More FIRS on Cong leader, journos

Police in Bhopal and Gurugram filed a case against seven people, including Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, for allegedly misreporting and spreading disharmony during violent clashes in Delhi on Republic Day.

This came a day after Noida police filed an FIR against the same group of people under similar charges. On Friday, the Editors Guild of India condemned the police action, saying it was an attempt to “browbeat” and “intimidate” the media.

The Gurugram FIR was filed on Thursday night on the basis of a complaint by Jharsa resident Pankaj Singh, 34, who works with a private company. In Bhopal, the FIR was registered by Sanjay Raghuvanshi, 43, a local resident, late on Thursday.

All three FIRS name Tharoor, Sardesai, Mrinal Pande, Zafar Agha, Paresh Nath, Anant Nath, Vinod K Jose and unknown persons. In the Noida and Gurugram complaints, charges of sedition, criminal conspiracy, promoting hatred, among others, were leveled. In the Bhopal FIR, charges of promoting enmity were used.

Karan Goel, ACP (DLF), said police will probe the complaint.