Legal proceedings have been initiated against Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya following allegations of spreading false information about the Indian National Congress (INC) having an office in Turkey.
The First Information Report (FIR) was filed on Monday at the High Grounds police station in Bengaluru, based on a complaint by Shrikant Swaroop B N, head of the Indian Youth Congress’s legal cell. The two have been charged under Sections 192 and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which relate to incitement intended to provoke rioting and intentional insult aimed at disrupting public peace.
The case revolves around a viral claim that the Istanbul Congress Centre was being used as an official INC office. The complaint contends that this was a calculated misinformation campaign aimed at misleading the public, discrediting the Congress party, stoking nationalist sentiments, and potentially threatening national security.
This development comes amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between India and Turkey, following Turkey’s support for Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror incident and India’s subsequent response through Operation Sindoor.
The Congress party has labeled the actions of Goswami and Malviya as a “deliberate and malicious attempt” to manipulate public perception for political advantage.
