Nagpur Cyber Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against four social media influencers, including YouTuber Manish Kashyap, for allegedly conspiring to defame Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari by circulating misleading content related to E20 (ethanol-blended) fuel.
The other individuals named in the FIR are Desi Boys NCR, Harshit Rathi and Anklesh Invate. According to the police, the accused allegedly shared videos on social media claiming widespread fraud and illegal transactions linked to the use of ethanol-blended fuel.
Police alleged that the influencers misrepresented Gadkari's ethanol-related policies and linked his name to the controversy without any factual basis, thereby damaging his public image. The FIR was registered following a complaint filed by Shishir Tripathi, head of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) social media cell in Nagpur.
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In his complaint, Tripathi described the videos as part of a calculated smear campaign aimed at tarnishing Gadkari's political and social reputation. He alleged that the influencers used fake or misleading interviews with ordinary citizens to make the claims appear credible and attract wider public attention.
The complaint further alleged that Gadkari's name was deliberately invoked to generate higher viewership, increase social media engagement and gain followers. It claimed the videos were designed to create confusion among the public regarding the government's ethanol-blending programme.
According to the police, a preliminary investigation found the claims made in the videos to be baseless. Investigators said Gadkari had no connection to the alleged fraud cases or incidents highlighted in the content circulated online.
A technical investigation is currently underway to trace the origin of the videos, identify those involved in their production and dissemination, and determine whether a larger conspiracy was behind the circulation of the alleged misinformation. No arrests have been reported so far.
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