SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Police have registered an FIR against actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut over her social media posts targeting Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and the Gandhi family.
The FIR was registered at Boileauganj police station in Shimla on Friday (November 13), following a complaint by Shimla resident Captain Atul Sharma. Shimla Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh confirmed the development and said that an investigation was underway.
The case has been registered under Sections 196, 353 and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deal with promoting enmity between groups, statements and circulation of information that may cause public mischief, and defamation, respectively.
The controversy began after Ranaut shared a series of posts from her verified X account on November 10, reacting to an old video featuring members of the Gandhi family.
Ranaut described Maneka Gandhi's apparent isolation during the gathering as heartbreaking and questioned the family's treatment of her following the death of her husband, Sanjay Gandhi.
In the same post, Ranaut referred to Sonia Gandhi as a "mysterious foreign national" and questioned the circumstances surrounding her entry into the Gandhi family and her eventual political rise. She also referred to the deaths of Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, ending her remarks with "How convenient."
Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash in June 1980, while Indira Gandhi was assassinated in October 1984. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during an election campaign in Tamil Nadu in May 1991.
Ranaut's remarks came on the same day Sonia Gandhi's memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, was released on November 10.
According to reports, Atul Sharma sent a complaint by email to Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police Ashok Tewari on November 12, seeking action against Ranaut over her posts.
The complainant alleged that her remarks created misleading insinuations linking the deaths of members of the Gandhi family with Sonia Gandhi's subsequent political position. He also objected to the remarks about Maneka Gandhi and the description of Sonia Gandhi as a mysterious foreign national.
Sharma argued that the posts went beyond political criticism and could promote hostility, disturb public peace and affect social harmony. He also sought a cyber-forensic investigation to verify the posts and preserve digital evidence.
Following the complaint, police registered the FIR and began investigating the matter. Shimla SP Gaurav Singh confirmed that evidence related to the case was being collected.
(With inputs from media reports)