Bhubaneswar: An FIR has been registered against BJD leader Manmath Routray for allegedly making defamatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi during the recent bypoll to the Nuapada assembly constituency, police said Friday.
The cyber police station in Bhubaneswar has registered the case against Routray under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, 2000, an officer said.
The case was registered Thursday on the basis of a written complaint lodged by state BJP leader Jayant Kumar Jena November 14, he said.
Routray has allegedly posted content on social media, which are “defamatory, misleading, and derogatory towards the PM and Majhi”, the complainant said.
“Upon going through the complaint, it is found that Manmath Routray was seen, in a video clip, using the derogatory, misleading and defamatory words and indicating his finger towards the Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Odisha,” the officer said, citing the first information report (FIR).
The allegations of the complaint amount to “defamation and harming the reputation”, he said.
BJP candidate Jay Dholakia won the Nuapada assembly bypoll by 83,748 votes. The Congress bagged the second spot, while the state’s main opposition BJD was relegated to the third position.
