The Vadodara Police on Sunday arrested a 26-year-old Shubham Mishra for sending rape threats to stand up comedian Agrima Joshua. The comedian had reportedly passed comments on the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in her comedy sketch.
In reply to her video, Shubham Mishra on Saturday posted an abusive video in which he graphically threatened to rape Joshua. He later deleted the post and said his video been misinterpreted.
The arrest came soon after The National Commission for Women sought immediate action from the Gujarat Director General of Police Shivanand Jha. The NCW also tagged the Gujarat police in the video shared on Twitter.
“The NCW is committed to creating safe online space for women and ensuring cybersecurity to women and is perturbed by the rise in use of cyberspace to instigate crime against women,” NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said in the letter sent late Saturday night,” NCW said in their letter.
Following @NCWIndia Chairperson @sharmarekha's letter to #DGPGujarat, Vadodara Police has arrested Shubham Mishra. #NCW hopes this would be a lesson for all those who threaten women online. We are committed towards ensuring safety and security of #women
https://t.co/Z2JUGRU1FJ— NCW (@NCWIndia) July 12, 2020
The Vadodra City Police on Sunday took to Twitter to inform that the legal proceedings against Shubham Mishra have begun.
Vadodara Police Statement
“Vadodara City Police took suo moto action in respect of an abusive, threatening video which was uploaded and shared on Social media by Shubham Mishra. We have detained him and initiated the legal process for registration of FIR against him under the relevant section of IPC and IT act,” the tweet read. They also shared pictures of Shubham from the police station after he was detained.
Vadodara City Police took suo moto action in respect of an abusive, threatening video which was uploaded and shared on Social media by Shubham Mishra.
We have detained him and initiated legal process for registration of FIR against him under relevent section of IPC and IT act. pic.twitter.com/XM6J8y4nDx
— Vadodara City Police (@Vadcitypolice) July 12, 2020
According to the Indian Express, the cybercrime cell of the Vadodara Police has booked Mishra under IPC sections 294 (obscenity), 354 (A), 504 (intentionally insults to break public peace) 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (intending to insult the modesty of a woman).
The incident happened Agrima Joshua started receiving hate for a one-year-old comedy sketch wherein she joked about the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Mumbai. Joshua shared answers about the project from the Q&A website Quora which went viral. After facing backlash and multiple threats, the comedian issued an apology for hurting religious sentiments.
Actor Swara Bhasker, Mallika Dua, Pooja Bhatt, and many others took to social media to laud the Vadodara Police for taking swift action against Mishra.