The Kolkata Police has issued a stern demand for the identity of the creators behind a meme targeting Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
In response to the controversial meme, the police urged the makers to disclose their names and addresses promptly, warning of potential legal consequences under section 42 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) if they fail to comply.
This is not the first instance of the Bengal police taking action against social media content deemed offensive to the Chief Minister. In a similar incident in 2022, a 29-year-old YouTuber was arrested from Nadia district for allegedly creating derogatory memes about Mamata Banerjee. The police's crackdown also targeted seven other content creators named in the complaint.
In a separate incident in 2019, a member of the BJP youth wing faced arrest for posting a manipulated photo of Banerjee on Facebook.
The trend of legal action against individuals for posting objectionable content on social media began in 2012 when a professor from Kolkata's prestigious Jadavpur University, Ambikesh Mahapatra, was arrested for forwarding an email containing a cartoon depicting Mamata Banerjee. This incident ignited a nationwide debate on the boundaries of freedom of speech and expression, especially concerning political figures.
Over the years, several individuals across the country have faced legal repercussions for posting content deemed offensive to various leaders, including Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
The recent incident involving the meme targeting Mamata Banerjee occurs amidst heightened political tensions between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP over Bengal's 42 parliamentary seats.