Mumbai: Shiv Sena activist Ramesh Solanki has registered a complaint against five TikTok users on Monday. After a popular TikTok ‘influencer’, Hasnain Khan, shared a shocking video on TikTok,
wherein Hasnain along with four other ‘influencer’ friends were propagating revenge killing. The police have booked the youth under relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act for inciting hate.
According to police sources, the youths, identified as Faisal Shaikh, Hasnain Khan, Adnan Shaikh, Faiz Baloch and Sadhan Farouqi, have been booked after Solanki mentioned that the video uploaded is divisive, inflammatory and an incitement to violence.
In that video, Khan along with four other ‘influencer’ friends of his were saying, “you may have killed that innocent Tabrez Ansari, but tomorrow if his son takes revenge, do not say that all Muslims are terrorists.”
The video was soon posted on other social media, including Twitter, where the uploaders were criticised for creating hatred and animosity. There were many on Twitter who asked the police to take action.
Finally, Solanki on Monday approached the LT Marg police station in Mumbai and submitted his complaint.
When contacted, Solanki said, “The videos are divisive and the users who uploaded the video were asking others to take revenge. We shouldn't tolerate such form of violence.”
A 22-year-old Tabrez Ansari was beaten up by a mob in Jharkhand on June 18 on accusations of theft. Four days later, he died in police custody. The video posted by Khan was widely criticised on social media platforms, as it was seen as an open endorsement of violence.
Although Tabrez had died in police custody after he was beaten by public for stealing a bike, several media created a narrative that he was killed by Hindus for being a Muslim.
Several incidents of violence have already taken place in the country in the name of protesting Tabrez’s death. Such a protest by Muslims in Surat had gone violent on July 5, where the mob had attacked the police and vandalised a number of vehicles.
