Indian Press Council Chief slams Facebook arrests

November 20, 2012: The arrest of two women on Monday over a comment on Facebook has sparked off widespread anger in India. One of the women had criticised the shutdown of Mumbai in her post, after the death of politician Bal Thackeray, while the other "liked" the comment.

Press Council of India chairperson Markandey Katju has criticized their arrest. “To my mind it is absured to say that protesting against a bandh (general strike) hurts religious sentiments,” Katju said in a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Monday.

The women, accused of "promoting enmity between classes", were released on bail after appearing in court. The death of the controversial Hindu nationalist politician on Saturday afternoon brought Mumbai to a halt.

In her Facebook comment on Sunday, 21-year-old Shaheen Dhanda wrote: "People like Thackeray are born and die daily and one should not observe a 'bandh' [shutdown] for that." Her 20-year-old friend Renu Srinivasan 'liked' the status.

Katju, a former Supreme Court judge, reiterated that the Indian Constitution allowed freedom of speech as a fundamental right. “We are living in a democracy, not a fascist dictatorship,” he said and pointed out that the arrests were tantamount to be arresting and confining “wrongfully” someone who has committed no crime.

He wants Chavan to probe the arrests and take action against officers responsible.