Punjab Police book 6 social media handles for ‘completely false and misleading’ claims about floods

According to the police, several X handles and Facebook pages, including @akhand_bharar_s, @abhijitmajumder, Mahathugbandhan, BJP Sahnewal Ludhiana, Mahathugbandhan Video, and Jogindra Rana, shared posts alleging that “if Punjab had not released 4,500 cusecs of water to Haryana in April, floods could have been avoided.”

The police said their investigations have shown the claim is “completely false and misleading.” They said that the alleged 4,500 cusecs accounted for only 0.7 per cent of the 12,297 MCM or thousand circular mils of water stored in the Bhakra Dam, making no impact whatsoever on the flood situation.

Moreover, the police stated that the videos circulating with these posts were traced to the Ravi River, whereas the controversy pertains to the Sutlej and Bhakra Dam.

A senior police officer said, “These fake posts were aimed at creating fear and anger among the public and eroding trust in government agencies and relief operations.”

The FIRs were registered under Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act.

The Punjab Police also warned that spreading unverified information during a disaster is a punishable offence. They urged citizens to rely only on official updates to avoid panic and to ensure smooth relief and rescue efforts.

The devastating floods have affected more than 1,000 villages, displaced thousands of people, and damaged hundreds of acres of farmland in Punjab.

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