An AAP member and a student wing leader of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) were arrested on Saturday, 29 December, for allegedly spreading purported, defamatory newspaper clippings on social media against Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar.
During the Municipal Corporation elections in the state recently, news had appeared in media in which Khattar was quoted saying that his party should be voted to power as he belongs to the Punjabi community.
“AAP social media in-charge Harpal Kranti and Indian National Students Organisation (INSO) vice-president Sanjeev Jakhar were among the three persons arrested for circulating the ‘fake news’ attributed to the Haryana chief minister," Haryana Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Mohammad Akil said.
The arrests were made under relevant sections of the IT Act after the BJP had Friday lodged a complaint against some persons for allegedly circulating the “fake news”, police said.
The AAP claimed that around 70 party workers were picked up by the Haryana police from different parts of the state.
AAP Accuses BJP of ‘Jungle Rule’
"It's not a democracy, but ‘jungle rule’," Haryana AAP president Naveen Jaihind said.
Hitting out at Khattar, he said that the AAP workers were picked up by police for allegedly putting a post of the CM on social media.
"The BJP had given an advertisement that for the first time the state had got a Punjabi CM and the opportunity should not be lost. The AAP workers only put the post on social media," he said.
He alleged that the AAP workers were picked up by police as if they were terrorists.
"We are not afraid of Khattar... we will not bow down by such tactics of his government," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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