It was a random post, didn’t mean to offend, say women in FB row

Both girls spent over four hours at Palghar police station Sunday night and were produced before a magistrate the following afternoon. They were given bail after paying a cash bond of Rs 15,000 each. They were initially charged under Section 295 (A) and later also under Section 505 of the IPC and Section 66 of the IT Act.

"After I saw Shaheen's post, I liked it, commented on it and shared it on my page. It was a random post yaar, I did not think it would get my family into so much trouble. I was alone at home and a friend told me that the post had caused trouble. I called up my father and we went to the police station before the mob could surround our home," said Rinu, who graduated in botany from S N Dandekar college in Palghar.

Rinu said she does not know Shaheen very well. "She was my senior in college and I don't know her so well. We aren't close friends," she said, admitting that the only thing that worries her now is her future.

"I want to study sound engineering and have applied to a private institute in Chennai. They told me to come for an interview anytime before November 30. I am a little worried about how I will attend that now," she said.

However, she has no intention of suspending her activities on Facebook. "I have deactivated my account and will activate it again some time," she said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan took "serious cognisance" of their arrest and promised "strict action" against erring police personnel. Following public outrage, the chief minister's office had late Monday evening said the government had ordered an inquiry by the Inspector General of Police (Konkan range) and asked him to submit a report by Wednesday on the nature of the crime and the circumstances leading to the arrest of the two women. "Strict action will be taken against the defaulting personnel, in case a default is established in the inquiry," he said.

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