Insult to Mahatma Gandhi: Woman's reel with Rs 500 note lands her in custody
The accused has been identified as 47-year-old Simran Patel, who has around 10 lakh followers on Instagram. A case was registered against her by the Surat cyber crime cell on the basis of a complaint registered by a social activist.
An influencer has been arrested in Gujarat's Surat after she made a reel that, according to police, showed Mahatma Gandhi's image on a currency note in a sexually suggestive manner.
The accused has been identified as 47-year-old Simran Patel, who has around 10 lakh followers on Instagram. A case was registered against her by the Surat cyber crime cell on the basis of a complaint registered by a social activist.
The police said the reel was posted on October 1, a day before Gandhi Jayanti.
According to the complaint, the video featured the image of Mahatma Gandhi on a 500 currency note and portrayed it in an offensive manner.
In the reel, the woman is seen stuffing the currency note into her T-shirt while singing "Happy Birthday Gandhi Ji."
The complainant alleged that Simran used vulgar and derogatory gestures to give the video a sexual context.
The video went viral on social media, sparking widespread anger, the police said.
During the probe into the matter, police examined the Instagram account and digital and technical evidence linked to the viral video. This led them to identifying and arresting Simran.
The police have invoked Section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 against her.
The complaint in the matter was lodged by Dharmesh Gami, who heads an outfit called Gau Raksha Manch (cow protection platform).
Speaking about the police action, he said, "We felt that making such an insulting video was not appropriate. So we lodged a complaint with the cyber police and got a case registered."
POLICE WARN AGAINST OBSCENE CONTENT
Investigators are now looking into when and with what intention the reel was created, as well as how it was circulated on social media.
The Surat cyber crime also warned social media users against posting obscene, objectionable, controversial or derogatory content involving national figures or religious and social symbols in an attempt to gain likes, followers or popularity.