Bengaluru police book Amit Malviya over his tweet on Rahul Gandhi

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against Amit Malviya, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) IT head and prominent party leader, in Bengaluru. The case against Malviya stems from a tweet he posted about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He has been booked under sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 505(2) (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will between classes), and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

In his tweet, Malviya wrote, "Rahul Gandhi is dangerous and playing an insidious game," on his social media handle.

The FIR was registered following a complaint filed by former Congress MLA Ramesh Babu. Babu, along with IT Minister Priyank Kharge, on June 19, submitted copies of tweets shared by Amit Malviya, to the High Grounds Police Station in Bengaluru. The tweets, according to them “maliciously and falsely depict Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.” 

The video, circulated on June 17, 2023, on Malviya's Twitter handle, “not only aims to tarnish the reputation of Rahul Gandhi and the Indian National Congress but also instigate communal discord and misrepresent the party and its leaders,” Congress had said.

“The video showcases an inflammatory score, a distortion of the song. 'Govinda' from the movie 'Sarkar (2005). The lyrics have been altered to "Thodunga' (I will break), aiming to provoke and stir communal sentiments, a tactic that is morally repugnant and legally impermissible. This further cements the fact that all of this is an extensively thought out and well hatched conspiracy of the BJP and its leaders to commit the illegal acts. In fact, Shri Rahul Gandhi is shown against the backdrop of Manhattan cityscape, implying an association with foreign elements acting against the national interests. This false accusation is not only defamatory but also poses a threat to national security by sowing seeds of distrust among the populace,” the Congress complaint read.