Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya are facing legal action after an FIR was filed against them for allegedly disseminating false information about the Indian National Congress operating an office in Turkey.
The FIR, registered at Bengaluru’s High Grounds police station on Monday, follows a complaint by Shrikant Swaroop B N, head of the Indian Youth Congress’s legal cell. Both Goswami and Malviya have been booked under Sections 192 and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to provocation with intent to cause a riot and intentional insult to provoke a breach of peace.
The controversy centers on a viral claim suggesting that the Istanbul Congress Centre served as an official office of the INC. The complaint alleges that this misinformation campaign was designed to deceive the public, tarnish the Congress party’s reputation, fuel nationalist sentiment, and potentially endanger national security.
The FIR comes amid strained diplomatic relations between India and Turkey, following Ankara’s expression of support for Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor.
The Congress has described the actions of Malviya and Goswami as part of a “deliberate and malicious attempt” to mislead the public for political gain.
