A woman has been arrested for objectionable post on Himanta Biswa Sarma.
A woman from a village in Assam's Nalbari district was briefly arrested for allegedly uploading an "objectionable post", proposing to "gift" cow meat to state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, said the police.
"Yesterday a girl uploaded 'objectionable post' in her WhatsApp status. We have registered a case and arrested her. Later she was released on bail because it was a bailable offence," a top police official said.
It is the first such case of arrest after the state government tabled the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, 2021, to regulate illegal transportation of cattle and sale of beef in Assam. The Bill also proposes to forbid sale and purchase of beef in places predominantly inhabited by Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other non-beef eating communities or within a radius of 5 km of any temple.
The woman on Wednesday had uploaded a photo of a dead cow on her WhatsApp status and in the second picture, she proposed to present the Chief Minister the meat of the animal.
"The girl had allegedly mentioned in her WhatsApp status to 'gift' a piece of beef to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. On Wednesday, Muslim community celebrated Eid Ul adha all over the world and such kind of 'objectionable post' meant for Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will create disharmony among the two communities," said a police official.
The accused is the daughter of a former local BJP leader.
The Nalbari unit of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) filed a case for creating communal disharmony between the two communities.
"Such controversial post is an insult to the Hindu culture. We can't tolerate such attempts to insult our culture. The Hindus regard cow as sacred then how could she post such an 'objectionable post' in her WhatsApp status," said a member of Vishva Hindu Parishad.