The Dehradun police have registered an FIR against three people running Facebook pages for allegedly spreading rumours that the chief minister was going to be changed.
The posts allegedly indicated a change of leadership in the Uttarakhand government, prompting an FIR against the admins at Dehradun Kotwali police station. On Saturday night, Dehradun police registered cases against the three based on a complaint by BJP Dehradun district president Siddhartha Agarwal.
The Facebook pages titled I Love My Uttarakhand Sanskriti, Uttarakhand Wale, and Janata Jan Andolan Irritated had allegedly circulated posts regarding the leadership change, police said.
The Chief Minister’s Office, meanwhile, said that amid disasters in the districts of Bageshwar, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, and Pithoragarh, “spreading false news about a change of Chief Minister not only disrupts relief and rescue operations but also affects government functioning and administrative arrangements”.
The statement from the CMO further said, “A clear warning is also issued to the social media mischief-makers that spreading rumours or posting misleading content will invite strict legal action. The state police is keeping a constant vigil on social media.”
According to the Senior Superintendent of Police, Ajai Singh, the FIR was registered under BNS sections 353(1)(b) (intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility), 353 (2) (making, publishing or circulating statement or report containing false information, rumour or alarming news, including through electronic means, with intent to create or promote, or which is likely to create or promote, on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste or community or any other ground whatsoever, feelings of enmity, hatred or ill will between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities), and section 54 of the Disaster Management Act (anyone who makes or circulates a false alarm or warning about a disaster or its severity, causing panic).
