Karnataka Police have filed an FIR against a man for calling the Pahalgam terror attack a “pre-planned act” by the central government.
According to police, the FIR has been registered against Muneer Khan Qureshi, a resident of Kumbarpet in Kolar.
Police stated that the accused had created and uploaded a video on YouTube, alleging that the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which claimed 26 lives, was orchestrated to polarise Hindu votes ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.
After the video went viral on social media, the Galpete Police in Kolar took up a suo motu case against the accused. Preliminary investigations revealed that Qureshi runs a chicken shop and also manages a YouTube channel.
In the video, he reportedly claimed that the Pahalgam terror attack was a pre-planned act by the central government aimed at securing Hindu votes in the Bihar elections. The police booked him for attempting to spread misinformation, incite public unrest, and provoke communal disharmony.
The video has since been removed from YouTube, and further investigation is underway.
Earlier, a medical college student was booked in Karnataka for posting a "pro-Pakistan" message on social media, amid rising tensions between India and the neighbouring country, police said on Friday.
Following widespread outrage from Hindu organisations, police filed a First Information Report (FIR) under Sections 152 (actions endangering India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity) and 197(3)(5) (imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to police, the accused, identified as Tasaud Farooqui Sheik, a student at Al-Ameen Medical College in Vijayapura, had posted the message.
The police said that after the FIR was filed, the accused issued an apology to the Indian public, expressing regret for her actions.
In her message, she wrote: "My post on Instagram has caused pain to many people. I sincerely apologise to everyone who has been hurt by my comments. I am an Indian and I love my country. This is my motherland. I was born in India, and making such comments was an act of foolishness. I once again apologise to the people. I will never repeat this mistake."
She concluded her apology by posting ‘Jai Hind’.