Major political parties under fire: 21 FIRs for allegedly spreading hatred ahead of Bihar elections

Patna: At least 21 FIRs have been registered against 25 social media handles, including those of major political parties like the RJD, BJP and Congress, for allegedly posting inflammatory content, and spreading hatred on the basis of religion and caste, amid the ongoing campaigning for the upcoming Bihar assembly elections.The action has been taken by the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police in connection with 67 objectionable, misleading and inflammatory posts, alleging violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), the Representation of the People Act and the Information Technology Act.Manavjit Singh Dhillon, deputy inspector general (DIG) of EOU, said on Wednesday that investigations revealed the posts shared on the official social media platforms of some major political parties had the potential to incite religious and caste-based hatred. “Cases have been registered against the social media handles of three parties — RJD, BJP and Congress,” he said during a press conference.Dhillon added that a special election cell was formed to monitor the social media activities during the poll period. "This cell is working continuously in three shifts. Any verified objectionable or rumour-spreading content is immediately reported to the respective platforms,” the DIG said.Among the 21 FIRs, six were lodged specifically against AI-generated videos and deepfakes aimed at disrupting the election process. A separate FIR was filed against four YouTube channels for broadcasting songs that spread fear, enmity and hatred among communities. Action was taken against 17 such video links, with takedown requests sent to platforms. So far, notices issued to intermediaries like X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube have led to the removal, locking or takedown of 184 objectionable posts, handles and links.Besides, a proposal to block two web pages under Section 69(A) of the IT Act, 2000, was submitted to the competent authority.The DIG said the handles repeatedly posting objectionable material are placed on a watch list, with legal blocking action to follow. “Content creators using AI-generated videos to mislead voters are also being monitored for MCC violations. Currently, 145 social media handles and profiles — 40 active handles, 28 YouTube channels and digital media platforms, and 77 individual profiles — are under constant surveillance,” Dhillon said.The EOU has appealed to residents to use social media responsibly and verify content before sharing. Spreading misleading, inflammatory or MCC-violating material will result in strict legal action.Meanwhile, the parties concerned have denied the charges.Mrityunjay Tiwari, RJD spokesperson, said the party stands for harmony and brotherhood. “Those who speak hateful words are our opponents,” he said.On the other hand, ally Congress’s spokesperson Prem Chandra Mishra said the matter should be properly investigated. “But our party has not put any such post on social media that would seem to be violating MCC or create any communal tension,” he said.The BJP, however, said they haven’t received any notice yet. “If a notice comes, we will respond to it accordingly,” said Danish Eqbal, the BJP spokesperson.Meanwhile, Nayyar Hasnain Khan, additional director general of police, EOU, said that the team is also actively working to prevent the use of black money during the elections. “We are coordinating with all the SPs. While this is also the purview of the IT department, the EOU team is working vigilantly to control the economic crimes during the elections,” he said.