Mangaluru, 5 May

Two separate FIRs have been registered against social media users for allegedly spreading misinformation and provocative content likely to disturb communal harmony in the coastal city, police said on Monday.

According to a statement issued by the Mangaluru City Police, in the first case, a complaint was lodged against the user of the social media account "vikash p" for sharing false and inflammatory content on Instagram.

The post claimed that "Suhas Shetty's murder was orchestrated by the head of the group that had earlier received compensation," suggesting a larger conspiracy behind the murder incident in the city.

The second FIR named 'X' user "Rahul Shivashankar," who allegedly posted content claiming that the murder of Suhas Shetty was an act of revenge for the killing of Fazil and was financed using compensation funds (Rs 25 lakh) provided by the Karnataka government to Fazil's family.

The post further claimed that Rs 3 lakh was paid to the accused, Abdul Safwan, to carry out the killing.

Suhas Shetty, a known rowdy sheeter and the prime accused in the 2022 murder of Fazil in Surathkal, was brutally killed on 1 May on the outskirts of Mangaluru.

Both cases have been filed under Sections 196 (promoting enmity between different groups, like those based on religion, race, or language), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Police have warned that strict legal action will be taken against individuals or groups attempting to incite communal tensions or disrupt public peace through misleading online content.