New Delhi | Delhi based freelance journalist Prashant Kanojia was arrested yesterday for sharing ‘objectionable content’ on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Mr Kanojia was arrested after a complaint by a UP Police officer who accused him of “maligning” the Chief Minister’s image.
He had shared a video on Twitter and Facebook where a woman is seen speaking to reporters of various media organisations outside Yogi Adityanath’s office, claiming that she had sent him a marriage proposal. He had posted with his personal comment on it.
An FIR was lodged against Kanojia at Lucknow’s Hazratganj police station under Sections 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 500 (defamation) of the IPC, and Section 67 of The Information Technology Act (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) on a complaint filed by Sub-Inspector Vikas Kumar, Investigating Officer Sub-Inspector Vijender Mishra said.
The man’s wife told that UP police personnel had picked him up from their home in Delhi on Saturday afternoon.
She further said that the men who picked him up were in civil clothes. They did not show any warrant for an arrest.
“He told me they were on the Agra highway and that he was okay… it was just a joke, just a tweet,” the wife told The Indian Express.
Many people on Twitter condemned the journalist’s arrest.
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