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A few hours after Mhatre’s post, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya announced that Karnataka Police had arrested MumbaichaDon from Goa. (Screengrab)
Karnataka Police arrests man from Goa over social media post against Congress manifesto, sparking controversy
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has vowed to provide legal help to an influencer named “Bhiku Mhatre” after reports emerged about his arrest by Karnataka Police over a now-deleted post on social media in connection with the Congress manifesto.
Mhatre, who has an X handle titled “MumbaichaDon,” reportedly alleged in his post last month that the Congress “wants to take away wealth from Hindus and distribute it to Muslims as it hates Hindus” — a claim the party has strongly denied. The arrest of “Bhiku Mhatre” came after a Congress worker from Bengaluru filed a complaint with the cybercrime police on April 29, according to The Indian Express. The police then registered a case against the X user under section 153(a) of the Indian Penal Code and 66(c) of the Information Technology Act.
This is blatant abuse of power by Karnataka Congress Govt.We will fight this, both inside courts and outside. https://t.co/mCB8dkK1y5
— Tejasvi Surya (ಮೋದಿಯ ಪರಿವಾರ) (@Tejasvi_Surya) May 18, 2024
‘Blatant abuse of power’
In a Saturday afternoon post on X, Bhiku Mhatre posted a notice issued to him by X after it received a court against from the magistrate Bengaluru City regarding his account ‘@MumbaichaDon’. “This court order obligates X to produce information related to your account. We cannot give you any legal advice, but suggest that you may wish to seek your own legal counsel in this matter,” the notice read.
“This is a blatant abuse of power by Karnataka Congress Govt. We will fight this, both inside courts and outside,” BJP Karnataka leader Tejasvi Surya said. “So it seems CONgress wants to intimidate me for speaking Truth. I’m ready to fight against any injustice & will take full Judicial Course even if that means approaching Highest Court, as I have never written anything which may be called as inflammatory or communal,” Mhatre had said.
So it seems CONgress wants to intimidate me for speaking Truth. I’m ready to fight against any injustice & will take full Judicial Course even if that means approaching Highest Court, as I have never written anything which may be called as inflammatory or communal.जय महाकाल pic.twitter.com/mmZZwz1mT5
— BhikuMhatre (Modi’s Family) (@MumbaichaDon) May 18, 2024
‘Congress wants to intimidate’
After Mhatre’s arrest was announced, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said, “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 said. BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde also strongly condemned the arrest of influencer “@MumbaichaDon”. “It is a blatant attack on free speech and a dangerous precedent. They need to know that democracy thrives on diverse opinions, not suppression,” he said.
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