Two out of three men arrested for social media post ‘insulting’ Lord Ram

Two men have been arrested in Vasai for posting a video on social media insulting Hindu deities Lord Ram and Sita, with a search underway for a third person involved. The arrests were made to prevent communal tension similar to the recent incident in Mira Road. The accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Vasai/Virar: The police have arrested two men on Sunday from Vasai and are searching for the third person for posting a video on social media allegedly insulting Hindu deities Lord Ram and Sita.

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The Manikpur police officials said in order to avoid communal flare-ups like Mira Road, where mobs vandalised shops, the accused were proactively arrested. The men have been identified as Riyaz Jameel Khan, Aamir Israr Ahmed Shaikh, and Sultan Saijad Shaikh.

Senior police inspector Raju Mane said after the video went viral, the police traced the two young men and arrested them from their home in Vasai.

The officials said in the social media post, that one of the accused allegedly made indecent remarks regarding the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and Lord Ram.

“When we learnt about the posts, we took immediate action to avoid communal tension like Mira Road. We do not want the same tension in Vasai,” said a police officer from Manikpur police station.

The two accused were produced in Vasai Court on Monday which sent them to police custody till February 1. The search for the third accused is underway. The police are now finding out whether the three had posted the videos individually or were provoked by someone.

An officer said the three men were booked under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion… and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), section 505 (1) (2) (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement or report containing rumour or alarming news with intent to promote feelings of enmity, hatred and Section 34 (when multiple people perform illegal acts with a common goal) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).