Boy detained for Facebook post ’against Raj Thackeray’ let off

Mangalore Today/ NDTV

Palghar, Nov 29: A 19-year-old boy detained by the police in Palghar near Mumbai for an alleged abusive Facebook post against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray was let off this morning. Police suspect the boy’s Facebook account was hacked to put up the post and are investigating this.

Yesterday, the boy was detained for questioning after a complaint was filed by the MNS. Kundan Sankhe, president of the party’s Thane rural unit, had claimed the boy made "vulgar" comments about Raj Thackeray.

 

"Our Thane rural district MNS student wing president Bhavish complained to the police and asked them to investigate the matter," he said.

Then, a mob of MNS supporters reportedly surrounded the boy’s home and forcibly took him to the police station.

But the police did not charge the teenager immediately. He was shifted to the cyber-crime cell in Thane, from where he was released and returned to his home in Palghar today.

The police acted with restraint after running into trouble over the arrest of two women last week, also in Palghar, for objecting to the shutdown of Mumbai on the day of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s cremation. Two Palghar policemen were suspended after an inquiry into those arrests after nationwide outrage.


Facebook row: Officials to meet today to review Information Technology Act


New Delhi: Amid the raging debate over freedom of expression in the social media and instances of arrests of people, officials are meeting in Delhi today to review a controversial section in the Information Technology Act.

The Cyber Regulation Advisory Committee will be meeting to consider if section 66A of the Act is too draconian in the age of social media.

Section 66A provides for punishment for sending offensive messages through communication services. It was used by the police to make several arrests recently - of the two Palghar girls who put up Facebook posts on Bal Thackeray’s funeral and two Air India cabin crew members who allegedly put out offensive comments against politicians on Facebook.

Section 66A treats sending information by a computer resource or communication device as having committed an offence if the material is "grossly offensive, has menacing character, is sent to cause annoyance, insult and enmity or for criminal intimidation".

Experts feel the section is worded in such a way that it’s interpretation borders on the vague, leaving the law open to misuse.

In the meeting, officials are expected to define what words could be considered grossly offensive and whether complaints on controversial posts should be examined by senior officers before the police register an FIR.