BJD lodges complaint over defamatory content targeting Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar, Aug 20 (IANS) The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the DGP, Odisha Police over the circulation of highly offensive, and defamatory videos targeting Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik, his close aide V.K. Pandian, his wife and former bureaucrat Sujata Kartikeya Pandian on the popular social media platform, Facebook demanding arrest of the persons behind the act.

“The posts were so insensitive, sub-standard and in poor taste that I, as head of the BJD IT and Social Media cell, have been compelled to lodge a strong protest and complaint with @DGPOdisha to take immediate action to not only ask @Meta to take down these posts immediately, but also apprehend the handlers of these pages and initiate immediate criminal action against them,” wrote senior BJD leader Amar Patnaik on X.

In his complaint, Patnaik stated that the actions of those operating the accused Facebook account prima facie attract various offences under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Patnaik, in his complaint, shared details regarding the offensive and defamatory content posted on the Facebook account.

“The entire content posted by the said Facebook ID is malicious, slanderous, and clearly intended to incite public discontent, defame public figures and disrupt political and social harmony,” Patnaik wrote in the complaint.

He requested the DGP to register an FIR against the operator/s of the said Facebook account "Odiaka Chhata" and Meta and take immediate steps to trace the individual(s) responsible for creating and circulating these videos.

Taking to his X handle, the former Rajya Sabha MP added, “If no action is taken immediately, I and the people of Odisha would be convinced that these posts were initiated and disseminated at the behest of @BJP4Odisha and the Government of @MohanMOdisha from fake handles to cause criminal defamation, public outrage and disharmony and mental stress not only to the leaders on the video, but, in fact, to the people of Odisha at large.”

--IANS

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