Who Is 'Bhiku Mhatre'? X User Held By Karnataka Police For Congress Manifesto Post

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Police arrested an influencer named “Bhiku Mhatre” over a now-deleted post on social media in connection with the Congress manifesto, according to claims made by the BJP leaders.  

Bhiku Mhatre, named after popular character played by Manoj Bajpayee in 1998 crime thriller Satya, reportedly alleged in his post last month that Congress ‘will take away wealth from Hindus and distribute among Muslims,’ a claim that the party has strongly denied. 

Taking congnisance of the post, a Congress worker lodged a complaint with the Karnataka cybercrime. The police then registered a case against the influencer under section 153(a) of the Indian Penal Code and 66(c) of the Information Technology Act, according to reports. 

The influencer on Saturday afternoon took to X and posted the notice issued to him by X after the microblogging site received a court order from the magistrate Bengaluru City regarding his account.  

“This court order obligates X to produce information related to your account. We cannot give you any legal advice, but suggest that you may wish to seek your own legal counsel in this matter,” reads the notice.

"So it seems CONgress wants to intimidate me for speaking Truth. I’m ready to fight against any injustice & will take full Judicial Course even if that means approaching Highest Court, as I have never written anything which may be called as inflammatory or communal,” Mhatre said on X.

‘Blatant Abuse of Power’: BJP Vows Legal Help 

Vowing legal support for the influencer, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said, “This is a blatant abuse of power by Karnataka Congress Govt. We will fight this, both inside courts and outside.” 

Condemning Mhatre's arrest, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said, “We are in touch with his family and will ensure he gets all legal support. Congress has unleashed anarchy and is intolerant of dissent. But there won’t be another #Emergency in this country, ever.” 

BJP National General Secretary Vinod Tawde also censured the arrest and said, “It is a blatant attack on free speech and a dangerous precedent. They need to know that democracy thrives on diverse opinions, not suppression.” 

Who Is Bhiku Mhatre? 

The X user identifies himself as ‘Bhiku Mhatre’ and uses the username ‘@MumbaichaDon.’ The bio of the X user reads, “Professor in Finance with Acute acumen in Politics & International Affairs. Speak Truth even if Bitter. Compelled to Swim Against Tide sometimes...to say FACTS.” 

The account display picture is of actor Manoj Bajpayee from film 'Satya', released in 1998.