2 college students held over clip of Pakistan’s Independence Day as their social media status; released

The Mumbai Police have arrested two college students for posting a video clip of Pakistan’s Independence Day celebration as their status on a social networking platform, an official said on Wednesday.

The two male students from Colaba area here were placed under prohibitory arrest late Monday night and later released after a warning, he said.

The teenage students had posted a clip of Pakistan’s flag on their Instagram story status, according to the Colaba police. A Colaba-based businessman brought it to the police’s notice, claiming two residents of the area had posted about Pakistan’s Independence Day as their story status on Instagram which could affect the social climate.

Based on the complaint, the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) tracked down the students late Monday night and brought them to the Colaba police station. The arrest, made under CrPC section 151 (3), was prohibitory in nature, the official said.

The police and the ATS questioned the two students and the offensive video, which was forwarded to them by their friend, was removed from their mobile phones, the official added.