The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Karnataka unit faced turmoil as Prashanth Makanoor, the IT cell convener, was detained by Bengaluru Police for uploading an animated video that accused the Congress of favoring Muslims over other communities. This action sparked unrest and led to a legal investigation into potential violations.
Bengaluru Police detained Prashanth Makanoor as part of their inquiry into the controversial video uploaded on the Karnataka BJP’s official social media account. The video depicted the Congress as appeasing Muslims at the expense of other faiths and castes, prompting allegations of promoting enmity and public mischief.
The police action followed a complaint filed by Congress’s Ramesh Babu, leading to the summoning of BJP leaders including JP Nadda, Amit Malviya, and BY Vijayendra. The complaint alleged violations under IPC Section 505(2) and the Representation of People Act’s Section 125, accusing the BJP of attempting to provoke rioting and promote enmity between different religious and caste groups.
In response to the controversy, the Election Commission (EC) directed social media platform X to take down the contentious video. Subsequently, the video was removed from the official Karnataka BJP handle. This incident comes after a previous controversial video posted on BJP’s Instagram handle attracted criticism and was also taken down.
Prashanth Makanoor, after being detained, was granted bail. The legal process continues as investigations delve into the potential consequences of the video in terms of promoting disharmony and intimidating specific communities regarding their voting choices.
The detention of BJP’s Karnataka IT cell convener over the animated video underscores the complexities of using social media for political messaging and the legal ramifications of content that is deemed to incite communal tensions or public mischief. The ongoing investigation will shed more light on the consequences and responsibilities associated with online content dissemination in the political arena.
Sources By Agencies