Uttar Pradesh:In a recent turn of events, two men, including a journalist, were taken into custody after allegedly making offensive statements on social media about the Maha Kumbh and Hindu deities, reports said. The Maha Kumbh Mela is a major Hindu pilgrimage and festival, celebrated once every 12 years. It began inPrayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on January 13, 2025, and will continue till February 26, 2025.

Meanwhile, amid the festive celebrations, these remarks led to widespread outrage among the Hindu community, prompting authorities to take legal action in the matter. These authorities have also issued an alert over increasing social media monitoring.

Journalist Accused of Offensive Speech

The journalist named Kamran Alvi has been detained by the police. He is a self-described journalist with more than 9,000 followers on Facebook. His arrest has been made following a posted video online related to Maha Kumbh, violating the religious sentiments of the Hindu community. According to SHO Alok Mani Tripathi, his words were found to be offensive by the members of the community.

The accused was promptly arrested, and a case was registered under section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the BNS Act for insulting religious symbols. He will be presented in the court, SHO Tripathi added.

Meanwhile, the police have been looking into the matter closely to find the people involved in circulating the video over the internet.

Another Arrest in the Matter

In the wake of this incident, another man from Boja Village, near Jaidpur, Abhishek Kumar, has been arrested for making objectionable remarks on social media about Hindi deities and Maha Kumbh. A case has been registered, and the accused has been arrested.

Bareilly hate message case

This is to be noted that earlier this month, a 30-year-old man has been arrested for posting hateful and offensive messages on social media, including threats to rape Hindu women, blast the Ram temple in Ayodhya, and disrupt the Maha Kumbh.

He has been arrested by the authorities within 12 hours after they received a complaint from Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader KK Shankdhar. The man has been charged with sections including BNS for promoting hatred and offending religious sentiments.