Controversy in Palghar: Heated Words Lead to Arrest

A man in Maharashtra's Palghar district was beaten and arrested after allegedly making derogatory remarks about Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on a WhatsApp group. The accused, Akshaydeep Visawadiya, faced backlash from residents who handed him to the police, leading to an FIR under multiple charges.

In a dramatic incident in Maharashtra's Palghar district, a man was assaulted and subsequently arrested for allegedly making objectionable remarks against the eminent Maratha king, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, on a WhatsApp group.

The accused, identified as Akshaydeep Bharatkumar Visawadiya, was allegedly attacked by residents of a housing society in the Vijay Nagar area of Nalasopara East on April 28. The controversy stemmed from a heated exchange concerning Gujarati and Marathi identities, during which insulting statements about Shivaji Maharaj were allegedly made by Visawadiya.

The incident, which was captured on video and circulated on social media, provoked outrage among locals. Police have registered a first information report against Visawadiya under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) concerning religious sentiments, defamation, and intent to provoke a breach of peace.

(With inputs from agencies.)