An FIR has been lodged against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya following accusations of disseminating hate speech on social media platforms, according to officials from the Election Commission.

The complaint, jointly filed by representatives of the poll body and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), alleges that Tejasvi Surya, who represents Bengaluru South in the Lok Sabha and serves as the President of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, targeted a minority community in a social media post, thereby inciting hostility between different communities.

Furthermore, it is claimed that Surya replicated a similar post on March 19 on unspecified platforms, which garnered significant attention with one million views, 587 comments, 5400 retweets, and 13 likes. The MP, who boasts 1.3 million followers on the said platforms, stands accused of influencing voters and disrupting communal harmony.

Acting upon the complaint, authorities registered an FIR at Halasuru Gate police station on March 20 under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.), 295 A (Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code, along with provisions of the Representation of the People Act.

Tejasvi Surya’s legal representatives or party officials were not immediately available for comment on the matter.