Shimla: Amid Tensions with Pakistan, Offensive Social Media Posts Surface; FIRs Filed for WhatsApp DP, Facebook Content

Shimla, May 11:
Amid heightened military tensions between India and Pakistan, incidents of objectionable social media activity have surfaced in Shimla. These include the display of the Pakistani flag as a profile photo on WhatsApp and the sharing of content deemed anti-national on Facebook. Acting swiftly, local police have filed FIRs and launched investigations in both cases.

The first case was reported from the Sadar police station area, where a young man reportedly set the Pakistani flag as his WhatsApp display picture. The individual has been identified as Adil Magray, a native of Anantnag district in Jammu & Kashmir, who has been working with a gas agency in Shimla since 2016. Upon receiving the complaint, police promptly registered a case under Sections 196 and 197(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and efforts are underway to take the accused into custody.

This follows a similar incident reported a day earlier in the Sunni police station area, where a Facebook post containing allegedly anti-national content sparked outrage among locals. The complaint, filed by Tek Chand Thakur and other residents, named Irshad, son of Ilyas, a resident of Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, as the individual responsible for the post. The material shared was seen as inflammatory and potentially disruptive to public order.

Police have filed an FIR under Sections 196 and 197 of the BNS in this case as well. The accused’s mobile phone has been seized and sent for cyber forensic analysis. Authorities have stated that a thorough investigation is underway, and strict action will be taken if the allegations are substantiated.

The Shimla police emphasized that any activity undermining national integrity will not be tolerated, especially during such sensitive times.