Ahmedabad man booked for posting communally sensitive content on Facebook

The Paldi police on Thursday registered a case against a man for allegedly posting objectionable and communally provocative content on Facebook that, according to the police, could disturb public order and social harmony.

Police Sub-Inspector S M Christian of the Paldi Police Station’s Surveillance Squad in his complaint stated that the accused, identified as Nilesh Jaypal, a resident Bhagwannagar Tekra, had posted multiple messages and links from his Facebook account that allegedly contained material promoting enmity between communities.

The police said that at around 9 am on October 9, the cyber surveillance team found a Facebook post shared from Jaypal’s account which appeared to refer to communal issues in the Paldi area. The post reportedly contained cropped screenshots of news items and statements alleging demographic imbalance and bias in property sales in Hindu and Muslim neighbourhoods, written in a manner that could provoke discord.

Another post traced to Jaypal’s account included a photograph with text suggesting that meat pieces had been deliberately placed outside a Jain temple in Mithakhali to disturb communal peace. The caption claimed such incidents were recurring and implied a conspiracy to create fear among the Jain community.

“Such posts were made with the deliberate intention of spreading feelings of enmity, hatred and hostility between two religious groups. The content had the potential to disturb public peace and disrupt law and order across Ahmedabad and even the state.” said a senior police official.

The complaint further notes that Jaypal had previously been warned by Navrangpura Police on October 5, following a similar objectionable post circulated on WhatsApp. In 2022, a case was also registered against him at the Cyber Crime Police Station, under Sections of the IPC for spreading inflammatory content online.

Despite prior warnings, police allege, Jaypal continued to share divisive posts. Police have accused him of using social media “with a mindset to circulate content capable of disrupting social harmony and inciting public unrest”.

Based on the findings, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS, including provisions related to promoting enmity between groups and acts prejudicial to public tranquillity.

Police officials said the objectionable posts have since been taken down, and efforts are on to identify whether similar content was shared on other platforms.

Further investigation is underway.