The husband of a former BJP corporator from Navi Mumbai was arrested on Friday by the Koparkhairane police for allegedly sharing an objectionable image of a tweet against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on a WhatsApp group.
Accused Sandip Mhatre is a resident of Koparkhairane. The police said Mhatre on Thursday posted on a WhatsApp group an image of a tweet uploaded by Twitter handle @surya20111988, which had objectionable content against Thackeray.
“The defamatory post shared by the accused incited feelings and created animosity between the members of Shiv Sena and BJP. Hence, an FIR was registered against both based on a complaint lodged by one Vijayanagar Mane,” said an officer.
“The incident took place on Thursday afternoon. Based on Mane’s complaint, we registered the FIR and arrested the accused on Friday. He was produced in court and has been reminded to police custody till January 8,” the officer added.
The accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections for defamation, promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race and place of birth as well as common intention.
