According to the complaint, Balgude, operating Facebook and Twitter accounts under the name ‘Mahadev Balgude’ – posted the objectionable contentThe Cyber Police Station of Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate arrested Mahadev Vilas Balgude, 40, a resident of Baramati in Pune district, on charges of circulating a morphed image of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on social media and posting content that promoted sympathy for Naxalites, including a reference to Madvi Hidma, a top commander of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).Balgude, who served as the state head of the social media wing of NCP (SP), was arrested on Thursday evening and produced before a court on Friday. The court remanded him to police custody for six days.The FIR, registered on April 22, was filed on a complaint by Basavaraj Mallikarjun Yadwad, an advocate and resident of Pune. According to the complaint, Balgude, operating Facebook and Twitter accounts under the name ‘Mahadev Balgude’ – posted the objectionable content between April 3 and April 20. The complainant, upon noticing the posts on April 22, approached the police the same day, which accounts for the brief delay in registration.The FIR invokes Section 356(2) (defamation), Section 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), Section 353(1)(b) (statements conducing to public mischief), Section 336(2) and 336(4), and Section 152 (act prejudicial to the unity and integrity of India) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, read with Section 66C of the Information Technology Act (identity theft and fraudulent use of electronic signatures or accounts).According to the FIR, Balgude shared a morphed photograph of Chief Minister Fadnavis with the intent to tarnish his image, and also incited followers to assault the Chief Minister with a chappal, an act the FIR mentioned aims at provoking public unrest.Speaking to the Indian Express, DCP (Crime), Pimpri-Chinchwad Police, Shivaji Pawar, said, “An FIR has been filed based on morphed photographs of the Chief Minister and a post about Hidma on social media by Mahadev Balgude. He was arrested on Thursday evening and has been remanded to police custody for six days.”Speaking to the Indian Express, DCP (Crime), Pimpri-Chinchwad Police, Shivaji Pawar, said, “An FIR has been filed based on morphed photographs of the Chief Minister and a post about Hidma on social media by Mahadev Balgude. He was arrested on Thursday evening and has been remanded to police custody for six days.”Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:crime