On Saturday, 18th May, Karnataka Police arrested X user MumbaichaDon aka Bhiku Mhatre from his house in Goa over the now-deleted post on social media against the Congress manifesto. In the post, Bhiku Mhatre alleged that the Congress “wants to take away wealth from Hindus and distribute it to Muslims as it hates Hindus”.
The post was made on 22nd April. In the post, he wrote, “Throw this in the face of Every Liberal & Every Piddi who was arguing that Congress Manifesto doesn’t mention “Mu$£ims” specifically & it includes SC/STs Also. CONgress WANTS TO TAKE AWAY WEALTH FROM HINDUS & DISTRIBUTING TO MU$£IMS “ONLY” AS IT HATES HINDUS INCL. SC/STs.” The post was later deleted. Though Congress did not speak directly about wealth distribution in its manifesto, its leader Rahul Gandhi has spoken openly about it and there are hints that appears to be in sync with the plan of wealth distribution.
A complaint against the X user was filed by J Saravanan, a Congress worker from Bengaluru on 29th April. Based on his complaint, cyber crime police registered an FIR against the X user under sections 153(a) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 66(C) of the Information Technology Act. OpIndia accessed a copy of the FIR. In his complaint, Jayapalan said that an unknown person who goes by the handle MumbaichaDon on social media platform X posted the said post and claimed that it was done with the evil intention of creating hatred and unrest in the society and bringing a bad name to the Congress Party.
A court order was obtained by Karnataka police, forcing X to reveal the information about the X user. A screenshot of the email from X’s legal department to the X user was shared on the social media platform hours before the arrest. In the email, X said that they were obliged to share the information because of the court order and suggested the X user to seek legal help.
So it seems CONgress wants to intimidate me for speaking Truth. I'm ready to fight against any injustice & will take full Judicial Course even if that means approaching Highest Court, as I have never written anything which may be called as inflammatory or communal.
— BhikuMhatre (Modi's Family) (@MumbaichaDon) May 18, 2024
जय महाकाल 🙏 pic.twitter.com/mmZZwz1mT5
Following the arrest, Bhiku Mhatre’s son Nagesh Naik wrote on X, “My father @MumbaichaDon has been arrested by @DgpKarnataka @CPBlr @BlrCityPolice A mail was sent by TWITTER and suddenly in the evening the Police showed up at the doorstep and took away my father! FIR is NOT pertinent! #ReleaseBhikuMhatre.”
My father @MumbaichaDon has been arrested by @DgpKarnataka @CPBlr @BlrCityPolice A mail was sent by TWITTER and suddenly in the evening the Police showed up at the doorstep and took away my father! FIR is totally NOT pertinent! #ReleaseBhikuMhatre pic.twitter.com/TrTXlxYdlD
— Nagesh Naik (@nageshvnaik) May 18, 2024
BJP leaders come out in support of MumbaichaDon
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders came out in support of the X user and promised to provide legal assistance. BJP leader and MP from Karnataka, Tejasvi Surya said, “This is blatant abuse of power by Karnataka Congress Govt. We will fight this, both inside courts and outside.”
This is blatant abuse of power by Karnataka Congress Govt.
— Tejasvi Surya (ಮೋದಿಯ ಪರಿವಾರ) (@Tejasvi_Surya) May 18, 2024
We will fight this, both inside courts and outside. https://t.co/mCB8dkK1y5
Union Minister Smriti Irani also came out in support of the X user and said, “Spoke toTejasvi Surya re the case. Legal support has been assured.”
Spoke to @Tejasvi_Surya re the case . Legal support has been assured. https://t.co/VgVamhnOiZ
— Smriti Z Irani (Modi Ka Parivar) (@smritiirani) May 18, 2024
BJP’s IT Cell chief Amit Malviya said, “Karnataka Police has arrested @MumbaichaDon from Goa. We are in touch with his family and will ensure he gets all legal support. Congress has unleashed anarchy and is intolerant of dissent. But there won’t be another #Emergency in this country, ever.”
Karnataka Police has arrested @MumbaichaDon from Goa. We are in touch with his family and will ensure he gets all legal support. Congress has unleashed anarchy and is intolerant of dissent. But there won’t be another #Emergency in this country, ever.
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) May 18, 2024
BJP’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Absolutely abominable misuse of power by Congress. I have just spoken to Tejasvi Surya ji. He is already mobilising necessary help. But this is real dictatorship. We all need to expose this.
Absolutely abominable misuse of power by Congress. I have just spoken to @Tejasvi_Surya ji… He is already mobilising necessary help
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) May 18, 2024
But this is real dictatorship .. we all need to expose this… @BYVijayendra @BJP4Karnataka @JoshiPralhad https://t.co/8AJBja7yeG
VHP karyakarta and Advocate Girish Bharadwaj got in touch with the X user to provide him legal assistance. In a post on social media, he said, “Shri Vinit Naik Ji, MumbaichaDon, has been apprehended in Goa by the Bengaluru Police in connection with Crime Number 0017/2024, Cyber Crime PS, Bengaluru. I’m in contact with him, and all necessary legal assistance will be provided.”
Shri Vinit Naik Ji, @MumbaichaDon, has been apprehended in Goa by the Bengaluru Police in connection with Crime Number 0017/2024, Cyber Crime PS, Bengaluru.
— Girish Bharadwaj (@Girishvhp) May 18, 2024
I'm in contact with him, and all necessary legal assistance will be provided.
X user MumbaichaDon have been a consistent BJP supporter and majority of his posts often praise work done by the BJP-led central government.
PM Modi criticising Congress Manifesto, and Congress’ idea of minorities
On 21st April, PM Modi warned that the Congress Party plans to take away the wealth of poor families and would not even leave the Mangalsutra of married women. Evidently, Congress, left, liberals and Islamists got rattled by PM Modi’s statement and started calling it fearmongering, divisive politics and more. Notably, PM Modi pointed out that it was written in the manifesto that the Congress Party would do all these things.
First of all, it is essential to note that since former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh claimed minorities, particularly Muslims, have the first right to the resources of the country, the Congress Party has faced a lot of backlash. Singh’s statement from 2006 comes back to haunt the grand old party more often than it can digest. The statement was repeated in 2009.
To understand Congress’s plan, we have to go back to Singh’s 2006 statement again. He had said, “We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably in the fruits of development. They must have the first claim on resources.” Congress thrived on appeasement politics for decades. From the Waqf Board to the Places of Worship Act or flipping the Supreme Court’s decision in the Triple Talaq matter by Rajiv Gandhi, the grand old party left no stone unturned to make the policies Muslim-centric.
Congress promised to ‘Defend the Constitution’ in the manifesto
While MumbaichaDon was arrested by the Karnataka police under the Congress-led government in the state for speaking ill about the grand old party’s manifesto, the arrest itself is the death of irony 1000 times. There is a section in the manifesto titled “Defending The Constitution” on Page 21 of the Congress Manifesto whose sub-section 16 speaks against the “arbitrary and indiscriminate arrests”. It reads, “We promise to put an end to the weaponisation of laws, arbitrary searches, seizures and attachments, arbitrary and indiscriminate arrests, third-degree methods, prolonged custody, custodial deaths, and bulldozer justice.”
Congress talk of ending fascism when they’re exhibiting dictatorial tendencies with such arrests
In the sub-section 5 of the same section of the Congress manifesto, the party talked removing provisions that restrict freedom of speech and expression and violate the right to privacy. Notably, Karnataka police not only got a court order to get the X user’s address but according to some social media posts, they used his cell location to find the address.
Congress claims it will end fascism which is deeply ironic considering the arrest of X user MumbaichaDon by the Karnataka police. The X user merely criticised their manifesto and the arrest highlighted how there is a stark difference between what Congress says and what it preaches. The Congress manifesto, which vows to defend the Constitution and end arbitrary arrests, rings hollow when juxtaposed with their intolerance towards dissent. With the arrest, Congress has revealed their tyrannical tendencies, undermining their proclaimed commitment to freedom and democracy.In the sub-section 5 of the same section, talked about reviewing the Telecommunications Act, of 2023 and removing provisions that restrict freedom of speech and expression and violate the right to privacy.
