Mangaluru: Puttur Town police have registered a case against the person operating a Facebook account in the name of former Puttur BJP MLA Sanjeeva Matandoor for allegedly circulating messages that could create communal disharmony and fear among the public, and calling for a bandh following an alleged document-damage incident.Police alleged that the messages sought to incite people to form an unlawful assembly and engage in illegal activities. Police registered a case under sections 353(2), 57 and 189 of BNS. An investigation is under way.Asked whether the post originated from Matandoor’s verified social media account, police said the case was registered based on the social media post. The account would be examined during the investigation, and appropriate legal action would be taken based on the findings, they said.Police clarified that citizens have the right to hold protests and that permission would be granted in accordance with the law. However, if the date or timing of a protest is found to have been fixed with an ulterior motive to disturb social harmony, appropriate legal action would be taken against those responsible, they said.Man booked over WhatsApp messagePuttur Town police have also registered a case against a person allegedly operating a WhatsApp account in the name of Dinesh Panjiga for circulating a message that could create communal disharmony, disrupt public peace and cause fear among the public in connection with the incident.The message allegedly called for a bandh and incited people to form an unlawful assembly and engage in illegal activities. A case has been registered under Sections 353(2), 57 and 189 of the BNS.
