The false post on Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's death by Kenneth Silveira, who has been arrested, was posted to avenge his 2017 Assembly poll defeat to Parrikar, Goa Police Crime Branch claimed on Thursday.
In an application filed in the trial court to oppose Silveira's bail plea, the Crime Branch said that it is in the process of tracking all Facebook groups and their members with links to the accused, who has been remanded in two-day police custody.
"The accused had contested the Assembly polls from Panaji and had lost to Parrikar. The accused used the social media to post his ill-feelings," Police Inspector Rajan Nigalye said in his application before Panaji Judicial Magistrate First Class Vijayalaxmi Shivolkar.
Parrikar had polled 9,862 votes whereas Silveira got only 96 votes.
"In the past also, there have been instances in other parts of the country wherein such posts on the social media have created doubts, ill-feeling and animosity in public mind, leading to loss of life, and public and private property, thus damaging the social fabric of the nation," the Crime Branch said.
Silveira was arrested on Wednesday night under Section 505 of the Indian Penal Code (circulation of fake information to cause public alarm), a day after he uploaded a post on Facebook which read: "Just got news that Parrikar is no more."
In subsequent messages, Silveira accepted that his FB message was incorrect after other commentators informed him but he did not delete the message.
The FIR was filed by the Crime Branch following a complaint by the Bharatiya Janata Party Panaji unit chief Deepak Mhapshekar.
--IANS
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