Navi Mumbai Teens Detained for Insulting Agri Koli Community Sculptures in Viral Video
In a disturbing incident that has sparked community outrage, the Vashi police in Navi Mumbai have detained two teenage boys, both aged 17, for allegedly insulting sculptures representing the Agri Koli community. The incident, which came to light on Wednesday, involved a viral social media video that showed the teens disrespecting the artworks installed by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) for beautification at the Vashi mini seashore.
Details of the Viral Video Incident
The video, which quickly spread across platforms, captured one of the teens in a visibly intoxicated state. He claimed to be a "policeman" and used vulgar language while placing an empty beer bottle in the hand of a male sculpture and another bottle in the basket of a female sculpture. The other teen was recorded instigating the actions while filming the clip. Following the video's virality, members of the Agri Koli community from Uran tracked down one of the teens to his residence in Mankhurd, where he was reportedly slapped, forced to remove his T-shirt, and made to apologize publicly.
Police Action and Legal Charges
Jahangir Mulani, senior inspector of Vashi police station, confirmed that an FIR was registered on Wednesday under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections and the Information Technology (IT) Act. The complaint was filed by a builder from Juhugaon, who belongs to the Agri Koli community and alleged that the video hurt their religious sentiments.
The teens have been booked under multiple legal provisions:
- Intentional damaging, defiling, or destroying of any place of worship or sacred object to insult a religion.
- Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or beliefs.
- Intentionally wounding the religious feelings of any person by words, sounds, gestures, or objects.
- Publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form under the IT Act.
Investigation and Juvenile Court Proceedings
Mulani stated that the police team detained one teen from his Mankhurd residence after identifying him through his Instagram username, which was used to make the video viral. This teen then led the authorities to his friend in Chembur, who is considered the key accused seen insulting the sculptures in the video. Due to the sensitivity of the case involving a religious community, the two accused were produced before the Juvenile Court in Bhiwandi on Thursday and subsequently sent to a juvenile remand home.
This incident highlights the serious consequences of online misconduct and the importance of respecting cultural and religious symbols in public spaces.
