Himachal Pradesh Police have registered an FIR against BJP MP from Mandi, Kangana Ranaut, over her November 10 social media posts concerning the Gandhi family. The complaint alleges that the posts contained inflammatory insinuations about the deaths of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her sons, Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, besides making objectionable references to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi.
Shimla Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh confirmed that the FIR was lodged on the complaint of Captain Atul Sharma, a Shimla resident. He said the police had initiated an investigation and were proceeding in accordance with the law.
According to the police complaint, Sharma objected to content shared from Ranaut’s verified social media account on November 10. He alleged that the posts presented the deaths of members of the Gandhi family alongside references to Sonia Gandhi in a manner that could create hostility and disturb public harmony. The complaint also raised objections to remarks concerning Maneka Gandhi and her alleged removal from the family residence following Sanjay Gandhi’s death. These are allegations made by the complainant and have not been established as findings by the police.
Sharma sent his complaint by email to Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police Ashok Tewari on Thursday evening, seeking registration of an FIR and a time-bound cyber-forensic examination of the posts. He called for the digital material to be examined and the matter investigated on the basis of evidence.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 196, 353 and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. These provisions relate, respectively, to promoting enmity between groups, statements conducing to public mischief and defamation. The Indian Express has also reported that relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act have been invoked, although the PTI report lists only the three BNS sections.
The case has brought Ranaut’s social media remarks under police scrutiny, with the investigation now expected to examine the original posts and the allegations raised in the complaint. Registration of an FIR marks the beginning of the criminal investigation; it does not by itself establish the allegations or determine the MP’s guilt.
