Police File FIRs Against Political Party Social Media Accounts for Misinformation in Karanda Death Case

Authorities in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, registered separate First Information Reports (FIRs) on Monday against the official X (formerly Twitter) accounts of the Samajwadi Party and Congress for allegedly spreading misinformation about a woman’s death in the district’s Karanda area.

According to Additional Superintendent of Police (City) RK Mishra, the complaints specifically target accounts including the official Congress handle @INCIndia and Samajwadi Party Media Cell (@mediacellsp) for what police described as “misleading, objectionable and inflammatory” posts related to the incident.

“We have registered cases after detecting baseless, misleading and false comments that were spreading rumors about the Katariya village incident,” Mishra told reporters.

The case centers around the recovery of a woman’s body from a river in Karanda on April 15. Following the postmortem examination, the woman’s father filed a murder case against two individuals, including a man identified as Hariom Pandey, who was subsequently arrested by authorities.

Tensions escalated on April 22 when Samajwadi Party functionaries attempted to visit the deceased woman’s home, resulting in violent clashes with local residents or authorities. In response to these disturbances, police filed an FIR against 246 people, including two Samajwadi Party Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

The situation intensified further when Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, a former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, called upon party supporters to visit Katariya village on April 29. This announcement prompted the Ghazipur district administration to implement prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to prevent gatherings and maintain public order.

A Congress delegation from neighboring Varanasi attempted to travel to Ghazipur to meet with the deceased woman’s family in Katariya village but was intercepted and stopped by police enforcing the prohibitory orders.

The filing of cases against official social media accounts of major opposition parties represents a significant escalation in an already contentious situation. Both Samajwadi Party and Congress are prominent opposition forces in Uttar Pradesh, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) currently holds power under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s leadership.

Political observers note that such cases highlight the increasingly important role social media plays in political discourse and how authorities are responding to what they perceive as inflammatory content online. The development comes amid growing concerns about misinformation on social platforms and its potential to inflame communal tensions in sensitive areas.

The incident also reflects the broader political dynamics in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, which has often seen sharp divisions between ruling and opposition parties. With 80 parliamentary seats, the state is crucial for national politics, and local incidents frequently take on larger political dimensions.

Legal experts point out that cases involving social media posts of political parties raise complex questions about the boundaries between free speech, political opposition, and the spread of harmful misinformation.

Neither the Samajwadi Party nor Congress has issued an official response to the FIRs at the time of reporting. The case is expected to continue developing as investigations proceed.

Local authorities have appealed for calm in the area and warned against spreading unverified information about the case while the investigation continues. Security measures remain in place in Katariya village and surrounding areas as officials work to maintain peace and order.