Delhi Police arrested the man from Bhopal without telling Madhya Pradesh counterparts. (Representational)
A social media activist was arrested from Bhopal on Tuesday for allegedly posting messages that hurt religious sentiments on Internet platforms, a release from the Delhi Police said. The accused has been produced before a city court and placed in police custody, it added.
The arrest of the accused -- Abhishek Mishra -- from the Madhya Pradesh capital had given rise to a major controversy, with the state police complaining that they were not informed about the Delhi Police's operation. The state police has lodged a strong objection with Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, asserting that Mr Mishra's clandestine arrest amounts to violating Supreme Court directives.
Madhya Pradesh police claimed that a few unidentified people arrived at Mr Mishra's residence in Bhopal's Rajeev Nagar around 8:30 pm that day and whisked him away in a waiting vehicle. As nobody identified them as policemen, it was initially feared that he had been abducted. A subsequent investigation revealed that he had been arrested by Praveen Kumar, Inspector of the Cyber Crime Unit (Special Cell), Delhi Police.
The Madhya Pradesh Home Department, in its letter to Mr Patnaik, said an investigation should be launched into the police operation. It also wanted the Delhi police to inform it of action taken against the officer responsible for the "inappropriate act".
(With inputs from PTI)