Maharashtra’s cyber police have filed a case against Dhruv Rathee, a popular YouTuber, following allegations of targeting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla via his fake account on Saturday.
The complaint stems from a parody account, @dhruvrahtee, which allegedly posted a fabricated message on X claiming that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s daughter cleared the UPSC exam without appearing for it.
The bio of the @dhruvrahtee account on X states, “This is a fan and parody account and not affiliated with the original account of @dhruv_rathee. Not impersonating anyone. This account is Parody.”
In response to a complaint filed by a relative of Birla, the police have charged Rathee under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for defamation, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, and making statements leading to mischief, along with provisions of the IT Act.
Despite clarification that the fake message originated from a parody account and not Rathee’s official account, an investigation into the matter is ongoing, according to the official.
On Saturday, the parody account posted another tweet stating, “As directed by @MahaCyber1, I have deleted all my posts and comments on Anjali Birla. I would like to apologize as I was unaware of the facts and had copied someone else’s tweets and shared them.”
