Ghanshyam Chaturvedi (51), a Mira Road resident, was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly refusing to accept grocery ordered online a day before from a delivery man, who belongs to a minority community, according to the delivery person’s statement to the police.
The accused was produced before the Thane sessions court on Wednesday and released on bail of Rs 15,000 personal surety, said Sanjay Hazare, senior police inspector, Kashimira police station, under whose jurisdiction Mira Road falls.
On Tuesday evening, the grocery items were delivered at the gate of the apartment complex because of the ongoing nationwide lockdown restrictions, which was initially enforced for 21 days on March 25 and then further extended for another 19 days till May 3, to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.
The delivery person had taken all the precautions against Covid-19, as he was wearing the personal protective equipment such as mask and gloves. The customer and his wife came down at the gate to collect the grocery items.
Trouble started when Chaturvedi asked the delivery man his name while his wife was going through the list of items that they have ordered. When he learnt that the man is from a minority community, he asked his wife to return the grocery items.
“The delivery man was shocked about Chaturvedi’s behaviour and recorded the entire conversation on his cellphone,” Hazare said.
“I risked my life to deliver all the essential items. But the man’s (Chaturvedi) behaviour was shocking and tragic, as he was focusing on my religion amid these hard times,” the delivery person told Kashimira Police authorities. He approached the police on the advice of his family members.
“Chaturvedi was arrested under Section 295 (a) (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code,” Hazare said.