Beat this: AP CID arrests youth for FB post saying, 'I love Cyclone Hudhud'

FP Staff • October 29, 2014, 17:34:49 IST

In a bizzarre move, the Andhra Pradesh CID arrested law student Chaganti Rahul Reddy under the Information Technology Act for his Facebook comments on cyclone Hudhud that they termed were ‘anti-people’.

Beat this: AP CID arrests youth for FB post saying, 'I love Cyclone Hudhud'

In a bizarre move, the Andhra Pradesh CID arrested law student Chaganti Rahul Reddy under the Information Technology Act for his Facebook comments on cyclone Hudhud that they termed were ‘anti-people’.

So, what exactly did Reddy say? “I love u hudhoodh…” and “nature was taking revenge against the betrayers.”

The arrested youth is a member of opposition party YSR Congress.

A press release issued by the CID has this to say about Reddy’s comments: Mr Chaganti Rahul Reddy posted irresponsible, anti-people comments in Facebook after the natural disaster Hududh, further claiming that they were acting based on a complaint filed on 15 October that some Facebook users were posting derogatory comments on Facebook.

Further, the press release issued by the CID and accessed by The Hindu states that Reddy was an activist of the YSR Congress - a party currently in the opposition - and that he “closely moves with YSRCP District Student Wing”.

It isn’t quite clear, though, what his political affiliations have to do with Cyclone Hudhud and the alleged ‘irresponsibility’.

Here is the section (66A) most applicable to his supposed offence under the IT Act, 2008:

“Punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc.”

Any person who sends, by means of a computer resource or a communication device-

a) any information that is grossly offensive or has menacing character; or

b) any information which he knows to be false, but for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will, persistently makes by making use of such computer resource or a communication device,

c) any electronic mail or electronic mail message for the purpose of causing annoyance or inconvenience or to deceive or to mislead the addressee or recipient about the origin of such messages (Inserted vide ITAA 2008) shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two three years and with fine.

For now, Reddy has been placed under judicial custody.