Two individuals from Pune and Nagpur were apprehended by the Gadchiroli police on June 21 for posting controversial content on Twitter. In response to the arrest of a Pune resident, NCP leader Jitendra Awhad expressed his disagreement with the actions of the Gadchiroli police on Twitter, questioning the ongoing situation in Maharashtra.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Aditya Chavan and Bharat Poredi, with Chavan apprehended in Pune and Poredi in Nagpur in the early hours of June 21. A case was registered on May 31, 2023, at Gadchiroli police station against two Twitter accounts. The complainant alleged that these accounts were attempting to incite communal discord by sharing offensive and controversial posts. In response, the Cyber Cell, under the supervision of Superintendent of Police Neelotpal, conducted a thorough technical investigation.
Upon gathering information from Twitter and a private mobile company, it came to light that Aditya Chavan and Bharat Poredi were identified as the individuals managing the specific Twitter account. Subsequently, two teams from the Crime Branch, led by Superintendent of Police Neelotpal and Police Inspector Ulhas Bhusari, were deployed to locate and apprehend the suspects. In the early hours of June 21, Aditya Chavan was arrested in Pune, while Bharat Poredi was apprehended in Nagpur.
In the midst of this, NCP leader Jitendra Awhad took to Twitter and accused the Gadchiroli police by stating, “In Shivaji Nagar, Pune, a man named Shubham Chavan was forcefully taken by the Gadchiroli police from his residence. They informed his mother and sister that they were taking him to Gadchiroli for an investigation related to tweets he had posted two years ago. All the police officers involved were in civilian clothes, and the vehicle they used was not a government vehicle. They forcefully took him to Gadchiroli, but his sister managed to follow the car and now they are at the Chaturshringi Police Station in Pune, where the questioning is ongoing. I personally expressed my thoughts on Twitter, but the police are not revealing the content of the tweets. I want to know what he tweeted, and the police should inform us about it,” Awhad tweeted in Marathi.
“This is a new trend emerging in Maharashtra. They are now investigating tweets posted two years ago. When will they start investigating all the tweets made against us? What is being said against us on Twitter is freedom of expression, and investigating tweets against them is a violation of the law, he added.
“His mother narrated the entire incident to me. I had expressed my thoughts to the police through a tweet, but the Pune police claim to have no knowledge of the tweet. Therefore, I urge the police to pay immediate attention to this matter, and I also request the local journalists in Pune to visit the Chaturshringi Police Station and gather information, he said.
Meanwhile, Neelotpal, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police said, "A case was registered with the Gadchiroli police station on May 31. After conducting a technical investigation, the two accused were apprehended after a period of 20 days. They have been brought to Gadchiroli from Nagpur and Pune. This entire operation is being carried out in accordance with the law.”