SHIMLA — Himachal Pradesh Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament and actor Kangana Ranaut over a series of social media posts targeting Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and her late family members.
The case stems from a complaint filed by Shimla resident Atul Sharma, who accused the parliamentarian of publishing provocative insinuations regarding the deaths of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, along with Sanjay Gandhi. Confirming the development on Friday, Shimla Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh stated that an official investigation into the matter has been initiated.
Legal Charges and Details of the Complaint
After the complainant contacted the Director General of Police via email requesting a time-bound cyber-forensic examination, law enforcement authorities booked Ranaut under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS):
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Charges Invoked: Police have applied Section 196 (promoting enmity between different groups), Section 353 (statements leading to public mischief), and Section 356 (defamation).
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Content Under Scrutiny: The complaint cites posts published from Ranaut’s verified account on November 10, in which she allegedly labeled Sonia Gandhi a “mysterious foreign national” and cast suspicion on the sequence of deaths within the family in relation to her political trajectory, while also making assertions about Maneka Gandhi’s exit from the family household after Sanjay Gandhi’s passing.
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Alleged Impact: Sharma argued that the statements crossed the boundary of political discourse, alleging they were designed to propagate misleading narratives capable of inciting public hostility, disrupting peace, and straining social harmony.
