Bhubaneswar: The Commissionerate Police on Monday arrested another youth from Cuttack for allegedly posting provocative content on social media in the aftermath of the violent clash during the Durga Puja idol immersion procession in Cuttack’s Dargha Bazaar area on October 3.
The accused, identified as Arshad Ali, a resident of Jagatpur in Cuttack district, had reportedly gone live on Instagram along with his friends. During the livestream, the group allegedly made statements capable of inciting communal tensions.
With this arrest, the number of persons arrested for spreading inflammatory content on social media related to the incident has risen to three.
“After the clash during the immersion procession, several persons were found circulating inflammatory content online. Arshad Ali was among them. He was seen in an Instagram live video discussing the incident in a manner that promoted communal disharmony,” said Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh while addressing the media.
The matter came to light after Radhamadhab Dash, a resident of Old Town, Bhubaneswar, lodged a complaint on October 9. Based on the evidence collected from Ali’s Instagram account, police arrested him on Monday.
Though Ali later released an apology video, police said the original content had already gone viral. He has been booked under relevant sections of the IT Act and provisions pertaining to national integration.
The Police Commissioner reiterated a stern warning against online hate speech.
“While many have responded positively to our appeals against spreading hate, a few continue to circulate anti-social and anti-national content. We are taking strict action in all such cases,” Singh added.
