The Bhiwandi police had detained a 16-year-old boy for his objectionable Facebook post against Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, after a complaint was filed against him.
According to Thane police, an FIR was registered on charges of outraging the religious feelings of others and creating enmity between different communities following a complaint filed by a Bhiwandi resident along with some Bajrang Dal members. The minor boy was later taken into custody.
Bhiwandi police detained a minor for his derogatory social media posts against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. A case under relevant sections of the IPC was registered by the police and the minor was taken into custody: Thane police
— ANI (@ANI) May 7, 2023
DCP (Zone II) Navnath Dhavle said, “Based on a complaint that somebody had put a post on Instagram that was defamatory to Shivaji Maharaj, we registered an FIR at the Shanti Nagar Police Station in Bhiwandi. After the probe, we found that the post had been uploaded on Instagram by a minor following which we took him into custody and as per law was sent to Bhiwandi Children’s Home.”
According to the police, the complaint was filed lodged by one Uday Pawar, an auto-rickshaw driver and data entry operator from Bhiwandi. Pawar said in his complaint that he had come across a post on Instagram which hurt his feelings. He then approached the local Bajrang Dal activists and they together went to the Shanti Nagar Police Station where the FIR was registered based on the complaint.
The Background of the Controversy
A minor boy, who identifies himself as a ‘video creator’ on Instagram, published a story denigrating Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja and eulogising tyrant Tipu Sultan.
In his Instagram story, the accused claimed, “Shivaji ka baap hai Tipu Sultan or Shivaji chu*iya.” He further claimed that the tyrant is the father of India, the Marathas and the Muslim community.
“The king of the Mughal empire…The king of Hindu…Isko bolte baap,” the accused added in his Instagram post. Hindu rights activist, Trupti Garg, took cognisance of the matter and sought intervention from the Mumbai police.
This is Insta story of Avesh Shaikh from Bhiwandi.
— Trupti Garg (@garg_trupti) May 5, 2023
I would love to see the reaction of those who always try to showcase Maharaj as secular king.
Requesting @MumbaiPolice to take strict action against this person. pic.twitter.com/xDKa3WPRAz
It must be mentioned that a popular Twitter handle ‘The Random Indian’ ran extensive campaigns on Instagram and Telegram to bring the matter to the attention of the concerned authorities.
Delivering Results since 3 Years
— The Random Indian (@randomsena) May 7, 2023
Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Ki Jai 🚩
Big Dhanyawad to Each and Every Hindus
Credit goes to you pic.twitter.com/giHmzcZLuQ
Meanwhile, a police complaint was filed by a functionary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal.
Yesterday Avesh made a objectionable post about #ChhatrpatiShivajiMaharaj, As soon as we came to know about it we took action against him and filed a FIR.@randomsena @garg_trupti @MahaCyber1 @ThaneCityPolice @VHPDigital
— Dada Gosavi (@DadaGosavi4141) May 5, 2023
Thank U very much for being aware of our Sanatan Dharma… pic.twitter.com/62bZ4jcPJn
Following the complaint, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered in connection to the case. The accused was then detained and taken into police custody.
