MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Police on Sunday arrested a Marathi artist in connection with a "defamatory" post on social media against Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra cabinet minister Eknath Shinde.

Thane's Srinagar Police arrested Mayuresh Kotkar on the basis of a complaint registered by Shiv Sena corporator Yogesh Jankar. The resident of Balkum in Maharashtra's Thane, Kotkar was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for defamation and other charges.

As per Jankar, the artist’s post could have ignited enmity between the two communities. He added that the accused had posted the alleged objectionable matter on the Facebook page of the minister on Friday.

A court later sent Kotkar to judicial custody.

Kotkar has acted in several Marathi serials. Recently, he took part in the Agari community's campaign to name the upcoming Navi Mumbai international airport as DB Patil Airport by forming a human chain on the streets.

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This may be noted that the Navi Mumbai International Airport will be named after Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray.

Some local politicians had, however, sought it to be named after farmer leader late DB Patil.

In 2020, a 40-year-old civil engineer, who also hailed from Maharashtra’s Thane, had allegedly posted a morphed photo of NCP leader Jitendra Awhad.

The engineer had later claimed that the minister’s men took him to Awhad’s bungalow instead of the police station and thrashed him.

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