BJP panchayat member held for spreading fake news about Kerala Class 12 results

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A village panchayat member of BJP from Kollam district in Kerala was arrested on Monday for allegedly spreading false news that Class 12 results have been withdrawn by the government.

Nikhil Manohar, a BJP ward member from Poruvazhy Grama Panchayat in Kollam, was arrested based on a complaint received from the officer of State General Education Minister V Sivankutty, a senior officer of Cantonment Police Station said. "He was arrested and remanded to judicial custody today itself," the officer said.

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An FIR under Indian Penal Code Sections 468 (forgery for cheating) and 471 (using forged document or electronic record as genuine) was registered against him based on the complaint, he said. According to the police, Manohar had spread the fake news via a video uploaded on online video sharing platform Youtube. Sivankutty also mentioned the BJP panchayat member's arrest on his Facebook page.

The minister, in his post, said the man was arrested after a complaint lodged by the General Education Department. "The video was deleted after filing of the complaint," Sivankutty said.