A Non-Cognisable Report (NCR) was registered against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra on Monday following a complaint filed against him by Maharashtra Youth Congress general secretary Brijkishor Dutt for defaming former Prime Ministers late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and late Rajiv Gandhi along with the Congress.

According to the complaint filed by Mr. Dutt at the Mahatma Phule Chowk Police station in Kalyan town, neighbouring Mumbai, Mr. Patra posted defamatory content against the Congress, Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi on his Twitter account.

The complainant said that the tweets posted by Mr. Patra in Hindi claimed that ‘had corona happened at the time of Congress, then there would have been scams worth thousands of crores.’

“This person has a large number of followers on Twitter. Defaming a party without any evidence or deceased person who cannot counter the allegation is nothing but a criminal act. He not only used the name, but even the photographs of our two deceased leaders,” said Mr. Dutt.

He said that it had been done deliberately to defame the party and individuals and also to diminish the good opinion that others hold about the party. “None of defamatory content posed by the account is based on facts so as to qualify as a fair comment in the eye of the law. The accused has chosen the picture with sole intention of defaming the party and its leaders and painting of them before the public at large,” said the complaint.

Following the complaint, the NCR was registered against Mr. Patra under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code which stands for punishment for defamation.

“We are determined to take this legal battle to its conclusion. We will not let any person to abuse our leaders or party without legal impact of it,” said Mr. Dutt.