FIR Against Facebook Policy Head Ankhi Das For 'Inciting Communal Animosity'

Chhattisgarh Police has filed an FIR against Ankhi Das, Facebook's Director, Public Policy, India and two social media users for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, police said on August 18.

The case was lodged following a complaint by Raipur-based journalist Awesh Tiwari.

Tiwari reportedly lodged the case after he was named in a complaint by Das, alleging that she was receiving death threats online.

Along with Facebook's Ankhi Das, two others - Ram Sahu from Mungeli of Chhattisgarh and Vivek Sinha of Indore, Madhya Pradesh - were named in the FIR.

The three have been booked under Sections 295(a) (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 505(1)(c) (with intent to incite, or which is likely to incite, any class or community of persons to commit offence against any other class or community), 506 (criminal intimidation), 500 (defamation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

The entire controversy began after an article published by The Wall Street Journal on August 14 stated that Das had removed incendiary posts by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and also did not reveal that Facebook had deleted fake news pages connected to the saffron party, according to the report.

Tiwari, in his complaint, said that he put up a post on his Facebook account related to an article published in the Wall Street Journal.

Tiwari in his complaint said, "Two Facebook users, with names Sahu and Sinha, jumped in to defend Das and commented on his (Tiwari's) post that she (Das) is a Hindu and she is talking in the interest of the faith." Sahu allegedly posted derogatory and communally sensitive photographs and also threatened him.

He alleged that Das, Sahu and Sinha were trying to defame him by spreading religious hatred.

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