West Bengal BJP on Monday knocked the door of the Supreme Court against the alleged supression of freedom of speech and expression by Mamata Banerjee government, which arrested a BJP worker for forwarding a meme of Mamata Banerjee in social media.
Priyanka Sharma, a college student and a member of the BJP's youth wing in West Bengal, was arrested by West Bengal police for allegedly sharing a morphed photo of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee portrayed in the wardrobe of Priyanka Chopra, which the actress wore at Met Gala.
The picture went viral and Sharma's family said that the girl did not conceptualise the meme but only forwarded it.
On Saturday, Sharma was picked up from her residence in North Kolkata by the cyber cell of Kolkata police. The girl was produced in the local chief judicial magistrate court in Kolkata and was remanded for five days under police custody.
Priyanka was seen smiling while being taken into custody and reportedly confessed only sharing the meme rather than giving the idea of it.
"It was not my brain. I only forwarded it," said a smiling Priyanka.
She was seen boarding the prison van and waiting at the police custody often cheerful.
But back at her home, the scenes weren't pretty. "My daughter is the example of how torturous the people in the government are. Her only fault is that she supports the BJP. I would pray to the chief minister to release her," said her mother, Rajkumari, sobbing.
An official confirmed that the police had seized Priyanka's cell phone and found that the meme has been shared in several groups in WhatsApp.
"It is a highly obligatory picture and has broke the cyber law of the country. Sharing any improper picture is a crime," said an official of Kolkata police.
However, Priyanka's family is happy that West Bengal BJP's legal cell has decided to take up the matter to the Supreme Court's summer vacation bench.
"We are very happy," said her mother.
This is not the first time that the Mamata Banerjee government have arrested someone for using chief minister's picture. It earlier arrested a professor of Jadavpur University for making a cartoon comparing Mamata with a villain character in Satyajit Ray's detective series.
State BJP vice president Biswapriya Chowdhury said, "This is what the situation in West Bengal. Across the country you will see how Modiji's pictures and caricatures are done. But the prime minister never reacted to it, forget about using law against them. But look at this chief minister and see how people are in stress under her rule. We will put an end to it."
