One booked for circulating unverified message of stone pelting violence

Ahmedabad: An FIR has been lodged against a self-proclaimed journalist named Aagam Shah over a message he shared on a WhatsApp group of journalists to corroborate claims of “violence” in the Jamalpur area of the city. The forwarded message discussed “instances of stone-pelting” in the locality and the deteriorating law and order situation within Kagdapith police jurisdiction.

The message quickly gained traction without undergoing verification. Sub-inspector KD Patel of the Kagdapith police lodged a complaint with the cybercrime police, accusing Shah of disseminating a misleading message with the intention of provoking members of two different communities.

According to FIR, a police inspector HC Jhala contacted Patel on Tuesday around 2:14 pm and urged him to authenticate the Whatsapp claim’s accuracy. Jhala also sent Patel a screenshot of the forwarded message, revealing the sender’s name as Aagam Shah. Shah had written the word ‘check’ below the WhatsApp forward, requesting recipients to verify the claims. Patel stated that no such incident involving stone pelting had occurred.

The cybercrime police have registered an FIR under Section 505(1) (c) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), pertaining to actions that incite a particular class or community to commit offenses against another class or community. DeshGujarat