Objectionable remarks against Shivaji: Palghar man beaten by locals, arrested

Palghar: A man was beaten up by locals and arrested in Maharashtra's Palghar district after he allegedly made objectionable remarks against Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on a WhatsApp group, police said on Sunday.

The accused, Akshaydeep Bharatkumar Visawadiya, was beaten up at a housing society in the Vijay Nagar area of Nalasopara East on April 28, an official said.

According to the police, there was a heated discussion on a WhatsApp group about Gujarati and Marathi identities, during which the accused allegedly made derogatory statements about Shivaji Maharaj.

Outraged by the remarks, a group of residents confronted Visawadiya, allegedly assaulted him, and handed him over to the police, the official said.

A video of the man being beaten up has surfaced on social media.

Based on a complaint, the police registered a first information report against Visawadiya under sections 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 356(2) (defamation), and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), he said.