A man has been arrested in Lucknow for allegedly sharing objectionable content on social media, including morphed images of senior Indian leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, police said on Monday.
The accused has been identified as Irfan Ali, a resident of Paharpur village in the Bakshi Ka Talab tehsil of Lucknow.
According to officials from the Mahigava police station, Ali shared digitally altered photos of these leaders accompanied by derogatory comments. The content quickly went viral across social media platforms.
Authorities who scanned his Facebook account discovered multiple other offensive posts that were considered harmful to the reputation of public figures and disruptive to communal harmony.
The incident has sparked widespread concern, prompting officials to call for stricter monitoring of social media platforms to prevent the circulation of such content.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday reported several arrests made in connection to pro-Pakistan posts shared online amid heightened national tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives.
He stated that Cachar Police had arrested two individuals for allegedly expressing support for Pakistan.
“Cachar Police has arrested two more individuals for posting content supporting Pakistan on social media: Baktar Hussain Barbhuiya, resident of Ramnagar under Sonai Police Station. Md. Imran Hussain Borbhuiya, resident of Malugram Ganiwala under Silchar Police Station,” Sarma posted on X.
In a separate case, Md Mustak Ahmed was arrested late Friday night for posting “Pakistan Zindabad” on Facebook. He is a resident of Saykut village under Karimganj police station jurisdiction.
These arrests come amid growing concerns over digital platforms being misused for spreading anti-national and inflammatory content, particularly in sensitive times following national tragedies.