2 arrested for hurting religious sentiment

A 22-year-old Mahim youth and his younger brother were arrested for hurting religious sentiment by posting an inappropriate picture of a deity on a social networking site.

The youth who had failed Class X examinations four times in a row was apparently angry with the deity for not answering his prayers and posted the inappropriate picture of the deity as an act of revenge, police said.

According to senior PI N Mhetar of Shahu Nagar police station, the youth, Mani Tirupati, had failed class 10 exams four times in a row and was upset with the deity for not answering his prayers.

"He had prayed to the deity to help him clear his class 10 mathematics paper but he failed for the fourth time. With the help of his brother, he posted an inappropriate picture of the deity on a social networking site," said Mhetar.

The picture started doing the rounds of the site earlier this week, and police tracked him down through Internet Protocol (IP) address and arrested him and his 20-year-old brother Laxminarayan from their Mahim home on Friday.

They were arrested under Section 295 (A) (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and Section 66 (A) of the Information Technology Act.

They have been remanded in police custody till July 30.

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