Three Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers from Haryana were arrested on 29 December for allegedly circulating fake news about CM Manohar Lal Khattar.
The complaint was registered by Bharatiya Janta Party, under IPC sections of 153 (provocation with intent to cause riots), 153A (promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, etc.) and IT Act section 66 (cyber crimes).
During the Haryana Mayoral elections, an image had gone viral on social media which claimed that Khattar had said he is chief minister only for the Punjabis and he has nothing to do with other communities.
https://twitter.com/iAnkurSingh/status/1078895561560883202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
AAP’s digital head Ankit Lal had also endorsed such divisive views on Twitter claiming that everyone in Haryana believes that Khattar works only for the Punjabis.
https://twitter.com/AnkitLal/status/1078861507847483392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
On December 28, AAP convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had also alleged BJP of exhibiting dictatorship and wrongful detention of 70 AAP workers who had put up such post on social media.
https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal/status/1078867893570424832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
AAP social media in charge Harpal Kranti, IT in charge from Hisar and Anoop Chanot were among the three persons arrested for circulating the fake news attributed to the Haryana chief minister. AAP has claimed as many as 70 of its workers are ‘detained’. AAP even condemned the police action and party workers burnt Khattar’s effigies in several districts as a mark of protest.
The BJP has clarified that an advertisement was given by a BJP candidate, not by the party. However, AAP workers allegedly morphed the image and started circulating it as if the party had published the advertisement.
Last night, AAP had announced that the party will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Delhi, Punjab, Goa, Chandigarh and Haryana.