In today’s times, circulating fake news has become synonymous with spreading communally sensitive rumours. Karnataka Police on Thursday, 30 March arrested Mahesh Vikram Hegde, founder of so-called news website, Postcard News, for allegedly spreading fake news. Hegde was booked under sections 153A, 295A and 120B of the IPC, according to AltNews.
Confirming the arrest, Bengaluru police commissioner T Suneel Kumar told The Quint that the central crime branch arrested Hegde for a fake news story about a Karnataka Jain muni (or monk) being attacked by a Muslim youth.
The said incident took place on 11 March, but unlike what was reported on Postcard News, the attack on the monk was not carried out by a Muslim youth. It was a case of a road accident. The article was intended to create enmity between communities, and therefore, we have registered the case.T Suneel Kumar
Website Promoted by Senior BJP Leaders?
The website, run by Hegde, is known for creating fake news, to allegedly polarise communities. The website has, quite often, been promoted by senior BJP leaders. In fact, BJP MP Pratap Simha even tweeted about Hegde’s arrest.
On Twitter, Hegde is followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He features on Alt News’ comprehensive list of shady accounts followed by the Prime Minister.
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