FIR against owner of newspaper for article speculating Gujarat CM's removal

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the editor and owner of a newspaper here for publishing a write-up which hinted at the possible removal of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel due to the BJP leadership's 'unhappiness'.

The FIR was registered two days ago under Indian Penal Code sections 505(1)(b) (offending act likely to induce a person to commit offence against State or public tranquillity) and 505 (2) (circulating or publishing report containing rumour or alarming news with intent to create feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will), police said.

The article with the headline 'Goodbye Bhupendraji, Welcome Rupala' was published in the August 22 edition of the 'Saurashtra Headline', a Rajkot-based eveninger.

The FIR was registered against editor Aniruddh Nakum who wrote the piece and his wife who is the owner of the newspaper, said inspector C G Joshi of Rajkot City A-division police station.

A notice has been issued to the accused for joining the probe but they have not been arrested, he added. As per the FIR, filed on the complaint of Babubhai Vaghera, "the report is written with the intention of spreading rumours without any supporting information and creating panic among the BJP supporters and creating hatred between different political supporters thereby endangering public peace."

The article claimed that the central leadership of the BJP was unhappy with Bhupendra Patel's performance and was considering replacing him.

It also said that Union ministers Parshottam Rupala and Mansukh Mandaviya were the front runners as his replacement, as per the FIR.