A bakery owner in Chennai was arrested on Saturday, May 9, for posting an advertisement on WhatsApp which was discriminatory towards the Muslims.

32-year-old Prasanth, the owner of Jain Bakeries and Confectioneries, was arrested for circulating an advertisement that mentioned ‘Made by Jains on Order, No Muslim Staff’, the city police said.

According to reports, the police took suo motu action against the owner for communalising the advertisement and targeting a community.

The owner of the bakery located in T Nagar in Chennai was arrested and had been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including ‘provocation to cause a riot.’ pic.twitter.com/XgGK7voDTd

— Mohammed Waseem Uddin (@Mohamme34611821) May 10, 2020

A case was registered under Sections 295A (Deliberate, malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion), and 504 (Whoever intentionally insults, and thereby gives provocation to any person, intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause him to break the public peace) of the Indian Penal Code.

Reportedly, the bakery was operated out of the house in Chennai’s Mahalakshmi Street in T. Nagar.

According to News18, the staff at the bakery claimed that the advertisement was not intended to show a particular community in a bad light.

They also claimed that the advertisement was put out to ‘clear the air’ after coming across rumours on social media which urged people not to buy bakery products made by Muslims.

The employees claimed that they took the decision ‘after receiving several calls from its customers to check if the shop had any Muslim staff member,’ reported The Indian Express.

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