Left red-faced by the arrest of Shaheen Dhada and her friend Renu Srinivasan and Shiv Sena activists vandalising the hospital belonging to the kin of the two women, who had voiced their objection on Facebook about the bandh after Bal Thackeray’s demise, police on Tuesday claimed to have arrested nine Sena cadre for vandalising the hospital belonging to Shaheen’s uncle Abdul Dhada. SP of Thane Ravindra Sengaonkar said police were on the look out for other culprits.
Shaheen Dhada (21), a resident of Palghar in Thane district, had posted objections to the bandh called by Shiv Sena activists. Renu had ‘liked’ her comment.
Meanwhile, State Home Minister R R Patil tried to wriggle out of the tight spot he found himself by citing ambiguity in cyber laws. “One may feel hurt by some comment posted on a social networking site, but others may not feel so. Such ambiguity leads to confusion,” Patil said.
Advocate Abha Singh has said that she filed a complaint with the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, alleging rights violation in the arrest of the two women. However, Shiv Sena spokesperson MP Sanjay Raut defended the police action saying: “Sena activists were naturally upset at the misuse of social media to post provocative comments.”