Case filed against 5 over alleged defamatory Facebook posts targeting KC Venugopal

A case has been registered against five people for allegedly sharing defamatory and objectionable content targeting AICC general secretary K C Venugopal on Facebook, police said on Monday.

The Alappuzha Cyber Police registered the case following a complaint filed by advocate Johnson Abraham on Sunday night.

According to police, the accused allegedly posted derogatory and objectionable content against Venugopal on different dates between May 11 and July 19. The posts were allegedly intended to create hatred and provoke a breach of public peace.

The five accused have been booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Kerala Police Act for allegedly circulating false information with the intention of creating or promoting enmity, deliberately or maliciously provoking others with the intent or knowledge that it could lead to a riot, and causing nuisance.

Police said the posts were made during discussions over who could be the next chief minister after the UDF won the state assembly election.

Venugopal was among the names being considered for the chief minister's post, and the accused allegedly used social media to oppose his candidature, police said.

Police said they have collected details of the accused and the posts in question and that the five would be interrogated soon.  (with inputs from PTI)