(Siasat News)Government suspended Superintendent of Police Ravindra Sengaonkar and transferred Ramchandra Bagade, the first-class judicial magistrate at Palghar for Facebook arrests. Officials also said that Palghar police inspector Shrikant Pingle would also be suspended.
Shaheen Dhada had posted a post on facebook on November 18, the post was against the shutdown due to Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray’s funeral and Shrinivasan had ‘liked’ the post. Seeing the post, the local Shiv Sena chief complained against the girls and cops arrested both of them on November 19.
Chief minister Prithiviraj Chavan and home minister R R Patil had promised action on Thursday. A detailed inquiry report was submitted by special inspector general Sukhwinder Singh on Friday. The report of Singh didn’t specify the action. However Additional chief secretary Amitabh Rajan recommended suspending Sengaonkar and Pingle and warning Nishandar.
Singh’s report confirmed that the charges under which girls are booked cant be justified, they were charged under 295-A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) and IT Act section 66A (sending a grossly offensive message through a communication device). Later, 295A was replaced with 505-2 (promoting enmity, hatred or ill will).
Union Telecom and IT minister Kapil Sibal and Minister of State for Communications and IT Milind Deora also condemned the arrests.
—Siasat News