MP: Two Dalit students booked for Facebook posts on Hindu gods, goddesses
In his Facebook post, Maheshwari had wondered why people worshipped Laxmi, Kuber and Ganesh on Diwali, when ideally they should be worshipping Ram for his return to Ayodhya.
Dalit activists in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone town on Tuesday protested an FIR against two students of the community for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through Facebook posts on Hindu gods and goddesses.
Police said the court would decide if the content of the posts were objectionable. (Reuters Representative Photo)
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Police booked Ritesh Maheshwari and Ojas Nijali, both 21 years old and students of Khargone Government Post-graduate College, on October 20 on the complaint of two other students of the institute.
In his Facebook post, Maheshwari had wondered why people worshipped Laxmi, Kuber and Ganesh on Diwali, when ideally they should be worshipping Ram for his return to Ayodhya.
Nijali had posted why India, the country of Laxmi and Kuber (associated with wealth), was “placed 100th on the World Hunger Index”.
The Anusuchit Jaati Janjati Sangharsh Morcha, a Dalit organisation, held protests at Khargone, about 338km southwest of state capital Bhopal, arguing that there was nothing objectionable in the posts. The protesters said booking the students was against their right to free speech.
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Khargone superintendent of police, D Kalyan Chakraborty, said, “One of the complainants, Abhishek Patidar, said that the posts had hurt his religious sentiments. We have lodged an FIR and are investigating.”
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Khargone superintendent of police, D Kalyan Chakraborty, said, “One of the complainants, Abhishek Patidar, said that the posts had hurt his religious sentiments. We have lodged an FIR and are investigating.”
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He said the court would decide if the content of the posts were objectionable. “People are unnecessarily trying to give a different colour to the case. No one has been arrested so far,” he added.
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.
