After a list containing names of journalists in Bhopal and linking them with corruption went viral, an FIR has been registered by the Crime Branch of the Madhya Pradesh police. The FIR was registered based on a complaint by four journalists, who alleged that "by spreading this fabricated fake list, an attempt is being made to tarnish the reputation and image" of journalists in the state. DCP Akhil Patel told The Indian Express, "The FIR was registered under sections (of forgery and defamation) of the BNS at the Crime Branch unit of Bhopal urban district on Monday. We will begin the investigation and question the people who made the list go viral.” One of the complainants, Rizwan Ahmad Siddiqui, founder and group editor of Digiana Media Group, told The Indian Express, "We have submitted the names of some persons who made the list viral along with their social media handles. We want the police to question them to ascertain the source." According to the FIR, the complainant alleged that a list which includes names of journalists has "gone viral on social media, with accusations of illegal collection and corruption with the Transport Department being linked to them”. "By spreading this fabricated fake list, an attempt is being made to tarnish the reputation and image of myself and other journalists," the complaint states. Posting on X, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha asked the state police to investigate the list, which was a "direct attack on the honour and prestige of the police”. “MP is strange and amazing. A four-page list of journalists of the state is viral. It is said that this is the list of monthly payments made by the Transport Department. Like the 1996 ‘hawala scandal’ list, it has all the names, big and small. I am not convinced about its authenticity. They say it is the result of BJP's internal contradictions, it is the work of (CM) Mohan Yadav's opponents. Its outcome is very dangerous. A direct attack on the respect and reputation of journalist brothers. People will be deeply hurt. The DGP and police department should take note of this and bring out the truth." The post saw a response by the state’s Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Prahlad Patel, who wrote, "It is your and the Congress's perspective that is mocking Madhya Pradesh and is intent on insulting journalists. It's not right to stoop so low for the opposition.”
