LUCKNOW: A Samajwadi Party leader was arrested while a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) office bearer was booked in separate cases on Sunday over alleged derogatory remarks on social media, police said.
Scores of Samajwadi Party workers, including party chief Akhilesh Yadav, gathered at the Uttar Pradesh Police headquarters here soon after the arrest of Manish Jagan Agarwal, who worked at the party's social media cell.
Agarwal was arrested on a complaint of Richa Rajput, the social media in-charge of BJYM, who too was booked by the police in a separate case.
Rajput, in her complaint to the police, had said, "Responsible Samajwadi Party office bearers have threatened that I will be raped. They have also threatened to kill me. They have also made indecent and vulgar remarks against me."
Subsequently, a case was registered against unidentified persons under sections 354(A) (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and the IT Act at Hazratganj police station on January 4, police said.
On Sunday, a case was registered against Rajput at Hazratganj police station on the complaint of Naresh Uttam Patel, the chief of the UP unit of the Samajwadi Party, according to the police.
Patel, in his complaint, said, "Dr Richa Rajput through her verified Twitter account has tweeted using indecent language against Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav. The indecent comment made by Richa Rajput will encourage crime against women. Owing to this, there is anger among the Samajwadi Party workers and common public."
Rajput was booked under sections 294 (obscene acts and songs) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the IPC and the IT Act, police said.
ADG, Law and Order, Prashant Kumar, while briefing reporters at the police headquarters, said, "The national president of a party (referring to Akhilesh Yadav) had come to the DGP headquarters along with other MLAs. He asked why Manish Jagan Agarwal, who is linked to SP's media cell, has been detained."
He was informed that a case was registered against him, and two cases were registered against the media cell of the SP. "The arrest was made after detailed investigation of electronic footprint and information collected from the service provider," Kumar said.
He said the action taken by the police was as per the law.
"The person (Agarwal) has from time to time crossed the limits of decency. He had also tweeted against journalists using indecent language and having a casteist feeling," the ADG Law and Order said.
About the controversial tweets of Agarwal, Kumar said these were made since November last year.
"The Lucknow Police arrested him as there was a possibility of disturbance to law and order," he said.
Soon after the news of Agarwal's arrest surfaced, a number of Samajwadi Party workers gathered outside the state police headquarters here, demanding his immediate release.
Police erected barricades to prevent the SP workers from entering the headquarter premises.
SP leader and former Leader of Opposition in UP Legislative Council Sunil Lathar told PTI that Agarwal is associated with the party's social media cell.
Earlier in the day, Assistant CP, Hazratganj, Arvind Kumar Verma told PTI, "Manish Jagan Agarwal has been arrested for making indecent and derogatory remarks on social media. He was arrested on Sunday morning. A case was registered against him on January 4 under the IT Act."
"He has made indecent and derogatory remarks on social media including on women," Verma said, adding different cases are registered against Agarwal in this regard.
In a tweet in Hindi, the Samajwadi Party said, "Honourable national president (of Samajwadi Party) Akhilesh Yadav has reached police headquarters, Lucknow. There is no responsible ('zimmedaar') person at the headquarters."
The party's official Twitter handle also posted photographs of Yadav, SP leader Rajendra Chaudhary and others at the police headquarters.
The party termed the arrest of Agarwal as "condemnable" and "shameful".
SP's chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary, who was also present at the place, told PTI, "So far, no person has met us here (at the UP police headquarters). SP's national president Akhilesh Yadav is at the UP Police Headquarters. We are trying to ascertain the reason for which SP worker Manish Jagan Agarwal has been arrested."
While he was waiting at the headquarters, Samajwadi Party chief Yadav refused to have tea offered to him, alleging he might be "poisoned".
In a video that was flashed on news channels, Yadav could be heard saying, "I will not drink the tea of this place. I will have tea from outside (the UP Police headquarters). I cannot drink. If poison is given, then? (hum nahi pee sakte hai, zahar de doge tab?) Yes, I do not have faith (in this tea). I will order from outside. You (addressing to the person serving tea) have your tea, I will have my tea)."
The SP chief was then heard instructing a person to see whether any tea shop had opened outside.
Later, speaking to reporters, Yadav said the police and the administration were acting as the party workers of the BJP.
"When I reached the police headquarters, no one was seen, and it was lying empty. If there is no one to listen to in the police headquarters, then imagine the situation across UP," he said.
Responding to allegations of Yadav that he might have been "poisoned", ADG, Law and Order, Kumar told reporters, "A national president of a party had come to the DGP headquarters here.
Since he is an MLA, he was allowed to come in.
Other MLAs who accompanied him were also allowed to come inside the office.
The rest of the people were not.
"Since it was Sunday, officials were present as per requirement, and he (Yadav) spoke with them. Officials of the local police also came. Subsequently, officials who were present here offered him tea, and he had tea. They properly presented themselves and listened to him. He was briefed about everything, and he went from here satisfied," Kumar added.
He said no information was given in advance about the visit of Yadav to the UP police headquarters.