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The arrests in neighbouring Thane yesterday sparked an outrage with Press Council of India chief Markandey Katju today demanding "immediate" action against police personnel involved. Congress said a police case against the girls was "unfortunate" and hoped Maharashtra government would take remedial measures.
The two girls – Shaheen Dhada and Renu Shrinivas – were sent to 14-day judicial custody by a court before which they were produced today but were granted bail within hours after they furnished personal bonds, police said.
Dhada was arrested after she posted comments on the social networking site opposing the shutdown in Mumbai.
86-year-old Thackeray was cremated yesterday.
She allegedly said that one should not observe bandh for Thackeray's funeral. "We should remember Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev," the post said.
Dhada's friend Renu Shrinivas was arrested for 'liking' the post. "Police arrested both of them under section 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes). Today, they were granted bail," their advocate Sudhir Gupta said.
The duo was arrested following a police complaint lodged by a local Sena leader.
After the comment was posted, a mob of nearly 40 Shiv Sainiks allegedly barged into Dhada's uncle's orthopaedic hospital at Palghar and vandalised the place yesterday. However, no arrests were made in connection with the attack.
In an e-mail to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Katju warned of "legal consequences" if he failed to take action against the police personnel concerned.
With the Aseem Trivedi episode apparently on the back of their mind, Maharashtra Police's IG(Law and Order) Deven Bharti said a probe has been ordered into whether the contents of the Facebook post constituted an offence and even if the offence was registered why were the arrests made.
Bowing to public pressure and criticism from the court, the Maharashtra government last month decided to drop sedition charge against cartoonist Aseem Trivedi for allegedly insulting national symbols.
"Filing a case against the girls is unfortunate and I hope Maharashtra government will correct it," Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit said in Delhi. He, however, said a comment or two a couple of days later could have been alright since it was a "sensitive time" on the day of Thackeray's funeral.
Dikshit, at the same time, disapproved of the attack by the Sena activists.
Sudhir Gupta said the Facebook post at no place contains anything that insults anybody's religious feelings.
"If you see the entire post, it nowhere insults anybody's religious feelings," he added. Deven Bharti said the police probe will be conducted by Special IG of Konkan range Sukhwinder Singh.
"We have ordered an inquiry....if any further action needs to be taken the probe team will decide and send a report. On this report we will act," he added.
"There were two major issues. We have asked him(Singh) to inquire whatever has been written, whether it qualifies for an offence. Second, even if the offence is registered, why the arrests were made, and under which circumstances were the arrests made," he said.
Dr Abdul Yusuf Dhada, whose hospital was ransacked, said he has suffered heavy financial losses.
With the police coming under attack, Investigating Officer Shrikant Pingle said anybody can comment on Facebook. "But one should make good comments which doesn't hurt others' sentiments," he added.
Also on Social Network:
Zafar Mehdi: People like Bal Thackeray don't rest in peace, they rust in pieces! Okay fine, I am going to jail now, whoever wants to give me some company there, like this.
Bisma Malik: "People like Bal Thackeray are born and die daily and one should not observe a bandh for that"... (copy and paste this comment to show your solidarity with a young woman in Bombay who has been harrassed by the police and the Shiv Sena for posting this as her status update on FB.
Shivam Vij (@DilliDurAst): Bal Thackeray's politics of poison and violence never led him to jail. Saying Bombay should not have to shut down on his death leads to jail
MZ Zulfi (@mzzulfi): Girl posted on FB "people like #balasaheb die everyday so why there should be bandh for that". Intellectuals are justifying girls but indian innocent janta still believes there is freedom of Speech In India!
T Sukesh (@radioactive_ISO): After Shivaji, it was Balasaheb who upheld Maratha's pride but the girl was wrong in saying People like Bal Thackeray are Born Everyday. Its not True - else the world would have been very nasty place. He everywhere would have been dangerous!
Sunil Dixit: I am damn sure that if Bal Thackeray was alive he would not have asked for arrest of a person for criticizing him. Public figures must note.
Rahul Kanwal: Watching the effusive tributes on some channels, you may end up thinking it's Mother Teresa panelists are talking about not Bal Thackeray.
Abhishek Jha (@iAbhishekJha): On 1 hand #BalThackeray was against Ind-Pak match & on the other hand he personally invited #JavedMiandad to his home .... #DoubleStandards
Srushti Iyer (@srushti_iyer): I'm not upset about Bal Thackeray's death as much as I am about the absolutely unfortunate timing and the getting stranded bit.
Sunny Guglani (@Sunnyguglani): Are we living in a democracy? No. 21-year-old girl held for Facebook post questioning Mumbai's 'Bal Thackeray shutdown'
these are the incidents which make growing generation to realize sticking to any group always curb your freedom of speech and action. We are all humans, no man is superior i wont harm a man for another. I do not have any identity based on political, religious, regional and caste circumstances, if we have such idea from today atleast after 15 years we can see some leaders of rationality. Next generation never wanted your groupism, they want only freedom. I hate now to call this country as democratic country.
can anybody tell me what was the comment?
We live in that world which was created and sustain by politics so if we try to speak ill about them then be ready with all your strengths no one try but there are some abnormal who are not part of this system try to make it correct in their ways and we are eagerly waiting for that.
It is really outrageous to arrest two girl for nothing. First it was cartoonist in West Bengal and now in Mumbai. Both were vandalized for plain speak. Is it not undemocratic?
if some one is dies on our house we cant neglect it or commenting it they could understand the situation and then talk i am not against their girl but people were emotional and lots of crowd were there. their speech can make violence in that time so we should think before speak what we speaking .but i am totally against the the girls who got arrest that day
Yes two facebook users comment and these guys destroy a hospital. Sounds like fair exchange to me. Besides in this world almost anyone can become anonymous -- make fake ID and comment online about anything. Then imagine how many things we should destroy. I think politicians should be more mature in their decisions rather than justifying for their unnecessary actions
Did Bal Tackhrey Died on Road? Ans; No! then, "its a democratic country, and everyone has right to speech, you can speak and express your views against anyone whoever he/she may be P.M. C.M. and even against president of India, then who the Hell Bal Thackrey is? arresting the girls under the pressure of a terrorist group! shiv Sena deserves to be declare as a terrorist group and should be banned
Hate to be Called an Indian after this Incident. Tomorrow any group of people can ransacked anything,enter someone's house bullied, harrased, embarass n insult publicly without any fear or remorse in the name of politics,party,patriotism n so on.This country is on the verge of a serious danger.Should not allowed such hideous act. Y the government is silent.Y d Udav Thackeray is silent.Y Shi Sianiks r not arrested.This is Talibanisation. God Bless u India....
Love and respect for a great man means that we must continue the good work that has been done by these great people. It is not fair to close down a city. And freedom of speech is a fundamental right. is it wrong to think aloud ?
in a democratic country like india where we are given the right to speech, can't we even express our own views. Is it a crime if we give our opinion in some issues? Its so shocking that people are arrested for giving their views on certain matters....
Posts on facebook should have understood the utmost respect and love mass people have in their hearts about Balasaheb. When he passed away mass people felt as if their own family member is lost. Balasaheb has done so much so for the people that can not be described in words. Mass people were present on his funeral on and off the field indicating deep respect and love. It was a spontaneous bandh by mass people due to love and respect and no one had forced them for bandh including Balasaheb himself. Regards to Balasaheb and may his soul rest in peace.
The arrest of those two girls can never be justified even after the Bombay Government's intervention to "arrest" the police personnel for their unpardonable crime amounts to anti-national, undemocratic, and barbaric in nature. The ways in which police acted and arrested these girls can happen only in a place where there is no democracy, right to speech and expression. It is really an unfortunate incident for sovereign, secular, democratic and socialist republic countries like ours. Politics of appeasement by ruling parties, Government servants' emotional attachment to influential politicians, vandalism oriented political parties with hate speech as their political capital, power hungry shrewd politicians are some of the threats and challenges to Indian democracy. Mumbai is not exception to this understanding.
The arrest of those two girls can never be justified even after the Bombay Government's intervention to "arrest" the police personnel for their unpardonable crime amounts to anti-national, undemocratic, and barbaric in nature. The ways in which police acted and arrested these girls can happen only in a place where there is no democracy, right to speech and expression. It is really an unfortunate incident for sovereign, secular, democratic and socialist republic countries like ours. Politics of appeasement by ruling parties, Government servants' emotional attachment to influential politicians, vandalism oriented political parties with hate speech as their political capital, power hungry shrewd politicians are some of the threats and challenges to Indian democracy. Mumbai is not exception to this understanding.
That may or may not be a crime but what about arrest of those Shiv Sainiks who were involved into this act at the clinic. That is crime for sure, any news of arrest for that ?
Sir in this country we swear by equality but at every step there is discrimination. And unfortunately all our leaders are separatist and communal in one way or the other. No leader or party is fully nationalist nor secular. All the leaders from J&K. are separatist and communal. They are all one in wiping out Hindus from the valley. Similarly ruling parties in the Punjab, Nagaland and Mizoram are not secular, neither nationalist parties. As a matter of fact due to so called secular constitution, states of J&K, Punjab, Nagaland and Mizoram are almost theological states. Similarly in Tamilnadu DMK, AIADMK and other regional parties are not secular parties and they have regional, language, caste and communal agenda. Similarly in UP and Bihar all the leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lallo Yadav, Mayawati, Nitish Kumar etc., have caste and communal agendas although they are hailed as secular. So Sir India has thousands of such leaders who have caste and communal agenda.
isn't this oppression ? having a free opinion is vital. ironical that mr. thackery stood for free speech as a cartoonist and mocked the high and the mighty during his days as a cartoonist. as a politician he spared none with incisive words. when he was alive, he feared none. so, the cops have gone too far, so have mr. thackery's own followers, who seem to be confused with his message
utterly shameful! Media should cover this story proactively.
Look at how vague the relevant law is. I am sure India has laws to cover every contingency. These laws are selectively applied when someone makes a comment inconvenient to those in power.
What is happening in this country? Are we really democratic? Do we really respect our constitution ? Answer for all these three questions is a 'Big No'. You can shut down any city on any account and no body can question it. If it was questioned at all but arresting someone is unreasonable.
number of people who would have noticed the post a 100 atmost. Now millions.
Narendra Modi is hundred time better than the Congress because he has never breeded the Hindu Extremists in Gujarat. VHP or Bajarang Dal could never raise their heads after communal riots in Gujarat and this could be the better reason to vote for him and his party in Gujarat than Congress.
"Police arrested both of them under section 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes)." How many Political Leader doing same thing got arrest till date by Police? All Political parties doing same thing then! Why not action against them? Ohh its just because only they got influence and she didn't!? Wow great! Things must be change... Remove that religion n caste bar... Then not single political party able to use those 2 words for there political benefit and then they have to concentrate on development only!!! Try!!!
The Shiv Sena is a corrupt, criminal and lumpen organization which has terrorized the city of Mumbai and destroyed it through corruption and civic mismanagement. Is there any meaning at all in saying that we live in a democracy?
Didn't Sena make countless such statements in their Saamna newspaper that spread ill-will among classes? Heck every politician utters nonsense openly, but our cops can only arrest powerless, innocent people who are just trying to use their basic right of freedom of speech.This really shows how sissy our cops are.
