Delhi Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Mahua Moitra, a Trinamool Congress (TMC) parliamentarian, for a ‘derogatory’ social media post concerning National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma.
Moitra has been charged under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a newly enacted law effective from July 1, which replaces the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC). This section pertains to acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman.
The FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed by Rekha Sharma, the NCW chairperson.
Rekha Sharma vs Mahua Moitra
On Thursday, Rekha Sharma visited Hathras in Uttar Pradesh following a stampede at a religious event on July 2 that claimed the lives of 121 people. A day after her visit, a video surfaced on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), showing Sharma walking with her hands free while someone behind her held an umbrella, an action perceived as insensitive by many.
Reacting to the video, Moitra wrote: “She is too busy holding up her boss’s pajamas.”
“The remarks are a violation of a woman’s right to dignity. The Commission observed that this remark attracts Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023,” the women’s panel said in a statement on X.
Despite the criticism, the Trinamool Congress leader remained undeterred and challenged the Delhi Police to take immediate action against her based on their own initiative.
“(I) Am in Nadia in case you need me in the next 3 days to make a quick arrest. I Can Hold My Own Umbrella,” the Lok Sabha member from West Bengal’s Krishnanagar seat, stated.