EC orders FIR against Kapil Mishra for Pak jibe

NEW DELHI: Poll authorities on Friday directed the Delhi Police to file an FIR against BJP candidate Kapil Mishra in connection with his controversial tweet in which he likened the election in the city to a India versus Pakistan contest, sources said.

The Election Commission had earlier asked Twitter to remove the tweet by Mishra, a candidate from the Model Town seat. A show cause notice was also issued to him by the poll authorities for “violation of the poll code”.

“The returning officer (RO) has directed the Delhi Police to file an FIR against Kapil Mishra in connection with his controversial tweet,” a a senior official of the Delhi CEO Office told this newspaper.

“We took cognisance of the tweet, and wrote to EC last night seeking its removal. The EC then asked Twitter to remove his tweet. The tweet is a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and the the Representation of the People Act, so we have taken action,” Delhi CEO Ranbir Singh said. “We have also issued a showcause notice to Kapil Mishra,” he said.

In its criticism of opposition parties over their protest against the citizenship law, the BJP has been accusing them of speaking “Pakistan’s language”. Authorities at the Delhi CEO Office had earlier said that social media posts are being constantly monitored to check for any provocative or inflammatory posts or tweets being made by users, related to the polls.

In a series of tweets in Hindi on Thursday, Mishra had also lashed out at anti-CAA protesters in Shaheen Bagh and other places in the city. “India vs Pakistan 8th February Delhi. There will a contest on Delhi Roads between India and Pakistan on February 8.” “Pakistan has already entered Shaheen Bagh and small pockets of Pakistan are being created in Delhi,” he had tweeted.

In another post, Mr Mishra claimed that the BJP will win the February 8 polls and Kejriwal will resign from his post when votes are counted. Mr Mishra faces AAP MLA Akhileshpati Tripathi in the elections.