BJP Gujarat's controversial post flagged by users, taken off all social media handles

After being flagged by social media users, BJP Gujarat's controversial post featuring a caricature depicting the hanging of a group of men in white skull caps was taken down on Sunday almost a day after it was published.

Twitter was the first to take action on the post that was based on the death sentence awarded by a special court to 38 accused in the 2008 serial blasts case in Ahmedabad.

Even as Twitter was prompt to take action citing violation of rules, the post that carried the captions 'Satyameva Jayate' and 'No forgiveness to those spreading terror' has been retained on BJP Gujarat's Instagram and Facebook pages until as late as 10 pm on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invoked the Ahmedabad serial blasts verdict at an election campaign in Uttar Pradesh.

Addressing a crowd at Hardoi, Modi alleged that "some political parties have been kind to terrorists in the interest of vote bank".

Modi elaborated the matter and accused Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party of harbouring extremists.

"There was a time when serial blasts shook the country. One day a blast would take place in Mumbai, then in Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Ludhiana, Agartala, Imphal and in all corners of India.

"When I was serving Gujarat as its chief minister, serial bomb blasts shook Ahmedabad. I will never forget those days.

"I lifted the blood-stained soil and swore that my government will dig these terrorists even from underground and punish them," Modi said.

Celebrities protest BJP caricature

Some celebrities took to social media to object to the post. Leading Bollywood actor Richa Chadha asked the Muslim leaders in the BJP, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Syed Shahnawaz Hussain and Shazia Ilmi, if they are comfortable with the post.

Bollywood screenwriter Aniruddha Guha tweeted: "We are officially Germany, circa 1940s."

Sanjay Sharma, central committee member of CPIML, said: "BJP Gujarat deserves stern action under criminal law. Election Commission should take notice of this criminal hate-mongering in view of ongoing elections in many states."