The frequency of citizens getting arrested for sharing so-called objectionable posts on Facebook in West Bengal is becoming alarming. A little over three months after a 17-year old boy was arrested for sharing an allegedly derogatory Facebook post, two men in Balurghat (about 400 km from Kolkata in North Bengal) were arrested last week for criticising the police over the sorry state of traffic blockades during the Durga Puja festivities, and the lack of availability of public transportation, reports NDTV. The first post was made on September 27 and reads, "Bikers… whatever you do brothers, please ensure that your bikes are parked in the garage by 4 pm or else you can’t return home. If you are a business person, then those who have issued the diktats will arrange your meal…” The second post was made on October 1 and reads, "On Ashtami, when I failed to get a ToTo (battery-operated rickshaws) after waiting for 55 minutes with my 18-month-old child in tow, I was thinking about you... If only I could've called one of your Help Desks and got some help.. But..." Debajit Roy's post was shared by Anupam Tarafdar. Both men were arrested on October 19, remanded to police custody for two days, and subsequently released on bail on October 22. The charges have not been dropped yet. The report mentions that some of the comments under the post were deemed offensive, plus a particular police officer was targeted in the comments. But when we checked we didn't…
