Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb (Express file photo by Abhisek Saha)
A police constable posted in North Tripura district was arrested Sunday for posting ‘objectionable’ content against Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on social media, officials said. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Puneet Rastogi said, “He uploaded something objectionable on his Facebook account. A case was registered against him and he was arrested.”
Earlier on Thursday, a document purportedly about a divorce suit filed against Deb by his wife went viral on social media. The rumour was later busted as the CM’s wife Niti Deb said it was a ‘dirty rumour’ spread to earn brownie points in politics.
An FIR was filed against one Anupam Paul, a Facebook user, for allegedly spreading the rumour. He was charged with forgery, defamation and criminal conspiracy. However, the accused is still at loose.
A case was also registered against a local news website for allegedly spreading fake news over the CM’s divorce rumour, IGP Rastogi said. Necessary orders were being procured to block the news website, he added.
Speaking on the matter, Chief Minister Deb said that people of Tripura would ‘judge’ those involved with rumour campaign against his family.
A police official said a cybersecurity cell was established under Crime Branch of Tripura Police to deal with such issues. “It relates to cybercrime and monitoring. Its development is a continuous process and more things are getting added. Online monitoring is being done to check any further rumours,” the official informed.


