The Sadashivanagar police have registered an FIR against the administrators of the Facebook pages ‘Kumaraswamy for CM’ and ‘Janata Dal (Secular)’ for allegedly circulating false, defamatory, and provocative content against Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

The case was registered on Saturday based on a complaint filed by Deepu C.R., a law practitioner from Sadashivanagar. According to the complaint, a video was uploaded on Wednesday on the ‘Janata Dal (Secular)’ Facebook page under the caption “Old habit begins again; an innate nature will not go away even if burnt.”

The complainant alleged that the video contained false, derogatory, and defamatory statements portraying Mr. Shivakumar as a habitual deceiver and falsely attributing remarks to him. Mr. Deepu contended that the content was deliberately created and disseminated to mislead the public, incite hatred and anger against the Congress party, and tarnish the Chief Minister’s reputation.

The complaint further stated that the posts were intended to spread misinformation, provoke sections of society, and potentially disturb public peace and order. Given Mr. Shivakumar’s public position, the complainant argued that such content could significantly impact public sentiment and could lead to law-and-order issues.

Based on the complaint, the Sadashivanagar police have booked a case under Section 192 (wanton provocation with intent to cause a riot if rioting ensues, or related provocative acts even if no riot occurs) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.