A hawker from Murshidabad was arrested by police in Bankura for allegedly sharing “anti-India posts” on social media.
Imran Sheikh, who is in his 20s, was beaten up by local BJP workers before he was handed over to the police.
Sources said that BJP workers made him hold his ears, do squats, and chant “Hindustan Zindabad”.
“The hawker from Murshidabad had posted various anti-India pictures and writings on his Facebook page. He also supported Pakistan in his post. As soon as the matter came to our attention, we, along with the public, caught him and handed him over to the police,” Govind Ghosh, a local BJP leader, said.
“In the coming days, we have demanded that such anti-nationals in the area be identified and arrested immediately,” he added.
Sheikh has been booked under BNS sections 196 (promotion of enmity), 152, 352 (Acts endangering sovereignty), and 353(1) (mischief).
“We are continuously monitoring social media for anti-national and hateful content. Appropriate measures will be taken in such cases,” the local police said.
Sheikh’s arrest follows similar incidents in the area. On Saturday night, a youth was arrested in the Raipur block of Bankura for allegedly posting disrespectful content about the Indian Army on social media. The same day, police in Barasat in North 24 Parganas district arrested another youth from Murshidabad on similar charges based on a complaint from his colleagues.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com.