Thin-skinned Chandigarh cops file case against woman for Facebook posts

Chandigarh: A 22-year-old woman from Chandigarh faces a police case because she posted abusive comments against the city police on its Facebook page.
 
The non-bailable charges against Heena Bakshi under the IT Act carry a five-year jail term.

After considerable public outrage, Home Secretary Anil Kumar today said that the police would take "a lenient view" of her case but that "youngsters should be careful and responsible in (their) communication with a government department or official page."
 
Ms Bakshi says that her car was stolen in August and that the police took a month to register her complaint. The Tata Safari has yet to be found. Her family says she vented her frustration by posting comments on the Chandigarh Police's Facebook page. "I will protest outside all ur offices unless u move ur lazy heavy bribe-d A$%es and take some f$%*in action" got a thumbs up from another user. In other comments, Ms Bakshi threatened to share her story in local newspapers.

"It was misinterpreted...it was taken as abusing somebody. It was not abusing anyone, it was just a way of expressing at that time the anger and depression we went through," said her mother, Ranjana Bakshi.

As a teen, Ms Bakshi won a bravery award for helping catch a burglar in Ambala in Haryana.

(With inputs from Agencies)