FIR registered against ex-IAS officer for tweeting fake 'coal theft' video

An FIR was registered against BJP leader and former IAS officer OP Chaudhary for tweeting an alleged fake video of coal theft in Chhattisgarh's Korba district, a police official said on Saturday.

An FIR was registered against BJP leader and former IAS officer OP Chaudhary for tweeting an alleged fake video of coal theft from an opencast mine in Chhattisgarh's Korba district, a police official said on Saturday.

The case was registered against Chaudhary under IPC's section 505 (1) (B) (with intent to cause, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the state or against the public tranquillity) at Bakimongra police station here on the complaint of one Madhusudan Das Yadav, said Korba Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Abhishek Verma.

Yadav, a resident of Bakimogra area, had complained that Chaudhary had posted a fake video to garner popularity, the official said.

On May 18, Chaudhary had posted a video on his Twitter handle with a comment that thousands of labourers and hundreds of vehicles were engaged in coal theft from Gevra mine of Korba.

The video showed a large number of men and women digging an opencast mine with pickaxes and other tools while some of them were filling coal in sacks, which were being carried out on the backs and shoulders of these people.

Slamming the police for registering a case, Chaudhary, secretary of the BJP state unit, said he was ready to face any punishment for raising issues of public interest.

"I shared the video which was already viral. In fact after I shared it, Bilapsur Inspector General of Police (IGP) ordered an enquiry into the video and Korba Collector visited mines of South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) and said the mines lacked security. Instead of lodging FIR against organized mafias engaged in coal theft, police are taking action against me," the bureaucrat-turned-politician told PTI.

A former collector of Raipur, Chaudhary had resigned from the service ahead of 2018 Assembly elections and joined the BJP.

After the video came to light last month, Inspector General of Police (Bilaspur range) Ratanlal Dangi, under whose jurisdiction Korba falls, had ordered a probe headed by in charge of Anti Crime and Cyber Unit (ACCU) Bilaspur.

Korba Superintendent of Police (SP) Bhojram Patel had then removed Station House Officers of Dipka Police station and Hardibazar Police Chowki (outpost) and shifted them to Korba police line where SECL mines are located citing administrative reasons.

The police are yet to disclose the findings of the probe ordered by the IG.