Delhi Police have registered a case against unidentified persons for allegedly spreading misinformation on social media claiming that government school teachers were instructed to count stray dogs, following a complaint filed by the Directorate of Education (DoE), officials said on Friday.
A senior police officer said the FIR was registered on Thursday by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police after the DoE approached law enforcement over what it described as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and discredit the education system. “The case has been registered against unknown persons and further probe is underway,” the officer said.
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The specific charges and legal sections under which the FIR has been filed were not immediately disclosed.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, director of education Veditha Reddy denied reports circulating online that teachers had been directed to count stray dogs. “Misinformation is being spread that the directorate has issued directions for teachers to count stray dogs. This is completely false and fabricated. There was no such directive issued. The teachers are only involved in academic activities. The false narrative is mischievous,” she said.
Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta also accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of spreading fake news related to the issue. In a post on X, she said, “Taking strict action against the fake news spread by the Aam Aadmi Party, the Education Department has lodged a formal complaint at the Civil Lines Police Station. This is a serious and well-planned attempt to demoralise our dedicated teachers and deliberately create mistrust in Delhi’s education system.”
According to officials, the DoE filed a formal complaint seeking legal action over alleged misinformation being circulated on social media regarding a departmental circular related to the appointment of nodal officers for matters concerning stray dogs.
In its complaint, the DoE said, “It has been seen that deliberate attempts have been made for spreading false and fabricated news with malafide intent, causing confusion and panic among teachers and school staff, damage to the reputation of the Education Department and disruption of public order and trust in government institutions.”
The department further said, “Impersonation of some individuals as a teacher counting stray dogs has also been seen on social media, which needs to be immediately investigated and appropriate legal and criminal action should be taken.”