Mangaluru: Facebook user booked for lewd comment against woman

MANGALURU: The women's police station in Mangaluru city has registered a case against a Facebook user for writing an objectionable comment to a video of KPCC coordinator Prathibha Kulai on her participation in the recent protest against the NH tollgate at Surathkal.
Based on a complaint made by Prathibha, police on Saturday booked Shyama Sudarshan Bhat Hosamoole, editor of a web portal, for sharing the video with an objectionable comment. A case under IPC Sections 354A (1) (iv) (making sexually coloured remarks) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), Section 67 of the IT Act and provisions of The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act has been booked against the accused. City police commissioner N Shashi Kumar told reporters on Saturday: "A woman social activist has filed a complaint alleging that lewd comment was posted on social media along with a photo of her participation in the protest held against the tollgate at Surathkal. The complainant has alleged that the post has tarnished her image and the accused have defamed her on social media," he said.
The commissioner said two teams have been formed to trace the accused, a mediaperson.
Meanwhile, Prathibha said she will also lodge complaints with Karnataka State Commission for Women and the National Commission for Women. "I will file a complaint with the state and national commissions for women on October 25. I will also sue the accused in court for defamation," she added.
Prathibha had participated actively in the protest led by the Action Committee Against Surathkal Tollgate on October 18. Police had detained her along with nearly 200 activists who participated in the protest.