Insult to Gandhi? Rajasthan youth in soup for sharing cartoon on Facebook

Insult to Gandhi? Rajasthan youth in soup for sharing cartoon on Facebook

http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/RAJ-JPR-insult-to-gandhi-rajasthan...

Daily Bhaskar

Jaipur: The issue of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi hogged national limelight and even court pulled up the Maharashtra Government for slapping serious charges on him including sedition, but a journalist and social activist from Rajasthan is hiding since the last three months for just sharing a cartoon on the social networking site Facebook.

Satyendra Murli of Jaipur who raises issues relating to women had only shared a cartoon showing Mahatma Gandhi with a few women in the month of June on his FB account but soon a case was lodged against him under various sections charging him of insulting the Father of the Nation.

“On my Facebook account I had shared a cartoon showing Gandhiji with a few women. As I raise women issues, I wrote a comment under the cartoon, ‘Are Indian women not awaken this much that they could raise voice against exploitation,’ and shared it with some people,” Murli told DNA.

Soon, one Lokesh Sharma, a Congress leader lodged a case (no 141/12 dated June 6) at Mahesh Nagar police station under sections 67, 67 A of IT Act, 4 and 6 of Indecent Representative of Women (Prohibition) Act and 292 of Indian Penal Code against Murli. Sharma also mentioned in the FIR that Murli insulted the Father of the Nation.

“But, it was not a cartoon made by me or the caption which was insulting to Gandhiji. I removed the cartoon from my Facebook account within 24 hours and sent a clarification to the police. However, the police raided my house. In my absence, they tortured my sister and bhabhi and took my bike and are still hunting for me,” said Murli.