A two-year-old Facebook post that seems to express support for Pakistan and encourage beef consumption has landed a Gauhati University research scholar in trouble, with Assam police filing a case against her. The accused - Rehna Sultana - claims that the post had been "misinterpreted", and was deleted minutes after it was originally posted in June 2017.
Police said they came to know about Rehna Sultana's post after a local news website reported about it on Wednesday, following which a case was registered against her under the Information Technology Act. The website claimed that she posted it the occasion of Eid Ul Azha.
"Ate beef today to support celebrate Pakistan's joy. What I eat depends on my tastebuds. But don't create a controversy and show your character hearing about beef," her long-deleted post read.
Rehna Sultana admitted that the post was hers, but denied claims that it was put up a few days ago. "It was posted on the day of an India-Pakistan match in June 2017. Virat Kohli was struck out for zero that day, and being a cricket fan, I uploaded that post out of frustration," she told NDTV.
The research scholar said she realised her mistake almost immediately. "I admit that I should not have done it, and that my post could be misinterpreted. That was why I deleted the post within minutes of uploading it," she added.
Incidentally, Rehna Sultana was also charged by the police along with nine others for sharing a poem criticising the National Register of Citizens exercise last month. She now claims that this particular post was dredged up for the sole purpose of undermining her social work.
"I work for including genuine citizens in the NRC list, and I often help them at hearings. I believe this issue has been raked up to demoralise me," she said, adding that there was nothing controversial about the poem she shared.
Director General of Police Kuladhar Saikia said the Guwahati Police Commissioner was looking into the case. "We are making all efforts to ensure that social media platforms are not used to spread fake news and hate messages. Local police departments have also been asked to keep an eye out for such instances," he added.
Trump Extends Diwali Greetings, Vows To Strengthen Ties With India, PM Modi Faltering India Brace For Another Spin Trial In Must-Win Third Test Israeli Foreign Minister Extends Diwali Greetings To Indians Walmart Employee's Big Claim After Indian-Origin Teen Found Dead In Oven Who Was Gursimran Kaur, Indian Teen Found Dead In Walmart Oven Businessman's Rs 1 Crore Rolex Gift To Contractor For Building His "Fortress" North Korea Says It Test-Fired Latest ICBM Hwasong-19 On Thursday Ex-Armyman Opens Fire At Man Over Parking Dispute In Pune; Arrested US Elections: 60 Million Cast Early Votes In Kamala Harris-Trump Tight Race Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.