The Times of India reported that a pot-graduate student has been arrested by the Central Crime Branch of the Bangalore City police for sending offensive messages against the new Indian prime minister. The arrest was said to have been based from a complaint lodged by RTI activist Jayant Mukund Tinaikar lodged in the Belgaum district.
Citing a May 16 Whatsapp message against Narendra Modi, 24 year-old Sayed Waqar, who is currently studying at the Anjuman Institute of Management in Bhatkal, Uttara Kannada district, allegedly sent an offensive message with an image of Bharatiya Janata Party (Indian People's Party) leaders L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Baba Ramdev, Maneka Gandhi, Varun Gandhi and others to Jayant. After confirming the sender's identity, Jayant said he notified the senior members of the political party in Delhi, and upon advice filed a complaint with the police.
Bangalore Joint Commissioner of Police Hemanth Nimbalkar had said that they also assisted the local police in Belgaum in arresting Waqar and has no jurisdiction in the matter, he told Times of India. He said, "We were requested by Belgaum police to make the arrest. Following the raid and questioning, we learnt that the four people living with Waqar had no role in the case. We arrested only Waqar. We have handed him over to Belgaum police."
The Indian paper said Waqar has been booked on public mischief-related charges.
Buzzfeed said Waqar's arrest came a couple of days after a man in Goa has posted unsavory messages about Modi. Devu Chodankar posted the status referring to the incumbent prime minister's overseeing of communal riots in the Gujurat state, "There is imminent threat of Holocaust as it happened in Gujarat through the garb of cunning government policies of Parrikar."
The 31 year-old later deleted the Facebook message and retracted his statements in a public forum. Chodankar was nonetheless booked on IT and misinterpretation charges.
