Chhattisgarh: Raipur resident arrested for posting ‘abusive comments’ about CM Bhupesh Baghel
Lalit Yadav was arrested on June 9 for allegedly criticising the chief minister’s comments on the Skywalk project in the capital city.
The police in Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur have arrested a 34-year-old man for allegedly posting objectionable remarks about Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, The Indian Express reported on Friday.
Unidentified senior police officers told the newspaper that a man, identified as Lalit Yadav, was arrested on June 9 after they received a complaint from Congress workers. Yadav was booked under Section 67(A) of the Information Technology Act, which deals with online obscenity. Yadav is a resident of Saragaon in Raipur district, according to PTI.
“These comments were not critical,” said Superintendent of Police Arif Sheikh. “They were abusive and objectionable. Which is why that section has been applied after investigations found the allegations correct.”
Yadav reportedly criticised the chief minister for his comments on the Skywalk project in Raipur. Baghel had said public sentiment was against the project worth Rs 70 crore, which was started by the previous Bharatiya Janata Party government, and residents were being consulted about its future. The Congress had halted the skywalk’s construction after coming to power in December.
Last Saturday, journalist Prashant Kanojia was arrested in Delhi for his comments about Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on social media. Two other journalists – Ishita Singh, who is the head of news channel Nation Live, and Anuj Shukla, one of the channel’s editors – were arrested the following day by Uttar Pradesh Police for allegedly defaming the chief minister. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered Kanojia’s release.
The same day, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala told the Kerala Assembly that 149 cases were registered against several people for posting objectionable remarks about Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on social media. Chennithala had compared Vijayan to Adityanath.