Defamatory comments on the Facebook have landed a rights activist behind the bars. Prakasam district police in Andhra Pradesh have arrested People’s Union of Civil liberties State president Jaya Vindhyalaya after a local legislator Krishna Mohan complained that she had published objectionable material on her Facebook page against him as well as Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah, who also hails from the district.
A local magistrate remanded her to 12 days judicial custody and she was lodged in Ongole sub jail. According to the Prakasam district Superintendent of Police K Raghurami Reddy, Krishna Mohan lodged a complained to the police two weeks ago about the defamatory comments tarnishing his image and derogatory references to the Governor of Tamil Nadu.
“During the preliminary investigation we found that the comments were published on Facebook using the data card issued by Tata Teleservices to Jaya Vindhyalaya”, he said. During the questioning by the police Vindhyalaya, a lawyer, defended the post as “true”. Raghurami Reddy said she was arrested under Section 66 A of the Information Technology Act.
Provocative postings on the Facebook targeting the religious sentiments had triggered communal trouble at many places in Andhra Pradesh but it first time that somebody has been arrested for targeting the political figures.