Kolhapur shopkeeper arrested for posting Tipu Sultan image on social media

According to the Kolhapur district police, an image of Tipu Sultan was posted on Sunday evening on the social media account of the Kagal resident. The text along with the image said ‘Bharat ka Sher, Shaheed Tipu Sultan (Tiger of India, Martyr Tipu Sultan)’, said a senior police officer.

After the status message and its screenshots were widely shared on social media groups in Kagal and surrounding areas, some Hindutva outfits met the police and demanded action. “Based on the initial investigation, we have arrested a 38-year-old who posted the image of Tipu Sultan. He is a resident of Kagal and runs a shop of daily need items,” said Sanket Gosavi, Deputy Superintendent of Police for Karveer Division, Kolhapur district.

The act of posting a photo of Tipu Sultan in the backdrop of multiple recent cases can potentially affect communal harmony, and hence action was taken, said a senior officer from Kolhapur district police.

“We urge the local community to exercise restraint on social media and public places. As a preemptive measure, we have deployed adequate police force in Kagal town and are keeping a close watch on the situation,” the officer said.

Last week, the police in Kolhapur city resorted to a lathicharge and use of teargas to control an unruly mob after miscreants pelted stones during a bandh called by pro-Hindutva outfits seeking action against certain objectionable social media posts. Internet services were suspended in Kolhapur city for a day following the incident as a precautionary measure. The police arrested several people in connection with the violence, rioting and vandalism.

Earlier, the Kolhapur police had launched a probe into some social media status messages showing the images of Tipu Sultan accompanied by an objectionable slogan in the form of an audio which was allegedly posted by some youths. After the pro-Hindutva outfits reported the status messages to the police, the officers registered a case and arrested seven people, including some minors, for posting objectionable content.

The same objectionable slogan, that was used with the social media posts by people in Kolhapur, was chanted along with a poster of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb during a procession held in Ahmednagar district during a Urs procession of Dam Bara Hazari Baba dargah in Fakirwada area of Ahmednagar on June 4.