Etawah Man Arrested for Morphed Photo of CM Yogi Adityanath on Facebook
The cyber crime cell of the Uttar Pradesh Police in Etawah has arrested a contract municipal sanitation worker for allegedly creating and circulating an objectionable, digitally altered photograph targeting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on social media. The legal action followed swift police intervention after regional political office-bearers flagged the circulating graphic, which had been uploaded as a public status update on the digital networking platform Facebook. Senior administrative authorities confirmed the arrest on Wednesday, emphasizing a zero-tolerance approach toward digital harassment, defamatory content, and malicious online propaganda targeting constitutional dignitaries.
BJP Leadership Flags Defamatory Post: Cyber Cell Initiates Swift Arrest
The incident came to light after an account operated under the name of Piyush Tandon shared the manipulated composite image of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as a personal status on Facebook. The inflammatory post triggered immediate condemnation from local political circles, leading a delegation led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Etawah District President Arun Kumar Gupta and other senior party representatives to lodge a formal complaint demanding stringent legal action against the perpetrator. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Brajesh Srivastava confirmed that the district cyber crime team tracked the digital footprint, verified the authenticity of the offending account, and subsequently took the accused into custody under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.
Administrative Repercussions: Nagar Panchayat Terminates Outsourced Contract
Following the police intervention and subsequent arrest, the local civic administration acted decisively against the accused employee. Nagar Panchayat Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sucheta Arora announced that Piyush Tandon had been dismissed from municipal duties with immediate effect. Formal written directions were issued to the concerned outsourcing contractor responsible for staffing sanitation services, officially canceling his contractual engagement. Civic officials reiterated that municipal workers and associated personnel are expected to maintain professional integrity and observe legal boundaries, warning that any participation in digital defamation or cyber misconduct will lead to immediate dismissal alongside stringent criminal prosecution.
