Scribe booked for WhatsApp message

GHAZIABAD: A journalist with a Hindi daily was booked on Tuesday for inciting communal hatred through a message on WhatsApp. According to the police, a complaint had been lodged by a member of the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Ghaziabad wing, Parvez Chaudhary, after the journalist posted a message on a WhatApp group, of which he was a member.

Chaudhary in his complaint said that the post was meant to incite the communal passions of a particular religious community. Based upon the complaint, Ghaziabad Police have lodged an FIR at the Muradnagar police station. The accused has been charged under section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2008.

The case was referred to the crime branch of Ghaziabad Police on Tuesday for investigation. “Since the accused has been booked under the IT Act, the case was handed over to the crime branch for a detailed inquiry. Necessary action will be taken in the matter based upon the findings of the crime branch,” Ghaziabad DSP Rajesh Kumar Pandey said.