Bengaluru, February 13 Police registered a case against an "unknown person" on Friday following a complaint from the office of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah regarding a fake note circulating on social media. The note falsely claimed that a district health and family welfare officer in Mandya had been appointed as the Deputy Commissioner of Excise in Mysuru.
Seeking action against those responsible, the CMO alleged that the act was carried out with malicious intent to damage the reputation of the chief minister and the government.
Siddaramaiah later posted on 'X', saying, "It is a condemnable and very serious crime that some individuals have created a fake note from my office and circulated it on social media."
Based on the complaint, a case was registered at the Vidhana Soudha police station under Sections 336(3) and 336(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to forgery, and Section 340(2), regarding forged documents or electronic records and their use as genuine.
In the complaint, Joint Secretary to the Chief Minister (Administration) Arun Furtado stated that a note claiming that Dr K Mohan, District Health and Family Welfare Officer, Mandya district, had been appointed as Deputy Commissioner of Excise, Mysuru Rural, was being circulated on social media and in certain sections of the media.
The complaint said the note carried no official number or date, had not been registered in the e-office of the chief minister’s secretariat, and had not been forwarded to any department.
No transfer or posting order had been issued based on it.
"Since it has been found that such an act was committed with the malicious intention of bringing a bad name to the chief minister and the government, I am directed to request you to conduct a proper investigation in this regard and identify and take immediate legal action against the culprits," the officer said in the complaint.
Earlier in the day, senior BJP MLA Sunil Kumar cited the fake note circulating on social media to target the government, alleging that the purported transfer was a "classic example" of Siddaramaiah's administration having "lost track."
Pointing out that officials at his office have filed a complaint and that the police will find the culprits and take legal action, the CM wrote on 'X', "Social media users should be careful before believing and sharing such fake news. In today's Photoshop/AI era, sharing WhatsApp information without verifying its authenticity is also a crime."
"We are open to positive criticism but do not tolerate the spread of false news," the CM added.
