told the police that on Wednesday morning at around 8.30 am when he accessed Google Map on his smartphone, the Ambemata temple of the Patidar community was listed as Kahkashan Masjid. He further added that on enquiring, he came to know that Shahrukh, a resident of their village, along with two of his friends had tempered with the name of their religious place.
The residents alleged that the youths changed the name of the religious place with an intention to spread communal discord and hatred.
Following the complaint, Namli police station in charge Preeti Katare visited the village with her team. The villagers informed the police that Shahrukh had not only changed the name of their religious place on the popular search engine but also took screenshots of the same and shared it extensively on social media.
The police registered a case under IPC section 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and later apprehended the three youths. The phones of the youths were confiscated. The app was, thereafter, reedited and the name of the temple was restored.
Google Map offers options to add a location and address or edit or correct locations.
Google Maps shows a distorted map of India
Last year, the search engine giant courted controversy after it depicted Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin as separate entities and not a part of the Indian Union. In addition to this, Google had also marked the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and the state of Arunachal Pradesh as disputed regions. The distorted map of India appeared in a section on the Google Trends website.
This is not the first time that Google has been subjected to criticism for publishing a distorted version of the map of India. In February 2020, Google’s population navigation services, Google maps had redrawn Kashmir’s borders that appeared different when searched from outside India. It showed Kashmir’s outlines as a dotted line acknowledging “dispute” when it is viewed from outside India.
