FIR against Karnataka BJP IT cell in Bengaluru for linking Pahalgam terror attack with Rahul Gandhi's US trip

Pahalgam Terror Attack: The Bengaluru City Police has registered an FIR against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s IT and Social Media cell in Karnataka for a post allegedly seeking to defame Rahul Gandhi in connection with the Pahalgam terror strike.

Based on the FIR filed at the High Grounds police station, the members of Karnataka BJP IT Cell have been charged under Sections 196 ( promotion of enmity between different groups on grounds like religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) and 353 (2)(public mischief through misinformation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the new name for criminal laws known earlier as Indian Penal Code (IPC).

CM Dhananjaya, spokesperson and chairman of Karnataka Congress Pradesh Committee’s legal and human resources department told media that the BJP IT cell post on social media suggested that Rahul Gandhi’s recent US trip was linked to the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

“This is not only intended to tarnish the image of Rahul Gandhi, but also to divert the attention and escape from their responsibility. This will also create a rift in society, which needs to be dealt with firmly,” he added.

The social media post by the BJP, the complainant alleged, used a picture of Rahul Gandhi and said every time he left the country, something sinister unfolded back home. The police said that they will issue a notice to the persons concerned to appear for questioning.

The Pahalgam terrorist attack was carried out in the fabled Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam on April 22, a day when United States Vice President JD Vance was in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a state visit to Saudi Arabia.

Rahul Gandhi Cuts Short US Trip

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi reached New Delhi in the early hours of Thursday after cutting short his visit to the United States (US) in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. During the trip, Gandhi was expected to deliver a talk at Brown University in Rhode Island and engage with faculty and students at the institution.

Gandhi is expected to fly to Kashmir and meet the injured at Government Medical College and Hospital in Anantnag district on Friday.

Gandhi's US trip had already sparked a political row with the BJP lashing out the Congress leader for his comment on the Election Commission in reference to Maharashtra election result during his address to the diaspora in Boston city of Massachusetts. Targeting Rahul Gandhi over his address, the BJP accused the Congress leader of ‘always defaming’ India on foreign soil.

(With agency inputs)