Navi Mumbai: Vashi police detained two teenage boys, both aged 17, for insulting Agri Koli community sculptures on social media platforms after the video went viral. The sculptures were installed by NMMC for beautification at the Vashi mini seashore.The incident came to light on Wednesday. In the clip, one teen, visibly in a drunken state, said that he was a “policeman” and, using vulgar words, kept an empty beer bottle in the hand of the male sculpture and another beer bottle in the basket of the woman’s sculpture. Meanwhile, the other teen recording the video was heard instigating him. Following the viral clip, a group of Agri Koli community members from Uran traced one teen to his Mankhurd residence, where he was slapped, made to remove his T-shirt, and apologise publicly.Jahangir Mulani, senior inspector of Vashi, said, “On Wednesday, an FIR under BNS sections and the IT Act was registered against the two teenagers. The complaint was filed by a builder from Juhugaon, belonging to the Agri Koli community, who alleged that the video hurt the religious sentiments of the Agri Koli community. The two accused teens were booked under sections that criminalise intentional damaging, defiling, or destroying of any place of worship or sacred object to insult a religion; deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or beliefs; and intentionally wounding the religious feelings of any person by words, sounds, gestures, or objects, along with the IT Act for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.”Mulani said, “Our police team detained one teen from his Mankhurd residence as he made the video viral using his Instagram username. He led the police to his friend in Chembur, who is the key accused seen in the video insulting the Agri Koli community’s sculptures. Considering the sensitivity of the case related to the religious community, on Thursday, the two accused teens were produced before the Juvenile Court in Bhiwandi, and they were sent to a juvenile remand home.“
