Jharkhand police write to Meta after JMM alleges BJP’s ‘shadow accounts’ on FB, Insta tarnishing Hemant Soren’s image

Two cases were registered connected November 8 against a leafage called Ranchi Chaupal astatine Gonda and Ratu constabulary stations successful Ranchi district, and a caller lawsuit was registered against the Jharkhand Chaupal leafage astatine Ranchi’s Cyber Crime constabulary presumption connected Wednesday. The FIRs were registered nether BNS sections 175 (false connection with transportation to an election) and 336(2)(4) (forgery), arsenic good arsenic IT Act conception 66(c) and (d) that woody with individuality theft and cheating, arsenic good arsenic nether provisions of the Representation of People Act.

This comes days aft Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) wide caput Vinod Pandey wrote to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) regarding the societal media accounts and alleging a usurpation of the Model Code of Conduct. In response, Jharkhand CEO K Ravi Kumar wrote a missive connected November 11 saying that the authorities police’s Cyber Crime constabulary presumption has asked Meta for details of the head of these pages and for their posts to beryllium taken down.

This comes amid Assembly elections successful Jharkhand, wherever the archetypal signifier of polling was held connected Wednesday and the 2nd signifier volition beryllium held connected November 20.

On Wednesday, CM Soren took to X and alleged that “crores of rupees” were being spent connected Facebook advertisements by the BJP to harm his and the state’s representation done a “shadow campaign”.

“In the past 30 days, advertisements and paid boosts worthy Rs 72 lakh person been done from assorted accounts similar ‘Jharkhand Chaupal’ and ‘Ranchi Chaupal’. If you spot the contented of these pages, you volition recognize that their sole intent is to tarnish my and the state’s image, dispersed spiritual frenzy and marque radical combat among themselves,” the CM wrote.

Rejecting the allegations, the BJP has said that it does not power each platforms that criticise the Soren government. The caller FIR cites respective posts, including 1 made connected November 4 that purportedly claimed that Soren was liable for “propagating emotion jihad” successful the state.

The FIRs against Ranchi Chaupal stated that connected November 3 a photograph of JMM Ranchi campaigner Mahua Manjhi was shared, calling her a “Bangladeshi who supports coercion and does divisive politics”. Ranchi SSP Chandan Kumar Sinha told The Indian Express that an probe was underway successful the 3 FIRs.

Sources successful the Crime Investigation Department, which looks aft cybercrime successful the state, said, “We person sent requests to Meta, asking for login-logout usage-specific IP code details of the associated Facebook relationship and registered mobile number, among different details. They are yet to respond to the requests for relationship records, blocking, and takedown of posts. It volition instrumentality immoderate time.”

BJP spokesperson Ajay Shah said respective societal media platforms enactment the BJP retired of “genuine emotion and respect” and that the enactment did not power them. “Also, determination are galore nationalist spirited platforms that criticise the Hemant authorities retired of anguish and frustration. However, we bash not power oregon oversee each specified platforms,” helium said.