Facebook Post on Raj Thackeray Lands Youth in Trouble

Mumbai, Nov 28 (PTI): A teenager was detained for questioning today at Palghar in neighbouring Thane district for posting "vulgar" comments against MNS chief Raj Thackeray and the people of Maharashtra on Facebook, police said.

"We have received a complaint against a person that he posted some objectionable comments against Raj Thackeray on Facebook. We are questioning him as we do not want to repeat the same mistakes committed a few days ago," an officer at Palghar police station told PTI, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The boy has not been charged and police have sought legal opinion, he said.

Meanwhile, Kundan Sankhe, president of Thane rural unit of the MNS, has claimed the boy had made "vulgar" comments about Raj Thackeray, and the people of Maharashtra, including women.

"Our Thane rural district MNS student wing president Bhavish complained to police and asked them to investigate the matter. Police are questioning that person," he said.

The incident comes close on the heels of the arrest of two girls at Palghar after one of them criticised the November 18 shutdown for Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's funeral and the other "liked" the Facebook post, causing an outrage.

SP (Thane rural) Ravindra Sengaonkar and senior police inspector Shrikant Pingle were suspended yesterday for the arrest of the girls on November 19, though charges against them are yet to be dropped.

The girls Shaheen Dhada and Rinu Shrinivasan, both 21, were arrested after the former lamented in a Facebook post the shutdown and the latter "liked" it.

Palghar observed a "successful" Shiv Sena-sponsored bandh today over action taken against the police officers.