The police on Tuesday arrested a YouTuber for creating memes targeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The arrested person has been identified as Tuhin Mondal (30), whose mobile phone has also been confiscated by the police. The arrest was made based on a complaint filed by a person named Sagar Das.
It is learned that Mondal is a resident of Bapuji Nagar area in Taherpur in the Nadia district. Recently, the Chief Minister, while suggesting ways of alternative employment at a public event, had advised unemployed youth that if they sell ‘jhalmuri’ (spicy puffed rice) during Durga Puja, it can fetch them lucrative profit.
Banerjee also said that this small business can be the first step to becoming a millionaire in the coming days.
Her comments on this count attracted strong criticism from the opposition parties and within days lakhs of memes were circulated on social media ridiculing the Chief Minister’s comments.
Das filed the complaint at the Taratala police station in Kolkata accusing Mondal of circulating certain memes on social media which were ‘objectionable’, ‘contemptuous’, and had elements of spreading violence in society.
A team of Kolkata Police tracked the IP address from where the memes were posted to trace Mondal. On Tuesday, a team of Kolkata Police reached Taherpur and arrested Mondal, who is employed with a private bank.
