Bengaluru: Bengaluru's cybercrime police have arrested an X user for a tweet targeting Muslims and the Congress party's manifesto.
Vinit Naik, who uses the moniker Bhiku Mhatre (@MumbaichaDon) on X (formerly Twitter), was arrested from Ponda in Goa on Saturday.
Police acted on an FIR registered on April 29 at the Cyber Crime Police Station, Bengaluru, based on a complaint from J Saravanan, a Congress party worker.
The FIR noted that Naik through his X handle posted on April 22 about the Congress manifesto.
“Throw this in face of Every Liberal & Every Piddi who was arguing that CONgress Menifesto doesn't mention “Mu$£ims" specifically & it includes SC/STs Also,” the now deleted post by Naik reads as per the FIR.
The FIR also noted that Naik shared a photograph of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah making a speech.
“Through this, the person has intended to sow hatred between Hindus and Muslims, disrupt the communal harmony and ruin the name of the Congress party,” the FIR noted.
Naik was booked under IPC Section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth and residence) and Section 66C (punishment for identity theft) of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Meanwhile, as soon as the news of Naik’s arrest became public, social media was flooded with messages of support from right-wing accounts and senior BJP leaders.
"This is blatant abuse of power by Karnataka Congress Govt,” LS Tejasvi Surya, BJP MP and national president, BJP Yuva Morcha, posted on X. “We will fight this, both inside courts and outside."
“Spoke to @Tejasvi_Surya re the case . Legal support has been assured,” Smriti Irani, Union Minister and BJP MP, posted on X.
Amit Malviya, in charge of the BJP's National Information and Technology Department, said Congress was "intolerant of dissent".
“Karnataka Police has arrested @MumbaichaDon from Goa. We are in touch with his family and will ensure he gets all legal support. Congress has unleashed anarchy and is intolerant of dissent. But there won’t be another #Emergency in this country, ever,” he posted on X.
“So karnataka Police arrested @MumbaichaDon over unknown reasons (FIR copy says some tweets regarding Congress manifesto) and taking him to Bengaluru… This is pure misuse of power by Congress... Shame,” posted Mr Sinha, a popular right-wing account on X.
This arrest is the third in a series of arrest of political volunteers by warring parties.
Earlier this month, on May 3, Congress volunteer Arun Reddy, who runs the ‘Spirit of Congress’ handle, was arrested by the Delhi Police for posting a doctored video of one of union home minister Amit Shah’s speeches. He was later released on bail. Last month, 31-year-old Reetom Singh, who is the Congress’s War Room Coordinator in Assam, was also arrested on April 29 in Guwahati for posting a video of Shah which was allegedly 'fake'.