Man, son arrested for sharing objectionable pic of PM on Whatsapp groups

A man and his 21-year-old son were arrested here on Monday after they allegedly shared an objectionable picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Whatsapp groups, police said.

Abdul Salaam (45) and his son Rahmat have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 153A (promoting enmity between groups), 505 (public mischief) and 506 (criminal intimidation), the police said.

"A city resident had informed the local police about an objectionable picture of the prime minister being shared on Whatsapp groups by Abdul Salaam. The resident said when he confronted the accused, he was threatened by the father-son duo," a police official said.

The FIR against the accused, both residents of Sharmik Kunj in Sector 93 and engaged in taxi service, has been lodged at Phase 2 police station, the official said.

Earlier, a man was arrested in Greater Noida on April 5 for allegedly spreading false rumours related to the coronavirus pandemic which could have triggered panic and disharmony among people, the police had said and booked him under IPC 153A, 505, among others.

On April 2, two people were arrested in Greater Noida for allegedly fanning communal violence after arumourrelated to COVID-19 was shared on a Whatsapp group by one of them, the police said.

One of them, a lawyer by profession, was the admin (someone who can add or remove contacts in a group on the popular instant messaging app) of the Whatsapp group, while the other was a member who shared the objectionable post, the police said.