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Hemant Malviya, a cartoonist based in Indore, has been booked by the Madhya Pradesh Police after a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member filed a complaint accusing him of sharing objectionable content online. The complaint, lodged by RSS activist and lawyer Vinay Joshi, alleges that Malviya’s social media posts—including cartoons, comments, photos, and videos—are “offensive”, “obscene”, and “indecent”, targeting Hindu religious sentiments and the RSS’s image.

Police stated that Malviya has been charged under sections 196, 299, and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly promoting communal disharmony and hurting religious sentiments. He has also been booked under Section 67A of the Information Technology Act for electronically sharing content depicting sexually explicit acts.

Lasudiya police station in-charge Tareesh Soni confirmed that Malviya has not yet been arrested and that the investigation is ongoing.

Malviya is a well-known cartoonist, artist, and wedding decorator based in Indore. His Facebook profile, which has around 40,000 followers, regularly features political satire and commentary on current affairs. The page includes a disclaimer stating that all characters in his cartoons are fictional and any resemblance to real individuals is purely coincidental.

In response to the allegations, Malviya told The Indian Express, “I am targeted for my cartoons that question the administration.” He further stated, “Closure reports were filed in both criminal cases. I never spoke against the PM’s mother. I have been a target of the right wing in the state ever since I gained infamy with the Ramdev case.”

This is not Malviya’s first legal battle. In 2022, he was booked by the Uttarakhand Police for allegedly creating obscene posters of yoga guru Ramdev. That same year, Indore Police filed a separate case against him over alleged defamatory remarks following the death of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mother.