Priyanka Tiwari
Share
Suspense crime, Digital Desk : A 23-year-old law student from Pune, Debmalya Ghosh, has been arrested by the Cyber Crime Cell of the Kolkata Police in connection with an allegedly offensive social media post. The post reportedly targeted "Operation Sindoor," a controversial online trend. Ghosh, a student at Symbiosis Law School in Pune, was taken into custody from his residence.
The complaint leading to the arrest was lodged by the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), the student wing of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress. According to police sources, Ghosh is accused of making derogatory and objectionable comments on social media, allegedly mocking the "Operation Sindoor" trend and the women participating in it. This trend, which has surfaced on social media platforms, involves some Hindu women applying sindoor (vermilion powder, a traditional marital symbol for Hindu women) to photographs of Muslim men, often accompanied by provocative captions. The trend has been widely criticized for its potential to incite communal disharmony.
Ghosh's social media post was deemed to be inflammatory, with authorities believing it had the potential to spread communal hatred and incite violence. Following his arrest in Pune, he was brought to Kolkata on transit remand. He was subsequently produced before a city court, which remanded him to police custody until July 5.
The Kolkata Police have invoked several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Ghosh, including 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505(1)(c) (statements conducing to public mischief with intent to incite any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community), 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes), and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
The arrest highlights the authorities' increasing scrutiny of social media content perceived as capable of disrupting communal peace or outraging religious sentiments.
Read More: Controversy Erupts Over Red Carpet Remark During Supreme Court Hearing on Refugees
