4 FIRs over INDIA bloc march; takedown request for 500 pieces of content

Led by leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, top functionaries of the INDIA bloc and supporters had gathered at Barakhamba Road and marched to Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police have registered four FIRs in connection with INDIA bloc's protest on Monday, allegedly over violation of prohibitory orders clamped in the area. Police sources said the cases pertained to alleged breaking of barricades and defacement of roads.

Two of the FIRs were registered at Tilak Marg police station, while Mandir Marg and Barakhamba Road stations registered one FIR each.Separately, four FIRs have been registered by Delhi Police over an alleged disinformation campaign, with investigators suspecting Pakistan-based social media handles of attempting to exploit the ongoing protests to spread anti-India narratives and to disturb communal harmony.

They have also written to social media platforms seeking the removal of 500-odd pieces of objectionable and misleading content.More than 100 suspicious social media handles, several of which are believed to be operating from Pakistan, are on the police radar.Sources said intelligence agencies and police have found that several social media accounts allegedly operated from across the border have been circulating old and edited videos of riots and violent incidents, falsely portraying them as footage of recent protests in Delhi.

Fake social media accounts were created in the name of Indian youths to lend credibility, and to make it seem that the content had originated from within the country, one of the officers said.On Oct 10, several social media handles circulated claims that widespread violence had erupted during the demonstrations in Delhi. An X handle claimed Tuesday that the Army had been deployed in Delhi and markets shut down. Delhi Police responded, saying the video “is out of context and has nothing to do with current events”.On the INDIA bloc protest Monday, police said prohibitory orders under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were in force at the time, making the gathering unauthorised. Police said the restrictions were imposed to prevent unauthorised assemblies and maintain law and order in the area. “As the section was already in force, the gathering was illegal,” a source said.Led by leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, top functionaries of the INDIA bloc and supporters had gathered at Barakhamba Road and marched to Supreme Court where a petition was filed.

Thousands of people turned out on the roads between Connaught Place and Supreme Court, waving flags and shouting slogans demanding the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and a halt to the SIR process.

On Bhagwan Das Road, many climbed onto a line of parked police vehicles and buses, shouting and cheering as the INDIA bloc politicians waved back at them. Flags of NSUI, Youth Congress, AISA, AISF and SP fluttered above the crowd. Police then began directing the supporters to one side. People started pushing and pulling as security personnel — officers said more than 10,000 personnel had been deployed in and around New Delhi — moved into the crowd.