Karnataka police file FIR over social media post defending Pahalgam terror attack; hunt on for accused

Mangaluru (Karnataka), April 25 (IANS) Karnataka Police on Friday registered an FIR and launched a manhunt for the individual behind a social media post allegedly defending the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

The post, made under the username "Nicchu Mangaluru," was published in the wake of the attack. The Ullal Police in Mangaluru city filed the FIR based on a complaint lodged by Satish Kumar, a resident of Ullal.

The Konaje Police have registered the case under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), invoking Sections 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot) and 353(1)(B) (publication of material likely to cause fear or panic among the public, potentially leading someone to commit a crime against the state).

The accused allegedly posted a message claiming that the biased media had forgotten about one Chetan Singh — a terrorist who, according to the post, asked three people whether they were Muslims before shooting them at Palghar Railway Station in Maharashtra.

The post went on to say that if Chetan Singh had been hanged publicly, the recent attack in Srinagar might have been prevented.

The post also included an image of Chetan Singh and a photograph of the Pahalgam attack site, where the terrorists reportedly confirmed the victims were Hindus before shooting them.

A local Muslim youth was also killed for questioning the terrorists' actions and trying to defend the tourists.

Police stated they have retrieved the image of the accused from the Facebook page, and preliminary investigations indicate that the individual is a resident of the Konaje area in Mangaluru.

The Facebook post sparked sharp outrage on social media, with users demanding immediate action against the accused.

Earlier, Karnataka Police registered an FIR against the state BJP IT Cell on Thursday over a social media post alleging that whenever Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is abroad, terror attacks occur in Kashmir.

The complaint was filed by C.M. Dhananjaya, President of the Legal and Human Rights Cell of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and the FIR was registered at the High Grounds Police Station in Bengaluru.

The complaint states that the post has the potential to disturb societal peace and incite hatred among communities.

It also states that the statement was intended to defame LoP Gandhi and is based on false information.

--IANS

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