FIR Filed Against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya for Alleged Hate Speech on Social Media

In a significant development, the Election Commission has confirmed that an FIR has been lodged against Tejasvi Surya, a BJP Member of Parliament from Bengaluru South and President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. The complaint, filed by officials of the Election Commission and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), centers around a social media post by Surya that allegedly targeted a minority community, potentially stirring enmity between two communities.

The controversy stems from a specific post made by Surya on platforms such as ‘X’ and YouTube, which quickly garnered one million views, 587 comments, 5400 retweets, and 13 likes. According to the complaint, Surya’s actions, leveraging his following of 1.3 million users on ‘X’, not only influenced voters but also threatened to disrupt communal harmony. The content in question, dated March 19, is cited as having the potential to provoke discord among communities.

The police have registered the FIR at Halasuru Gate police station on March 20, under sections 153 A and 295 A of the Indian Penal Code, alongside provisions in the Representation of the People Act. These sections pertain to promoting enmity between different groups on various grounds including religion and race, and deliberate acts intended to insult the religious beliefs of any class, thereby highlighting the gravity of the allegations against the parliamentarian.

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