When Devu Chodankar claimed on a social networking site that, if elected, Narendra Modi was likely to unleash a ‘holocaust’, little did he know that his staunch opinions would land him behind bars. “If Modi is elected as PM this election, Christians will lose their identity in South Goa. Mark these words”, the marine engineer from Goa, based in Mumbai, had posted on Goa+, a Facebook group, before deleting the post.
Chodankar was booked under sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 295-A (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), section 125 of the People’s Representation Act (promoting enmity between classes in connection with election) and 66-A of the Information Technology Act. While he managed to delete the post, Chodankar justified his actions on another ...