FIR against Vishwavani editor for article on Nikhil

The city police have registered an FIR against an editor of a Kannada daily for publishing a fictitious article involving Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Gowda after he lost his mandate to Sumalatha in Mandya.

The editor of newspaper Vishwavani, Visheshwar Bhat and his staff have been booked under several sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC) including cheating, intimidation and criminal breach of trust by the Srirampura police who have issued a notice to Bhat and his staff.

According to the police, an article involving Nikhil Gowda appeared in Vishwavani on May 25 soon after the election results. The article alleged that an inebriated Nikhil had gone to his grandfather, former prime minister HD Devagowda's house in Padmanabhanagar and created a ruckus there blaming his grandfather for failing his career in politics. The article went on to state that he abused his grandfather for letting him lose before a woman in their party's belt in Mandya.

Pradeep Kumar SP (36), a JDS party secretary filed a complaint with the Srirampura police alleging the article was totally fictitious and nothing had happened as published. The article not only brought disrepute to Nikhil but also has damaged and defamed the image of his family including his CM father and former PM grandfather politically maligning them.