Bangalore: The founder of a web portal accused of peddling fake news and radical Hindu propaganda has been arrested on the charge of posting a distorted report on Facebook about a road accident involving a Jain monk.
Thursday night's arrest of Mahesh Vikram Hegde, Postcard News founder who is followed on Twitter by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, set off a social-media storm in his support and prompted Union minister Anant Kumar Hegde to accuse Karnataka's Congress government of a "dictatorial" act.
Mahesh has been charged with promoting enmity between groups, criminal conspiracy, common intent and dishonest use of information technology.
Bangalore police commissioner T. Suneel Kumar said the arrest was related to a report the portal had carried on its Facebook page on March 18, saying a young Muslim had attacked Jain monk Munisri Upadyaya Mayank.
Police sources said a drunken motorcyclist had hit the monk and his associates while they were returning from a pilgrimage to Shravanabelagola in Hassan district on March 13.
The portal's post had a picture of the monk, who suffered minor bruises, and text that read: "Very sad news. In Karnataka Jain muni attacked by Muslim youth.... No one is safe in (chief minister P.C.) Siddaramaiah's Karnataka."
No comments:
Post a Comment