Facebook booked over group exhorting cow slaughter

Lucknow, May 21: An FIR was registered in Lucknow on Monday against social networking site Facebook on a complaint that claimed a group on the site exhorts people to slaughter cows, police said.

The site was booked under penal provisions and under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, on the complaint filed by senior police officer Amitabh Thakur.

In his complaint filed at Gomtinagar police station, Thakur alleged that a Facebook group 'Aao mil kar kaaten Gaay' (Let us come together and slaughter cows) openly exhorted and glorified cow slaughter.

The First Information Report (FIR) was registered under Indian Penal Code's sections dealing with provocation with intent to cause riot, public nuisance and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace and Section 66 A of the IT Act.

"It also has extremely abusive and dirty words by various users against Hindu and Islam religion and also against the Prophet Mohammad and Hindu Gods and Goddesses. These dirty words and abuses are of such nature that they are wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace," the complainant told IANS.

Thakur said that in past he had registered four more FIRs of similar nature but since no action was taken in these cases, such incidents were recurring.

The complaint said the Facebook Inc. was criminally liable because it had not taken due precaution as warranted under Section 79 of the IT Act, despite repeated directions.

IANS