December 18, 2024, Shimla
The Himachal Pradesh Police have registered an FIR on the recent jungli murga’ (wildfowl) case. The FIR has done on the six individuals, including BJP MLA from Dharamshala Sudhir Sharma, media outlets Punjab Kesari and The Tribune, and the three other journalists for allegedly spreading false information and defaming the Hatti community of Kupvi during Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s visit to Tikkar village in Chopal on December 13.
The FIR, registered at Kupvi police station, accuses the individuals of tarnishing the region’s cultural image through fabricated social media posts and reports.
Suman Chauhan, the pradhan of Kulag gram panchayat, and Neetu Kumar, a local resident, filed a written complaint, which prompted the case to be filed under Sections 353(2) and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
The FIR alleges that on December 13, the Chief Minister went to Tikkar village, where the people greeted him with traditional music and food. The village’s women cooked local cuisine, but media stories and social media posts presented a fake menu that purported to include an illegal wildlife meal.
The complainants alleged that the baseless allegations were made to damaged the reputation of their community and also the reputation of Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu.
FIR specifically on the following individuals and organisations:
Sudhir Sharma, BJP MLA from Dharamshala, accused of sharing the menu and misleading the people on social media .
Punjab Kesari, a widely circulated Hindi newspaper.
The Tribune, a reputed English daily of the North region
Bol Himachal, an online news portal.
Munnu Thakur, a journalist accused of contributing to the false narrative.
Dr Sanjeev Sharma, another journalist implicated in spreading misinformation.
The FIR has been filed under the section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023: Pertaining to obstruction caused by the dissemination of false information. Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023: Addressing acts of defamation and intentional harm to community sentiments.
