Bobby Khare, a government sweeper in Mathura, UP, was recently loading garbage and waste paper onto his cart from a garbage collection spot that included posters of PM Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. After his photo went viral, a notice was issued against him
Democracies prize free speech and criticism of public figures. Even false criticism of public figures does not qualify as slander in the US and other countries unless accompanied by malice. This can be irksome to politicians. Former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa slapped 213 defamation suits against political opponents in the five years up to 1996. But the Supreme Court rejected these, saying, “As a public figure you must face criticism.”
Politicians of all stripes have become more sensitive since then. Sometimes this prickliness is carried to extremes that are laughable. Just consider the recent case of Bobby Khare, a government sweeper in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
He was doing his usual job of loading garbage and waste paper onto his cart from a garbage collection spot in the city. He did not notice that his load included posters carrying the images of Prime Minister Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Unluckily for him, somebody snapped a photo of him with his cart containing images of the two worthies and posted this on social media. The post went viral.
Politicians of all stripes have become more sensitive since then. Sometimes this prickliness is carried to extremes that are laughable. Just consider the recent case of Bobby Khare, a government sweeper in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
He was doing his usual job of loading garbage and waste paper onto his cart from a garbage collection spot in the city. He did not notice that his load included posters carrying the images of Prime Minister Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Unluckily for him, somebody snapped a photo of him with his cart containing images of the two worthies and posted this on social media. The post went viral.