A meme on Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has drawn a strong response from the Kolkata Police, which demanded that the makers reveal their name and addresses.
“You are directed to immediately disclose your identity including name and residence. If the information sought is not revealed, you shall be liable for legal action u/s 42 CrPC,” read a post from the Kolkata Police responding to the tweet.
This is not the first time the Bengal police had cracked down on tweets and memes mocking the Chief Minister.
In 2022, a 29-year-old YouTuber was arrested from Nadia district for allegedly creating memes on the Chief Minister. Calling the memes “derogatory”, the police said the complaint named seven other content creators.
In 2019, a BJP youth wing member was arrested for posting a morphed photo of Ms Banerjee on Facebook.
The crackdown on people posting social media content considered objectionable had started in 2012, with a professor of Kolkata’s premier Jadavpur University, Ambikesh Mahapatra, getting arrested for allegedly forwarding an email containing a cartoon of Ms Banerjee.
It set off a huge debate over freedom of speech and expression where political leaders are concerned.
Over the years, many have faced legal action across the country for posting content against other leaders, including Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
The meme comes amid a fierce tussle between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the BJP over Bengal’s 42 parliamentary seats. The war on social media between supporters of both parties has spiked as the massive seven-phase election continues.
