Lucknow, May 17 (PTI) An FIR was lodged in Lucknow on Saturday following an alleged objectionable social media post targeting Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak from the official X handle of the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) media cell.
Police officials confirmed the case registration against the “unknown handler” of the X handle.
The FIR was filed based on a complaint by Anand Dwivedi, the Lucknow Metropolitan President of the BJP.
Dwivedi alleges that the X post contained “extremely objectionable things against the deceased mother of the deputy chief minister, which shows the anti-women mentality of the Samajwadi Party.” The contentious post, according to the police complaint, allegedly targeted Pathak’s family lineage in a derogatory manner.
In his complaint, Dwivedi further claimed the post aimed to “increase destructive, disruptive, separatist activities in the society” and was an “attack on the unity of the country by insulting a respected personality.” Dwivedi asserted that such language used against a deputy chief minister and his deceased mother reflects a “criminal mentality” within the SP, noting previous instances of objectionable posts from the SP’s media cell leading to FIRs.
Police have booked the FIR under sections 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of public peace), 353 (public mischief by spreading false information or rumours), 356 (defamation) of the BNS, along with relevant sections of the IT Act.
Reacting to the post, Pathak took to X on Saturday, questioning the SP’s conduct, “Akhilesh ji, is this the language of your party? This is the official handle of your party!! Is this the choice of words for someone’s late parents?” Pathak also shared a screenshot of the controversial post, which was subsequently deleted.
Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya also criticised the post.
“The character of Samajwadi Party is cheap, disgusting and anti-social…The people of UP will punish it by ‘ending SP’,” he wrote on X.
In response, the SP’s media cell posted another message on X, including news clippings where Pathak had referred to “DNA of Samajwadi Party.” The incident has escalated beyond the online realm, with BJP workers staging protests at the Hazratganj on Saturday evening. PTI CDN AMJ AMJ AMJ
