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Updated: Jun 29, 2019 01:47 IST

The police on Thursday night arrested Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) West Singhbhum district unit president, Bhuvneswar Mahato, for allegedly sharing an obscene and objectionable post on Goddess Durga on his Facebook page, which triggered widespread anger among Durga Puja committees and Hindu community in Chakradharpur town of West Singhbhum district.

“We arrested Bhuvneswar Mahato last night after an FIR was lodged by BJP leader Sanjay Mishra and members of Durga Puja committees who were protesting at the police station. On Friday morning, we sent the accused to jail. He has been charged for sharing an obscene and objectionable post on his Facebook page and hurting Hindu sentiments and their faith. We are investigating the matter and trying to trace the original source of the post,” Gopinath Tiwari, Chakradharpur police station officer-in-charge (OC), said on Friday.

Though Mahato later apologised in his party’s WhatsApp group for sharing the post, his party has stripped him of his charge and ordered a probe. “I regret that an objectionable post on Maa Durga has been shared on my Facebook page. I am not aware how it was shared but I am shocked and ashamed that it was shared. I apologise to all,” Mahato said in his message at the WhatsApp group.

“The party has taken cognisance of the incident and has removed Bhubneshwar Mahto from the post of district president. In order to ensure a transparent probe into the incident, the party president has also formed a two-member committee led by MLA and party spokesperson Kunal Sarangi. The committee would give probe report in a week,” said Vinod Pandey, JMM general secretary.

Meanwhile, BJP’s state president and former West Singhbhum MP, Laxman Gilua, has demanded that Mahato be given strongest possible punishment. “He has used filthy words in his comment while sharing the vulgar post on Goddess Durga who is worshipped by billions of Hindus in the country and world over. We condemn it and demand that he be punished as per the law of the land. It has hurt the sentiments of the people and looks part of a conspiracy to disturb the communal harmony and peaceful atmosphere in Chakradharpur,” Gilua said.