The police will not file a charge sheet against the two Palghar girls arrested recently for posting and liking a comment on the Facebook after Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray’s demise, Maharashtra Director General of Police Sanjeev Dayal said here on Thursday.
In a relief to Shaheen Dhada and Rinu Srinivasan, the police will now file a closure report before the court indicating that since no case has been made out against them, the matter has been shut.
“Charges can be dropped after the police file a charge sheet. But we will not file a charge sheet in the matter,” Mr. Dayal told reporters. Action would be taken as per the provisions of Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
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According to family members of the girls, Ms. Shaheen and Ms. Rinu said they were assured by the police that charges against them would be withdrawn.
According to reports, Ms. Shaheen has deactivated her Facebook account and left Palghar with her family. She had posted a day after Bal Thackeray’s demise that Mumbai shuts down due to fear and not due to respect. This irked the Shiv Sainiks who went on the rampage and destroyed the hospital of Ms. Shaheen’s uncle Abdul Dhada. They also registered a complaint against her, leading to her arrest.
Ms. Rinu, who had liked the post, will now pursue her studies in Chennai.
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The arrests sparked public outrage in the country. Chairperson of the Press Council of India Markandey Katju wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan seeking action against the errant police personnel.