LUCKNOW: Journalist Prashant Kanojia was picked up by Uttar Pradesh Police yet again from his Delhi house on Tuesday for allegedly posting a morphed tweet related to Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
This is the third time UP Police has booked the journalist in connection with a social media post.
According to sources, Kanojia was held from his residence at around 1 pm. He was taken to Vasant Vihar police station in New Delhi and the police personnel claimed that he would be produced in court for transit remand and then taken to Lucknow thereafter.
The case against Kanojia has been lodged in Hazaratganj police station in Lucknow accusing Kanojia of tweeting a morphed photo of a social media post made by Hindu Army leader Sushil Tiwari to spread hatred.
As per the sources, the journalist has been booked under several sections including Section 153A, 153 B, 420, 465, 468, 469 of the Indian Penal Code. Notably, the Facebook post by Tiwari in reference demanded that Vedic studies should immediately replace Islamic studies in UPSC.
However, in the photo tweeted by Kanojia, the image and background looked the same but the text read: “No Shudra, SC, ST or OBCs will be allowed inside Ram Mandir.” Kanojia tweeted with the caption: “According to Tiwari’s orders.”
Though the tweet was no more showing on the profile of Kanojia but social media users shared a screenshot of the tweet allegedly posted on 16 August. Kanojia has been a habitual trouble maker on social media. He was arrested for sharing a video of a woman who claimed that she had been video-calling UP CM Yogi Adityanath and that she wanted to marry him in June last year. He was arrested in April, this year for “objectionable tweets” against PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath.