Ranchi Police’s cybercrime unit has asked social media platform X to provide details of an account linked to the JPSC-JSSC protests, including the identity of its operator and records of its online activity.
According to cybercrime unit DSP Pankaj Kumar, the legal notice was issued on August 22 in connection with the X handle @JPSCreformanch, which is used by the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch. Police have alleged that the account was being used to repeatedly circulate information that they described as “false and fabricated” concerning actions taken by the Jharkhand government.
The notice seeks the account holder’s full name, residential address, contact numbers and registered email address. Police have also sought detailed activity records, including login and logout information, precise dates and times, and corresponding IP addresses for August 10 and the days immediately preceding it.
Police Cite Criminal Investigation
DSP Kumar said the notice was issued to X as part of a criminal investigation into what police described as the dissemination of false and misleading information.
According to the cybercrime unit, the account had been used to “continuously post videos and photographs” that police alleged contained false or fabricated information regarding the state government’s actions.
The notice reportedly invokes several provisions of law. These include Section 353, relating to statements conducing to public mischief; Section 196, concerning false information to a public servant; and Section 356, relating to defamation. It also invokes Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, concerning publication of offensive material.
Notice Follows FIRs Over August 21 Clash
The police action came a day after three FIRs were registered at Ranchi’s Kotwali police station against 14 named individuals and 200 unidentified persons over allegations of obstructing government work and clashing with police.
The FIRs were registered in connection with events surrounding the student protests in Ranchi. Several protesters had clashed with police on August 21, according to the source material.
However, police have not alleged that the X account itself was responsible for the clashes. The notice, according to the cybercrime unit, concerns the alleged dissemination of false and misleading information through posts published on the platform.
JPSC-JSSC Protests Over Recruitment Exams
The notice comes against the backdrop of an extended student agitation in Jharkhand over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the state.
The JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch has been spearheading the protests, with students demanding action over alleged examination irregularities and seeking reforms in the recruitment process.
The protests have involved candidates who cleared recent government recruitment examinations as well as other students seeking action on their demands. The broader agitation has included demonstrations outside the state Secretariat.
The latest notice therefore adds a digital dimension to the ongoing dispute, with the cybercrime unit seeking information from X to identify the operator of an account that police say was being used to circulate allegedly misleading content.
