The police in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi have filed first information reports against eight persons for allegedly posting misleading content on social media about redevelopment at the city’s Manikarnika Ghat, The Indian Express reported.
The eight have been accused of sharing images, purportedly created by artificial intelligence, about the work on social media platform X, the construction agency tasked with carrying out the redevelopment alleged in its complaint to the police.
The complainant alleged that some of the posts sought to link the Union government with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, sparking public anger.
Some of the persons accused in the matter are linked to the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, PTI quoted Assistant Commissioner of Police (Dashashwamedh Ghat) Atul Anjan as saying.
The Manikarnika Ghat, one of 84 ghats in Varanasi, is believed to be one of the city’s most sacred cremation grounds. A demolition drive under a redevelopment project at the site sparked protests over the past week.
Protesters have alleged that a century-old idol of 18th-century Malwa ruler Ahilyabai Holkar was damaged during the demolition drive, PTI reported. The district administration has denied the claim.
Nevertheless, Opposition parties have accused the state’s Bharatiya Janata Party government of destroying Varanasi’s heritage and demanded that work at the Manikarnika Ghat be halted.
The first information reports against the eight persons were filed under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to promoting enmity between groups, defiling a place of worship, acts intended to outrage religious feelings and statements conducing to public mischief, The Indian Express reported.
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