‘Malicious Misinformation’: Debabrata Saikia moves CID against morphed posts targeting him

Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress MLA Debabrata Saikia has filed a formal complaint with the Crime Investigation Department’s (CID) Cyber Crime wing, alleging the circulation of digitally manipulated and defamatory content about him on Facebook.

In his complaint addressed to the Special DGP, Saikia stated that on November 11, several Facebook pages and accounts shared morphed images and fabricated statements claiming that he had apologised for revealing land details allegedly linked to MP Gaurav Gogoi and his relatives in the Tribal Belt. The posts further insinuated that Saikia was attempting to shield land acquisitions associated with Minister Ashok Singhal and his family-linked company.

Saikia asserted that the content was intentionally created to damage his public image, describing the posts as “false, misleading and defamatory,” with the potential to seriously harm his reputation and dignity.

According to the complaint, the posts fall under offences related to defamation under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, forgery and use of forged digital material under Section 336(4) of BNS 2023, and provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, including Sections 66A and 67 relating to circulation of harmful electronic information.

Saikia urged CID to register an FIR, identify the administrators of the Facebook accounts involved, direct Meta to remove the manipulated content, and preserve digital evidence. He also submitted screenshots and URLs of the posts as supporting proof.

“This misinformation has been created with malicious intent. Such online harassment cannot be ignored,” Saikia stated in his letter.

The CID Cyber Crime unit is expected to verify the complaint and initiate a preliminary inquiry as per procedure. The circulation of morphed political content has been on the rise in recent months, prompting repeated calls for stricter oversight of social media abuse in Assam.