Noida Police File FIR Against RJD Spokespersons Over Misleading Social Media Video
In a significant development, the Noida Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against RJD national spokespersons Priyanka Bharti and Kanchana Yadav. The case stems from allegations that they circulated a misleading video on social media, falsely connecting it to the recent workers’ unrest in Noida. According to police officials, the video was actually recorded on April 11 in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol district, but was shared online with claims that it depicted events from the Noida protests.
Details of the FIR and Police Complaint
The FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed by sub-inspector Sushil Kumar, who serves as a media cell official in the police commissionerate. Kumar accused both Bharti and Yadav of spreading provocative and false information, which he stated created an atmosphere of fear and mistrust, with the potential to disrupt public order. The posts in question have since been taken down from social media platforms.
The case has been registered under BNS Section 353(1)(b), along with Sections 66 and 66D of the Information Technology Act. These sections pertain to offenses related to spreading false information and cybercrimes, highlighting the legal seriousness of the allegations.
Social Media Posts and Their Impact
Police investigations revealed that Priyanka Bharti shared a video on Tuesday showing a youth creating a public nuisance. She falsely linked this video to the ongoing workers’ protests in Noida, captioning it as evidence of the government’s disregard for the legitimate demands of industrial workers. Kanchana Yadav then shared Bharti’s post, further claiming that the video was shot in Noida and allegedly attempting to connect the protests to Pakistan.
Bharti has approximately 95,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), while Yadav boasts more than 65,000 followers, amplifying the reach and potential impact of their posts. In a subsequent post on X on Wednesday, Bharti claimed that she had deleted her posts after the Uttar Pradesh Police clarified that the video originated from Madhya Pradesh. She stated, “I had shared a video in which a policeman was beating up a person. It was shared on social media as a video from Noida and I reposted it and said that the policeman should face action. Later, I found out it was a video from Madhya Pradesh, so I deleted my post and even reposted the #UPpolice post, which clarified that what I had posted was not true. As far as I see this case, it is clearly politically motivated.”
Additional FIRs and Broader Police Actions
In related actions, the Noida Police have registered two more FIRs under BNS Section 351(1)(b) (criminal intimidation) and Sections 66 and 66D of the IT Act. One case targets a Facebook profile named Jitendra Kumar Dausa for sharing content that also falsely portrayed the Shahdol incident as part of the Noida protests. The second case is against an X user, Katyayani, who posted a video from an unrelated incident and linked it to the Noida protests.
On Wednesday, there were isolated reports of protests at a few locations in Noida, including the Sector 63 industrial area, Sector 135, and Dadri. However, police personnel were deployed promptly and managed to disperse the protesters without major incidents.
Increased Surveillance and Arrests in Connection with Protests
Senior police officials, including Commissioner Laxmi Singh and Uttar Pradesh DGP Rajeev Krishna, have emphasized that surveillance has been intensified. Authorities are actively monitoring activities on WhatsApp and other social media platforms to trace individuals and organizations attempting to incite violence or spread misinformation.
Reflecting the broader crackdown on unrest, police reported on Tuesday that they had arrested 396 people in connection with violence during Monday’s labour protests. During these protests, mobs vandalized property and torched cars. A total of seven FIRs have been filed at different police stations under various BNS sections, including rioting, voluntarily causing hurt, assault or use of criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation, common intention, and wrongful restraint.
This series of events underscores the heightened tensions in Noida and the proactive measures being taken by law enforcement to maintain public order and combat the spread of false information online.
