New Delhi: Delhi Police on Friday registered an FIR following a complaint by the Directorate of Education (DoE) over the alleged spread of misleading information on social media regarding a government circular on the appointment of nodal officers for stray dog-related issues.
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood said the action was initiated after what he described as “false and misleading claims” circulated online, particularly a social media post by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal. According to Sood, the post suggested that school teachers in the capital were being asked to count stray dogs instead of focusing on teaching duties.
Acting on the matter, the DoE submitted a formal complaint at the Civil Lines police station, seeking legal action against the circulation of what it termed malicious and incorrect information. Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR under Sections 353(1) and 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These sections deal with the publication or circulation of false information and provocation intended to cause public disorder.
Addressing a press conference, Sood said the circular in question had been misrepresented and did not direct teachers to carry out any such task. He alleged that AAP leaders were deliberately distorting facts to mislead the public and create unnecessary controversy.
“A police complaint was filed on Thursday regarding the tweet. Legal action has now been initiated,” the minister said, adding that the government would not tolerate the spread of misinformation on administrative matters.
The complaint stated that false and misleading claims were being widely circulated on social media platforms by unidentified individuals, wrongly alleging that teachers were instructed to count stray dogs. Officials said the actual circular only pertained to the nomination of nodal officers for coordination on stray dog-related issues and did not assign any such responsibility to teaching staff.
Police officials said further investigation is underway to identify those responsible for circulating the misinformation.
