Kotkhai case: CBI to look into FB goof-up by Virbhadra’s IT cell

SHIMLA: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is looking into the role of Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh’s IT cell for uploading photographs of four youth in a post related to the Kotkhai rape and murder case.

Sources in the CBI said that the Virbhadra’s IT cell is under scrutiny as it uploaded the photographs of four innocent youths on his Facebook page and projected them as suspects who were called for interrogation by the police.

“Every angle linked to the case is being probed. No further details can be shared at this moment,” CBI spokesperson RK Gaur said.

On July 12, photographs of the four youth were uploaded on the chief minister’s Facebook page in a post that claimed that the police has nabbed the suspects.

The photographs were uploaded at 10: 37 pm but pulled down within an hour. The uploading and downloading time has been recorded in Facebook analyser.

Meanwhile, Virbhadra’s IT advisor Gokul Butail denied having any information on the case. “All I can say is that it was not downloaded or uploaded by me,” he said.

However, the Facebook post acted as a catalyst to the widespread public anger against the alleged mishandling of the case by the police.

The pictures of the four youth had gone viral on the social media which apparently further strengthened doubts about the shoddy police investigation.

In his post dated July 12, Virbhadra wrote: “I would like to inform the people of Himachal Pradesh that four suspects have been taken into police custody and further investigations are being conducted.” The post went on to congratulate the investigating team lead by Inspector General of Police Zahur Zaidi for “cracking” the case.

The chief minister's Facebook page is run by a group of administrators, including some volunteers. Sources say, the chief minister has ordered an internal inquiry to ascertain the veracity of the goof up and also sought legal opinion on the matter. One of his social networking manager has reportedly been removed.

The four youths whose photographs were widely shared on the social media wherein they were labelled as the culprits in the Kothkai rape and murder case, later filed a police complaint as they “feared” for their life.

They had also submitted a complaint with the cyber cell and sought its help in getting their photographs removed from the social media.

The cyber cell is also tight lipped about the entire episode. It neither accepts nor denies having received any complaint

PHOTOS OF 4 YOUTHS, WHO WERE SHOWN AS SUSPECTS, WERE UPLOADED ON CM’S FACEBOOK PAGE AND DELETED LATER