Guwahati: Transgender makeup artist Jaanmoni Das, who hails from Assam and is currently based in Kerala, was arrested by Kozhikode Cyber police on Thursday in connection with a case over an alleged derogatory remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The arrest followed a complaint lodged by Mahila Morcha State president Navya Haridas. In her complaint submitted to the District Police Chief (Kozhikode city) last month, Haridas alleged that Das had made objectionable remarks against the Prime Minister in a video circulated on social media in connection with the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
A case was registered under Sections 192 and 356(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to provocation with intent to cause a riot and criminal defamation, respectively.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the video contained defamatory content that was circulated with the alleged intention of causing unrest and disturbing public peace.
Following a preliminary investigation, the cyber police recently issued Das a notice directing her to appear for questioning on Thursday. She was arrested after being questioned and subsequently released on bail.
The controversy began after the video was circulated by several users on social media. Das later issued a clarification, saying she was not proficient in Malayalam and that the remarks resulted from an error in her use of the language.
Mahila Morcha activists, however, rejected the clarification and pursued the complaint.