Cyber cops register FIR against unidentified person over 'fake' resignation letter linked to Digvijaya Singh

Bhopal: Cyber police have registered an FIR against an unidentified person after a 'fake' letter went viral suggesting that Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has resigned from the party after the names recommended by him for poll tickets were not considered in the first list.

A senior cyber crime branch officer told PTI on Monday that efforts are on to trace the creator of this letter.

“We have registered a case under sections 469 (Forgery for purpose of harming reputation) and 501 (Printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory) of the Indian Penal Code against an unidentified person and launched an investigation to zero in on him,” cyber crime ACP Sujeet Tiwari told PTI.

He said that the FIR was registered late Sunday night.

A complaint was lodged by Congress which claimed that the purported fake letter was posted on Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesman Hitesh Bajpai's X (formerly Twitter) handle. This letter was circulated to tarnish the image of Digvijaya Singh, it stated.

The BJP has said the party has nothing to do with this letter.

The 'fake' resignation letter addressed to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge stated that the names recommended by Singh for election tickets were not considered, which has hurt his 'self-respect as the dedicated workers have been cold-shouldered'.

"With a heavy heart, I am announcing the decision to snap my connection with the party. I resign from the primary membership and all other posts. Please accept my resignation," it stated while attributing the contents to Singh.

After the letter started doing rounds on social media on Saturday, Singh wrote on X, “The BJP is good at speaking lies. I took membership in Congress in 1971 after being influenced by the party's ideology and not for any post. I will be with the Congress till my last breath. I am getting a complaint registered with the police.”

Singh had tagged the purported resignation letter with his tweet.

Madhya Pradesh BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi tweeted that the party has nothing to do with this letter.

"As the letter went viral on social media, Hitesh Bajpai just picked it up and posted it asking 'is it true'?" he posted on X.

Earlier, the Congress in MP released the first list of its 144 candidates, including Singh’s son and sitting legislator Jaivardhan Singh, for elections to the 230-member assembly scheduled on November 17.

In its first of candidates, the Congress has nominated 69 sitting legislators, including state unit chief Kamal Nath.