UP: WhatsApp group admin, member held over sharing of COVID-19 rumour

Two people were arrested in Greater Noida on Thursday for allegedly fanning communal violence after a rumour related to coronavirus was shared on a WhatsApp group by one of them, police said.

One of them is the admin (someone who can add or remove contacts in a group on the popular instant messaging app) of the WhatsApp group, while the other is a member who shared the objectionable post, they said.

"Yusuf Khan, a lawyer, is the admin of a WhatsApp group named 'Jai Hind' which also includes some local police officials, including a sub-inspector attached with the local Badalpur police station, and some other government officials.

"One of the group members, Firoz Khan, shared a post and a video on the group which was a rumour related to coronavirus and appealed to others to share them further," a police spokesperson said.

"The post and the video shared by Firoz were not only spreading rumour but could also have triggered panic related to COVID-19 a well as communal violence. Police officials, who are members of the group, immediately took cognisance of the matter and ensured legal action," the spokesperson added.

Yusuf is a resident of Sadopur village, under Badalpur police limits, while Firoz resides in Luharli village, under Dadri police limits, and the duo has been arrested, police said.

An FIR has been registered against them under the Indian Penal Code section 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration) and under provisions of the Information Technology Act, they said, adding that the mobile phones used by them have also been seized.