Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal
Bantwal, Jul 17: The Bantwal town police have registered three separate cases against several WhatsApp groups, Instagram, and Facebook accounts for allegedly circulating fake, morphed, and provocative posts on Lavanya murder at B C Road KSRTC bus stand on July 16, aimed at disturbing communal harmony in society.
The police action follows misleading social media campaigns linked to a recent criminal case registered under crime number 95/2026, which involves serious offenses under Sections 78, 126, and 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with Sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
Bantwal Town police station (File photo)
In the first instance, the police noted that the photo of the accused in the firearms case was deliberately edited to add a saffron shawl and kumkum, falsely projecting him as a Bajrang Dal activist. This morphed image was widely shared across various digital platforms with misleading captions capable of disrupting public peace. Consequently, a case has been registered under crime number 96/2026 under Sections 196 and 353(2) of the BNS against the Instagram account 'troll_master.__' and several WhatsApp groups including 'Yuva Beltangady', 'PPadmaraj Padmarajpari', 'Padmaraj Padmaraj pari', 'Yuva Congress Beltangady', and 'Facts and Justice'.
In a separate counter-narrative circulating online, another user sought to shift political blame by morphing the same accused's photo. A case under crime number 98/2026 under Section 353(2) of the BNS has been registered against a Facebook account named 'Chethan Belchada' for editing the accused's photo to portray him as a Congress party worker and spreading false information.
Additionally, the police registered a case under crime number 97/2026 under Section 353(2) of the BNS against a Facebook user named 'Shailaja Amarnath' for allegedly posting false and provocative content capable of inciting communal tension.
The Bantwal town police have taken up all three cases and further investigation is underway to track down the administrators and individuals managing these accounts and groups.