The Fatehpur police registered an FIR against two journalists for spreading fake news on the alleged rape and murder of two Dalit girls in the district on Twitter.
In the FIR, SHO Ranjeet Bahadur Singh named a journalist of a television news channel and a freelance journalist, saying that he was on patrol at Chinchani village in Bala township when he learnt that the two journos were spreading fake news on Twitter about two Dalit girls being raped and murdered and their bodies being thrown in a pond with hands and legs tied.
The two journalists were charged under sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from the discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code, Section 7 of Criminal Law Amendment Act and Section 67 of Information Technology Act.
Earlier, the Fatehpur police had clarified that the girls, aged 8 and 11, had died while trying to pluck water chestnuts from a pond.
Circle Officer Anil Kumar told the media that the autopsy report of the girls did not mention sexual assault or any violence and the cause of death was stated as drowning.
