BJP leader arrested for 'objectionable' Facebook post in support of Nupur Sharma

Adityapur/ Ballia: A local BJP leader was arrested in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharswan district for an "objectionable" Facebook post in support of the party's now-suspended spokesperson Nupur Sharma, police said on Tuesday.

Anisha Sinha, an executive committee member of the BJP's district committee, was arrested on Monday, they said.

A case was filed under IPC section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), they added.

Her mobile phone was seized, police said.

The district has been on alert after Sharma's inflammatory comments on Prophet Mohammad triggered widespread violence in Ranchi, they said.

Monitoring of social media has been intensified to prevent any flare-up, police said.

BJP's Seraikela-Kharswan district president Bijay Mahato expressed anguish over Sinha's arrest, stating that she has already apologised for her "mistake" at the police station.

BJP workers and leaders are being targeted by the police at the behest of the government, he alleged.

In a similar instance, a 25-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly uploading an objectionable post on Prophet Mohammad on social media, a police official said.

Bajrang Singh Rajput, a resident of Kureji village in Rasra area, allegedly uploaded the post on Instagram on Sunday, Rasra Circle Officer Shiv Narain Vaish said.

The matter came into light after a person in a tweet urged the police to take action against the accused, Vaish said.

Taking cognisance of the complaint, police registered a case against Rajput and arrested him, the official said.