MP police file FIR against Tharoor, 6 journalists over tweets

Madhya Pradesh police have fileda First Information Report (FIR) against Congress MP ShashiTharoor and six journalists over their 'misleading' tweets onthe violence during the farmers' tractor rally in Delhi, anofficial said on Friday.

The FIR was registered in Bhopal after a complaintlodged by one Sanjay Raghuwanshi late on Thursday night,Misrod Police Inspector Niranjan Sharma said.

The journalists named in the FIR are Mrinal Pande,Rajdeep Sardesai, Vinod Jose, Zafar Agha, Paresh Nath andAnant Nath. An unidentified person has also been named in theFIR, he said.

The case against them was registered under IPCsections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups onground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language,etc), 153 a (1) b (any act which is prejudicial to themaintenance of harmony between different religious, racial,language or regional groups and which disturb or are likely todisturb public tranquility) and 505 (2) (statements creatingor promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes),Sharma said.

''The complainant accused these people of posting falseand misleading tweets from their accounts during the farmers'protest on January 26 in the national capital,'' he said.

Sharma said the complainant alleged that their actionled to a ''big threat to national security'' and caused dangerto the lives of many people in Delhi and elsewhere.

On January 26, thousands of protesting farmers clashedwith police during the tractor rally called by farmers unionsto highlight their demand for repeal of the Centre's threefarm laws.

Many protesters reached the Red Fort and entered themonument. Some even hoisted religious flags on its domes andthe flagstaff at the ramparts, where the national flag isunfurled by the prime minister on Independence Day.