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Bengaluru : Mahesh Vikram Hegde, founder of news website Postcardnews was arrested y by Bengaluru Central Crime Branch for spreading fake stories. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Suneel Kumar confirmed that Hegde was arrested for a story that he had carried on March 18 claiming that a Jain monk had been attacked.
He was arrested on the basis of a false news story published on March 18. A Jain monk who had come for the Shravanabelagola festival had met with an accident on March 13, but Postcard News published a status message on social media stating that he had been attacked by Muslim youth. He was arrested based on two complaints - one of which was filed on March 18 by Gaffar Baig, the General Secretary Bengaluru District Congress Committee.
Another complaint was filed in Sanjay Nagar against a story published by Postcard News about Rani Chennamma and Onake Obava. Based on a complaint the police have registered an FIR and are investigating the matter.
A social media post, both by Postcard news and founder Hegde stated, "“Very sad news, yesterday in Karantaka Jain muni attacked by muslim youth …. No one is safe in Siddaramaiah’s Karnataka.”
The Commissioner said that Hegde had been arrested under three sections. He has been arrested under IPC sections 153a (wantonly giving provocation with the intent to cause riot), 34 (common intention) and 120b (for criminal conspiracy), and section 66 (dishonest act) of the Information Technology Act.
The arrest comes at a time when Karnataka is all set for assembly elections and there is a deluge of fake news. Postcard News has come under fire from Congress leaders and many others in the state for deliberately exaggerating or reporting false news stories, especially on communal events.
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