‘Jungli Murga’ case: FIR lodged against HP BJP MLA, journalists

Dharamshala: The Himachal Pradesh Police on Wednesday registered an FIR against BJP MLA Sudhir Sharma and some journalists over social media posts claiming serving of “jungli murga” (wildfowl) at a dinner laid out for Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu and other guests at Kupvi, in Chopal area of Shimla.

The Chief Minister during his public outreach programme had stayed at a village in Kupvi area, an interior of Shimla and a video of his dining went viral on social media.

The FIR has been registered against Opposition MLA from Dharamshala Sudhir Sharma, media houses Punjab Kesari and The Tribune, and three journalists including Sanjeev Sharma.

They have been accused of spreading false information and defaming the local community. The police said that the evidence, including Facebook URLs, has been submitted in support of the charges for investigation.

The FIR is registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by one Suman Chauhan, a pradhan of Kulag gram panchayat, and Neetu Kumar, a local resident under Sections 353(2) and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

The FIR alleges that on December 13, the Chief Minister went to Tikkar village, where the people greeted him with traditional music and food. The village’s women cooked local cuisine, but media stories and social media posts presented a fake menu that purported to include an illegal wildlife meal.

The complainants alleged that the baseless allegations were made to damage the reputation of their community and also the reputation of Chief Minister Sukhu.

Sudhir Sharma, in particular, has been accused of sharing and circulating a fake menu on dishes to be served at the Chief Minister’s dinner.

Under the Wildlife Protection Act, there is a ban on hunting of this particular species of wildflowl.