Fri Feb 14 12:13:15 UTC 2025: ## Assam Man Faces Police Case for ‘Laughing Emoji’ on Facebook Post About Official’s Makeup
**Kokrajhar, Assam:** A man from Dhekiajuli, Assam, is facing a police case for reacting to a Facebook comment with a laughing emoji. Amit Chakraborty was summoned to court in Kokrajhar after Kokrajhar district Deputy Commissioner Varnali Deka filed a complaint against him, along with two other men, for cyberstalking and making sexually derogatory comments.
The incident stemmed from a comment by Naresh Barua on a photograph of Ms. Deka, questioning her lack of makeup (“No makeup today, ma’am?”). Chakraborty’s response was a simple “haha” emoji. Ms. Deka responded sharply to Barua, and subsequently filed a complaint, accusing Chakraborty, Barua, and a third man, Abdul Subur Choudhary, of cyberstalking. She cited sections of the Indian Penal Code related to sexual harassment in her complaint, referencing screenshots of the Facebook exchange.
Chakraborty, who had to travel 273 km from his home to attend court, maintains he was unaware of Ms. Deka’s identity as an IAS officer and Deputy Commissioner. He expressed bewilderment at the severity of the charges, stating he simply reacted to a post and was now forced to seek bail. He criticized the Deputy Commissioner for taking such extreme action over a trivial matter. The case highlights the potential for misinterpretation and overreach in applying cyberstalking laws to seemingly innocuous online interactions.
First Piper 