Actor and BJP leader S Ve Shekher has reportedly been booked by the Chennai Cyber Crime department days after he had shared a post on Facebook that insulted women journalists.
According to The News Minute, the actor has been booked under Indian Penal Code Section 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), Section 505 (1) (c) (Statements conducing to public mischief: Whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report with intent to incite, or which is likely to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community, Section 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act (Penalty for harassment of woman).
On April 20, several members of the media fraternity protested outside his residence in Mylapore, damaging posters with his face on it, and pelting stones and shoes at his house.
According to The Hindu, the police had arrested the journalists and detained them in a community welfare hall, releasing them later. Following a complaint by Shekher, the Foreshore Estate Police booked cases against 30 persons for offences under sections 147 (Rioting), 148 (Rioting armed with a deadly weapon), 323 (Voluntarily causing hurt), 336 (Doing any act which endangers human life or the personal safety of others) and 506(i) (Criminal Intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) and Section 3(Punishment for committing mischief in respect of any public property) of the Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act, 1992.
The post titled “Madurai university, governor and the virgin cheeks of a girl”, which has now been removed, claimed that the journalist, Lakshmi Subramanian, who had called out Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit for patting her cheek without consent, and had made the accusation to defame the BJP government at the Centre.
The BJP leader later issued a statement apologising for the incident and said, “When it was pointed out by a friend of mine the content was abusive one, & it was removed immediately. I do not endorse the views expressed in it. I come from a family that respects women & the women journalist,” he said.
Politicians such as DMK’s Kanimozhi and even the Nadigar Sangam condemned Shekher’s post, calling out the misogyny he harbours.
Posting something derogatory & deleting it subsequently has become a habit among BJP leaders. Unless BJP high command takes firm action against https://t.co/C7zsSthUD9.Shekar it can only be construed that the BJP high command endorses these views.
2/3— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) April 20, 2018
