A 44 year-old man from Gujarat has been arrested by the Ahmedabad Police for allegedly posting insulting remarks about Hindu gods and goddesses on Facebook. Police investigation revealed that the accused, Shivabhai Ram, had also insulted the recently-deceased Chief of Defense Staff Bipin Rawat who died in a helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday.
Police did not arrest him for the remarks made about Rawat but for his alleged posts mocking Hindu deities, said the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Cell on Thursday. Shivabhai Ram is a resident of Bherai village in Rajula taluka of Gujarat's Amreli district according to the Cyber Crime Cell release.
Gujarat Police took action against the objectionable post after it was flagged by a few Twitter users, tagging the Gujarat Minister of State (MoS) Home Harsh Sanghavi.
The accused has been arrested on charges of promoting enmity between different groups under section 153-A, and for engaging in malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting religion under section 295-A of the IPC, the release said.
He had also used derogatory words for elected representatives in his Facebook posts in the past according to Assistant Commissioner of Police Jitendra Yadav who was involved in the matter.
Police speculation based on the nature of the posts made by Shivabhai Ram points towards political ambitions which fuelled his need to get attention or infamy online through making such controversial matter public. According to police, Ahir has been elected as a deputy sarpanch in his village back in 2010 to 2014.
Politicians and public alike have gathered in Delhi to pay their last respects to General Bipin Rawat, his wife and the other 11 deceased. Only three remains have been identified out of 13 while the remains of the Armed Forces officials who died accompanying them on the ill-fated flight are yet to be identified and sent home to their families.
Mortal remains of the deceased will be released to the next of kin only after positive identification and appropriate military rites of all personnel will be ensured in consultation with them once the official processes are completed. The lone survivor, Indian Air Force Group Captain Varun Singh, has been shifted to Command Hospital in Bengaluru for further treatment.