West Bengal elections: FIR filed against TMC's Kunal Ghosh, Garga Chatterjee over circulation of forged BJP document

Kolkata: An FIR has been registered against Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh and Bangla Pokkho General Secretary Garga Chatterjee over allegations of circulating a fake political document online to mislead voters and damage the reputation of a political party.

According to an FIR lodged at the Cyber Crime Police Station under Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate on April 20, a complaint was filed by Sashi Agnihotri, 51, a social service professional, alleging that a forged document related to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal was created and widely circulated on the social media platform X.

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"The content of the fake document was misleading and defamatory, intended to: Mislead the public, Damage the party's reputation, and Influence the ongoing election process," the complaint stated.

The FIR has been registered under sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000, including Section 66 (computer-related offences), Section 66C (identity theft), and Section 66D (cheating by impersonation using computer resources), along with multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

As per the complaint, the allegedly forged document originated from Kunal Ghosh's X account and was later amplified on Facebook by Garga Chatterjee, leading to wider circulation.

Police said the incident took place between 10:30 AM and 4:50 PM on April 20. The case has been assigned to ACP Ipsita Dutta for investigation.

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The complainant requested authorities to: Identify the source and creator of the fake document, trace how it spread online, and take legal action against all responsible individuals.

This comes ahead of the West Assembly elections. Kunal Ghosh is contesting from Beleghata Assembly for the upcoming state elections.

The polling for the 294-member Assembly in West Bengal will be held in two phases. The counting of votes is scheduled for May 4. As per the Election Commission of India (ECI), the first phase covers 152 Assembly constituencies, while the second phase includes 142 seats.