Will arrest those who defamed Savitribai Phule: Fadnavis

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis assures arrest of those responsible for objectionable posts on social reformer Savitribai Phule; three letters written to Twitter.

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday assured the state assembly that the persons responsible for writing objectionable posts on Maharashtra’s renowned social reformer, Savitribai Phule, would be arrested at any cost. The posts appeared two months ago on social media platform Twitter and the people concerned were booked the same day.

Mumbai, India - July 24, 2023:Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis, during monsoon assembly session at Vidhan Bhavan, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, July 24, 2023. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Fadnavis said the state government had written three letters to Twitter for the details of a handle called @bhardwajspeaks, where the posts against Phule were posted and subsequently carried by two websites called Indic Tales and Hindu Post. The handle and both websites have been booked in the case.

An article titled ‘Why Hindu female teachers before Savitribai Phule are not recognised’, published by Indic Tales, alleged that Savitribai Phule’s school was sponsored by British missionaries and questioned the motives of the latter in supporting her project. The article also went on to claim that the British used Indian women to fulfil the sexual needs of their soldiers stationed in military cantonments, terming it “surgical rape”.

The article led to an uproar, as opposition parties demanded action against the websites and the author. A case was filed against them the same day.

Condemning the incident, Fadnavis said the accused would not be spared, as the government would brook no insult to Savitribai. “A case was filed the same day that the matter came to light,” he said. “A Twitter handle named ‘Bhardwajspeaks’ and two websites have been booked by the Mumbai police. They are also in touch with Twitter India, and the person will be arrested as soon as they get his details.” Twitter, as a matter of course, takes two to three months to provide details of handles, and is thus expected to respond soon.

Savitribai Phule is regarded as the pioneer of girls’ education in Maharashtra at a time when girls were not allowed to join schools. Phule and her associates faced strong opposition and even harassment from fundamentalists who were against female education.