Mahesh Vikram Hegde the cofounder of Postcard News an online portal was arrested for spreading fake news. Hegde was arrested in Karnataka on Thursday under the cybercrime laws. The editor is accused of inciting religious hate and conspiracy.
Mr. Hegde was arrested based on a tweet from 19th March regarding an attack on a Jain monk. The portal stated Upadhyaya Mayank Sagar Ji Maharaj was hit by a drunk Muslim biker. The tweet read, “Very sad news, yesterday in Karnataka Jain muni attacked by Muslim youth. No one is safe in Siddaramaiah’s Karnataka.”
The tweet with a picture of the injured monk was retweeted multiple times by different handles. Prime Minister Narendra Modi follows the Hegde on Twitter. The police discovered the tweet was spreading false news.
This is not the first time the portal has been charged with inciting communal riots. Postcard News was one of the portals that started the whole controversy over Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmaavat. The site published an extreme article on how the Hindus remaining quite while people defame them. This caused unnecessary controversy.
Ironically, the BJP has condemned the editor’s arrest. BJP Parliamentarian Pratap Simha said it was a deplorable move by the Congress Government in Karnataka.
