Bangalore:

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said he has lodged a police complaint over a fake news and accused “miscreants backed by the unholy alliance of the BJP and JD(S) of fabricating a parody of Karnataka” False information reported by newspapers.”

A few hours later, based on a complaint by Harish Nagaraj, secretary of the legal cell of the Karnataka Congress Committee, a case under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act and the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Bengaluru West Zone Cyber ​​Crime Police Station.

Miscreants backed by the unholy alliance of BJP-JDS fabricated a false message imitating reports in Kannada newspapers. The fake news was filled with content that inflamed communal tensions and was widely shared on social media platforms. pic.twitter.com/lHh0BpqTGC

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 10, 2024

Official sources said: “Prabhakar Reddy, Vasant Gilliar, Vijay Hlagu, Pandu Modi Ka Parivar, BSY supporters, Davangere India The PPP and Daltrey Ghoshal were arrested by the police for posting purported news reports on their Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp accounts.”

Siddaramaiah had earlier said that he would root out the creators of such fake news and those who support it through legal means.

The chief minister shared an alleged “news report” in Kannada on microblogging site “X” with the headline “We don’t need Hindus. Muslim votes are enough: Siddaramaiah”.

A sub-headline in the fake news report quoted Siddaramaiah as saying: “I want to be a Muslim in my next life. Ignore the BJP’s comments on appeasement of Muslims.”

“The fake news is filled with content to inflame communal tensions and has been widely circulated on social media platforms,” ​​Siddaramaiah said.

He said he had reported the matter to the police. “We have information about the vested interests behind this incident and the police will take necessary actions.”

The chief minister claimed that resorting to such deceitful tactics to win elections instead of dealing with political opponents in a fair and honest manner shows the intellectual bankruptcy of the BJP and the LJD.

“A political party that has ruled the country for ten years should not stoop to the level of creating fake news just to win elections. Be careful before believing and sharing fake news…!” Siddaramaiah added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)