Instagram sued over alcohol-holding Lord Shiva sticker: Complaint filed for hurting religious sentiments
9 June, 2021 | newsx bureau
The complainant has demanded a criminal case against the CEO of Instagram and other officials as he believes it was inciting to the followers of the Hindu community.
Social media platform Instagram has been sued for showing Lord Shiva in an objectionable manner through its sticker feature. The complaint has been filed by Delhi based resident Manish Singh. The sticker presents Lord Shiva with alcohol in one hand and a mobile phone in the other. The sticker was in a Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) where Lord Shiva is also seen winking. The complainant alleges that this hurts the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.
He also states that Lord Shiva is worshipped by millions of Hindus and accuses Instagram officials of committing serious offences. He says that the “accused is deliberately and intentionally hurting the feeling and sentiments of the millions and millions of Hindus, including the complainant, by portraying the Supreme God, Lord Shiva, in such a state.”
In his opinion, the sticker has been introduced with the “sole intention of inciting the followers of the Hindu community and in the process promote disharmony, hatred and enmity, further, the conduct of the accused persons may result in the extreme provocation of the followers of the Hindu community and this may result into the breach of peace.”
Moreover, the complainant has demanded that a criminal case should be registered against the CEO of Instagram and other officials. He insists that the case should be filed under sections 153 and 295 A of the Indian Penal Code, along with the relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.