Telangana’s Director General of Police, B. Shivadhar Reddy, issued a stern warning to social media platforms, cautioning them against engaging in character assassination. He emphasized the importance of refraining from spreading false information, making baseless accusations, or intruding into personal lives. Reddy clarified that while constructive criticism is acceptable within legal boundaries, any misuse of social media to spread falsehoods will face severe consequences.
Reddy highlighted that since assuming office on October 1 last year, he had set clear guidelines on social media usage and reiterated the commitment to take strict action against those violating the law. The DGP emphasized their policy of pursuing legal measures against individuals involved in character assassination or damaging others’ reputations under the guise of social media.
The warning from the DGP comes in the backdrop of an ongoing police investigation involving certain television channels and social media platforms for allegedly broadcasting defamatory content about a minister and a woman IAS officer. Two journalists from Telugu news channel NTV were recently arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) handling the case.
The case, initiated based on a complaint lodged by Special Chief Secretary Jayesh Ranjan on behalf of the IAS Officers’ Association, involves accusations of NTV airing a fabricated news story about a woman IAS officer. The complaint highlighted the dissemination of unverified claims insinuating a personal relationship between the officer and a political executive. Additionally, the SIT is also investigating a separate incident involving the circulation of an inappropriate image of the Chief Minister on a WhatsApp group.
