NOIDA: Chucked out of a WhatsApp group for posting a political video, a resident of an apartment complex in Greater Noida West filed a complaint against his neighbour who was the administrator of the chat. Police said Lalit Bhardwaj, who lives in Shri Radha Sky Gardens, approached the Bisrakh station on Monday, alleging that the “group admin” – a lawyer — abused and threatened him after removing him from the society’s WhatsApp group. The lawyer has been booked under sections 504 (whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause him to break public peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication or having taken precaution to conceal whence the threat comes) of the IPC. According to the complaint, Bhardwaj posted a promotional video of a BJP politician on the group on February 8, prompting objections from several residents. The administrator then removed him from the group, and later abused and threatened him, Bhardwaj alleged. “I had shared a video of a BJP functionary, angered by which the group admin removed me. He also threatened to kill me. He repeatedly called and abused me. I have evidence of all such calls and messages. He bears some grudge against me even though I don’t know him well,” Bhardwaj said on Tuesday. Lawyer Ashutosh Raj Purohit told TOI Bhardwaj had been asked repeatedly not to post political videos and photos on the society group. Purohit also alleged he was called in for questioning at the Bisrakh station on Tuesday, but cops kept him in a lock-up for three hours. “I was put in the lock-up for three hours just because l had removed a local leader from our residents’ group on February 8. I removed him because he used to post promotional videos. We had asked him not to do it, but he did not listen to us,” Purohit said. When asked, police said the accusation was false. “Since it’s a society dispute, two parties were called to the police station. We had received a complaint, so we were cross-checking the claims and facts. Purohit was let go after questioning,” said ACP-2 (Central Noida) Arvind Kumar. Bisrakh police station SHO Anil Rajpoot also said cops were ascertaining the facts. “The complaint has not been registered for removal from WhatsApp group, but because the complainant alleged threat to life and use of abusive language,” he added.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/man-abused-thrown-out-of-whatsapp-group-in-greater-noida-admin-booked/articleshow/97930553.cms