Police in Ludhiana have registered an FIR against RTI activist Manik Goyal and nine others for alleged misleading social media posts. The posts relate to the use of a helicopter linked to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Ludhiana Police booked the accused under Sections 353(1) and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. These sections deal with spreading false information that may cause public mischief or promote hatred. Police also added Section 61(2) for criminal conspiracy.
Vaibhav Sehgal, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police for Cybercrime, confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. He said police registered the FIR after a preliminary probe into the uploaded content.
According to the FIR, the posts contained distorted and unverified claims. Police allege the content misinterpreted flight tracking data and used selective visuals. Investigators say the posts created a false narrative about unauthorised helicopter use during the Chief Minister’s foreign visit.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised the action in a social media post. He accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of targeting journalists and activists. Badal called the case an attempt to silence free media voices. He demanded the immediate withdrawal of the FIR and expressed solidarity with the accused journalists and activist.
