Nagpur police register FIR over misleading campaign against Gadkari

The Nagpur Cyber Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against several social media content creators for allegedly conducting a defamatory digital campaign targeting Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. The action is related to contentious online posts about the government’s Ethanol-blended (E20) fuel policy.

Joint Commissioner of Police, Nagpur, Navinchandra Reddy, confirmed the details of the investigation, stating, “An offence has been registered based on the complaint received. The FIR details the names of the individuals involved and the nature of the posts, as well as the obscene or abusive comments made by certain people. Police is currently investigating the matter…”

The complaint was lodged by BJP Nagpur City Social Media Cell Convener Shishir Arun Tripathi. It alleged that a YouTube video uploaded on July 3, 2026, by content creator Manish Kashyap contained false, defamatory and misleading statements about Gadkari and ethanol (E20) fuel, aimed at misleading the public.

Similar misleading videos and posts were reportedly shared on other YouTube and Instagram accounts, including ‘Desi Boys’, ‘Harshit Rathi’, and ‘Anklesh Inwati’, which the complainants described as baseless and objectionable allegations against the Union Minister. The complaint also asserted that the content could disturb public peace and create confusion among citizens.

Based on the complaint and digital evidence submitted, the Nagpur Cyber Police registered FIR No. 0092/2026 under Sections 356, 352 and 296 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Separately, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to reconsider the rollout of E20 petrol for vehicles not designed to operate on ethanol-blended fuel.