FIR against 'The Wire' in UP's Faizabad over a report on CM Yogi Adityanath

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An FIR has been registered against the news portal 'The Wire' on charges of "creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill will between classes" over a piece it carried in which it said that UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended a public gathering on March 25 despite a nationwide lockdown.

The FIR was registered on Wednesday at Kotwali Nagar police station here under Sections 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 505(2) (creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

'The Wire' had on March 31 carried a news analysis in which it said: "On March 18, the government of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath insisted that a large mela, or fair, planned for Ayodhya on the occasion of Ram Navami from March 25 to April 2 would proceed as usual. The pro-government sadhu, Paramhans, said that 'Lord Ram would protect devotees from the coronavirus."

"The next day, however, when Modi gave a call for a janata curfew, the chief minister changed tack and urged people to celebrate Ram Navami at home," it added.

"But one day after Modi announced the "curfew like" national lockdown on March 24, Adityanath violated the official social distancing guidelines to take part in a religious ceremony in Ayodhya along with dozens of people," it said.

The FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed by one Nitish Kumar Shrivastav. The report is still there on The Wire website.

Prime Minister Modi had last month announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country effective from midnight to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly.