Gujarat police arrest Congress' general secretary for alleged "anti-India" Facebook post

Ahmedabad: The Cyber Cell of CID (crime) on Friday arrested Gujarat Congress general secretary for his Facebook posts on "Operation Sindoor", which the police alleged, were found to be "anti-national" and which could "break the morale of the armed forces and create animosity among people".

The Congress leader Rajesh Soni was arrested last night by the police within hours after registration of an FIR under Sections 152 and 353 (i) (a) of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. Several Congress leaders including state president and Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil and Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani criticised the government for the arrest.

"Last night, like a terrorist was being caught, a social activist and political leader Rajeshbhai T Soni was arrested by Cyber Crime at 4 o'clock. If we look at his posts, all they say is that our soldiers should get the credit for their bravery that they have shown and public money should not be wasted in publicity for political gains in the name of Operation Sindoor," Gohil said in a long post on X in Gujarati.

Mevani on his post on X demanded immediate release of Soni and said that he was arrested for "sharing posts of Rahul Gandhi and Supriya Shrinate".

The FIR was registered at 5:17 PM on Thursday on the basis of a written complaint filed by Ajaykumar Swami, 35, police wireless sub-inspector, Cyber Crime Cell, CID (crime), Gandhinagar.

He has said in the FIR that his work includes monitoring anti-national, anti-social, anti-religious, and other objectionable posts on social media platforms.

The FIR has links to Soni's alleged Facebook posts where he has shared the alleged offensive posts. Earlier, the state police registered 14 FIRs for "anti-national content" and "demoralizing the morale of the armed forces" on social media during India-Pakistan clash following "Operation Sindoor".