New Delhi: Delhi Police has registered an FIR against several social media handles for allegedly posting derogatory, malicious and defamatory content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought complete details of account holders from X, official sources said Wednesday.
The case was registered by the Special Cell’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit, which also issued notices to X and directed it to remove or disable access to identified posts and preserve all related electronic records for investigation, the sources said.
X, formerly Twitter, has been directed to remove or disable access to the content within three hours of receiving the notices while ensuring that all relevant data, logs and subscriber information are preserved, they said.
The FIR against seven to eight handles has been filed under Sections 351(3) (criminal intimidation), 353(2) (circulating false information, rumours, or alarming news-including via electronic media) and 356(2) (whoever defames another person) of the BNS.
The case follows a complaint alleging that objectionable content aimed at constitutional authorities was being circulated on the social media platform.
Some social media posts under scrutiny were uploaded during and after the July 20 Sansad Chalo protests spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party in which abusive language was used against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and security personnel. During the clashes at the protest, at least 65 protesters and over 200 police personnel sustained injuries, officials maintain.
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The notices to X, under the relevant provision of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), seek complete subscriber information of the accounts, including names, addresses, contact details, email IDs, and login and logout records with date and time stamps. Police has also sought any additional information that may assist the investigation and asked the platform to preserve the relevant data for evidentiary purposes, he added.
According to the notices, the complaint alleges that derogatory, malicious and defamatory content was circulated on X targeting constitutional functionaries. Investigators are examining whether the posts attract offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other applicable provisions of law, the source said.
In a parallel exercise, the IFSO issued Intimation to Intermediary for Disabling Access to Unlawful Information notices under the rules of the IT Act, Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules, 2021, directing X to disable access to several identified URLs, according to one of the notices.
The notices state that the content hosted on the platform allegedly contained false, manipulated and objectionable material intended to defame public personalities.
One notice refers to an FIR registered by the Special Cell under various sections and their sub-sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, alleging that circulation of the content had caused serious harm to the reputation, dignity and public image of the prime minister and had the potential to disturb public order and fuel unnecessary controversy, the sources said.
Police said the investigation is underway and further action will be taken based on the digital evidence and information received from the social media platform.