Kolkata/IBNS, Feb. 21 -- The arrest of a West Bengal-based social activist over a sarcastic social media post has reignited concerns about state overreach and the growing use of stringent criminal provisions to police online speech.

Human rights groups have warned that a new law, widely viewed as a successor to the colonial-era sedition provision, is increasingly being deployed against criticism and satire.

Amit Nandi, a social activist from Chinsurah in Hooghly district, was arrested by the West Bengal Police on February 14.

The arrest followed a first information report linked to a Facebook post in which Nandi mocked a traffic awareness slogan displayed at a traffic post under the Kanthi police station in East Medinipur district.

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