On May 19, YouTuber and political commentator Dhruv Rathee posted a 29-minute video titled ‘The Narendra Modi Files | A DICTATOR Mentality?’.
https://thewire.in/rights/dhruv-rathee-modi-video-vasai-police-adesh-bansode
The video, like most of his work, went viral in no time and garnered over 15 million views. In this video, Rathee critically looks at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governance over the past two decades – first, as the chief minister of Gujarat and then as the country’s prime minister. He terms his approach “dictatorial”.
While the video continues to be widely shared across social media platforms, the Vasai-based Manikpur police have considered sharing of this video a “crime”.
The police have registered an FIR against Adesh Bansode, a city-based lawyer and also a state secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) for sharing the video on a WhatsApp group of lawyers.
A first information report was subsequently registered and Bansode was booked under section Section 188, 171 (F), 171 (G) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 123(4) of the Representation of the People Act (RPA). Section 188 applies when a person tends to or causes danger to human life with his disobedience; Section 171 (F) defines punishment for undue influence or personation at an election and Section 171 (G) is applied when a person makes false statement in connection with an election.
01/06/2024