Unnao girls’ death case: FIR registered against Barkha Dutt’s Mojo Story, seven Twitter handles for propagating 'fake news'

Unnao: The Uttar Pradesh Police has registered an FIR against over eight Twitter accounts for allegedly propagating fake news in connection with the death of two dalit girls in Unnao last week.

One of the twitter handles is led by senior journalist Barkha Dutt, ‘Mojo Story’. The renowned journalist has termed the FIR a case of brazen "harassment and bullying".

The FIR was registered in Unnao’s Sadar Kotwali police station on Sunday (February 21). The complaint included seven more Twitter accounts, namely Janjagran Live, Aazad Samaj Party spokesperson Suraj Kumar Boudh, Nilim Dutta, Vijay Ambedkar, Abhay Kumar Azad, Rahul Diwakar and Nawab Satpal Tanwar.

“The complaint accused these accounts of allegedly propagating "fake and misleading news" regarding the horrific incident,” said Vinod Kumar Pandey, Assistant Superintendent of Police on Monday.

Meanwhile, reacting to the FIR, Barkha Dutt said, "We've followed journalistic principles by reporting all sides of an evolving story. To use IPC sections that are punishable with prison is pure intimidation. I am very ready to fight it and face it in court."

On FIR against us for reporting Unnao murders- We've followed journalistic principles by reporting all sides of an evolving story. To use IPC sections that are punishable with prison is pure intimidation. I am very ready to fight it and face it in court. Statement @themojostory — barkha dutt (@BDUTT) February 21, 2021

The renowned journalist further alleged that the Unnao Police has refused to even provide them with a copy of the FIR without which they cannot appeal for judicial intervention.

"Even more suspicious is how Unnao Police has clubbed us with a bunch of politicians," she added. 

The incident took place on Wednesday (February 17) night when three Dalit daughters, aged 16, 15 and 14, were found delirious in the fields of Unnao. Reportedly, the girls had left home to bring fodder for cattle on Wednesday night. The 

Local residents had rushed them to a hospital where two of them were declared brought dead. The third girl is presently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kanpur, police said.

The Unnao Police has held two people in this connection, accusing them of murder over one-sided love.

Earlier, on Saturday, Congress leader Udit Raj was booked for alleging propagating fake news in a tweet that the teenagers were raped and their bodies cremated against the will of their family. 

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