Psephologist Sanjay Kumar's Controversial Post Triggers FIRs and Apology in Maharashtra

Nagpur and Nashik Police have filed First Information Reports (FIRs) against Sanjay Kumar, co-director of Lokniti-CSDS, due to a contentious social media post concerning Maharashtra elections. Authorities state the FIRs are under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, highlighting allegations of misinformation and potential electoral infractions.

Harsh Poddar, SP Nagpur (Rural), told ANI, "We have filed an FIR based on a complaint from Tehsildar Ramtek. We will assess the charges' severity before summoning him for investigation." The District Election Officer in Nagpur confirmed the registration of an FIR against Kumar for spreading misleading data about voters, urging citizens to verify information on the ECI website.

Nashik Police also registered a case, reiterating the need for people to refer to official sources for accurate electoral data. On Tuesday, Sanjay Kumar publicly apologized on X, admitting to data comparison errors in his initial post and stressing the absence of any intent to spread misinformation. Meanwhile, Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) issued a notice to CSDS regarding alleged data manipulation.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly incorrect claims based on CSDS data, labeling him a "serial liar" and demanding an apology. Fadnavis stressed that CSDS acknowledged and retracted its inaccurate data, affirming the legitimacy of the current government.

Sanjay Kumar explained to ANI that the data error resulted from mistakenly comparing assembly constituency numbers, leading to inaccurate information in his post.

(With inputs from agencies.)