Police in India have arrested a woman they say
criticised on Facebook the shutdown of the city of Mumbai after the
death of politician Bal Thackeray.
A woman friend who “liked” the comment was also
arrested, they said.
The women, accused of “hurting religious
sentiments”, were released on bail after appearing in court in the town of
Palghar, police told the BBC.
The death of the controversial Hindu nationalist
politician on Saturday afternoon brought Mumbai to a halt.
Thackeray, one of the most divisive figures in
Indian politics, was blamed for inciting tensions between Hindus and Muslims
and was revered by his followers.
News of his death saw businesses shutting and
taxis staying off the roads amid fears of violence by supporters of the
right-wing Shiv Sena party he founded.
While his supporters grieved, many others were
angered by the inconvenience to commuters and several people were critical on
social media sites.
In her Facebook comment, the 21-year-old
wrote, “People like Thackeray are born and die daily and one should not observe
a ‘bandh’ (shutdown) for that.”
In recent months, police have arrested a number
of people in cases which are being seen as a test of India’s commitment to
freedom of speech.
In October, Ravi Srinivasan, a 46-year-old
businessman in the southern Indian city of Pondicherry, was arrested for a tweet
criticising Karti Chidambaram, son of Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram. He
was later released on bail.
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