Noida protests: Two RJD spokespersons booked for sharing 'misleading' video, inciting tension

Noida: An FIR has been registered against RJD spokespersons Priyanka Bharti and Kanchana Yadav at the Gautam Buddha Nagar cyber police station for sharing a video on social media, linking it with Noida workers' protest, officials said on Wednesday.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders have been accused of linking an incident in Madhya Pradesh, where a man was beaten up by police, to the ongoing labour protests in Noida, and of inciting tension by posting about the matter on X.

Police have also lodged an FIR against the X handle @ItsKtyni and the Facebook profile with the name Jitendra Sharma Dausa.

They have also been accused of sharing a video from Madhya Pradesh while claiming it depicted events in Noida. All the accused are alleged to have attempted to spread rumours during the protests in Noida, officials said.

In Noida, thousands of factory workers, including women, struck work to demand a wage hike, among other things on Monday. The protest had turned violent at places, leading to arson, stone-pelting and vandalism.

The handling of the protests by the police has drawn criticism from some quarters although police have maintained that "mild force" was used.

Following the incident, RJD spokespersons Yadav and Bharti shared the video of the man beaten up on social media and publicly criticised police.

The Uttar Pardesh Police said the video posted on Facebook by Jitendra Kumar Dausa actually originated from Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, where a drunk individual was creating public disturbance.

All the accused individuals shared this video while falsely claiming it depicted events occurring in Noida along with misleading captions, police said.