20-year-old man has been arrested for sharing an alleged derogatory WhatsApp post on Lord Ram in Devadurga taluk of Raichur district in Karnataka, just a week after violence broke out in Bengaluru over an inflammatory Facebook post against Islam. The Bengaluru incident left three dead in police firing on the mob.
As the Muslim man’s post went viral, members of the Hindu groups were seen agitating in front of the Devadurga police station. The police brought the situation under control by moving quickly.
Speaking to HT on phone, an officer at the Devadurga police station said: “We have arrested a 20-year-old youth. On his WhatsApp status, he seems to have posted derogatory comments about Lord Ram. We are investigating the matter.”
The man was produced before the magistrate in the early hours of Thursday and has been remanded in judicial custody till September 3.
The prompt intervention by the police and the arrest of the young man led to the crowd gathered in front of the police station to disperse peacefully late last night. The Devadurga police said that the situation was at present peaceful and fully under control.
The man has been arrested and charged under various IPC sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (intent to incite), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 205 (false personation).
