Bihar ex-CM Manjhi lodges case over fake Twitter account

Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, in his complaint, said “cyber criminals” were using his photograph in the fake account and posting comments that were “baseless and misleading.”

Former Bihar chief minister and Hindustan Awam Morcha-Secular (HAM-S) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi has alleged that unknown persons were posting objectionable comments by opening a fake Twitter account in his name.

Jitan Ram Manjhi (HT Photo)

In his complaint, lodged with the economic offence unit (EOU) in Patna, Manjhi alleged that “cyber criminals” were also using his photograph in the fake account and posting comments that were “baseless and misleading.”

HAM-S spokesperson Amarendra Kumar Tripathi said the former chief minister preferred to keep off the social media and did not have account on Facebook or any microblogging site. Manjhi had urged the EOU to block fake Twitter account and demanded stern action against the cyber criminals, Tripathi said.

Based on Manjhi’s complaint, the EOU has registered a case of forgery as well as cheating and under different section of information technology (IT) Act, he added.

EOU inspector general (IG) Jitendra Singh Gangwar confirmed to HT registration of a case in the matter under Indian Penal Code sections 419 (punishment for cheating by personation), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 471(using as genuine a forged document), 500 (punishment for defamation), 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory) and IT Act section 66-C (punishment for identity theft) and 66-D (punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resource). Gangwar said investigation in the case was near completion and persons involved in the crime had been identified.