Bhubaneswar: A special team of the Twin City Commissionerate Police on Sunday late night arrested the owner of a Web channel, Sudhanshu Sekhar Rout, from a lodge in Barbil in Odisha’s Keonjhar district for posting alleged derogatory remarks and fake news on social media.
The action comes in the wake of a complaint lodged by a leading media group against Rout at the Saheed Nagar police station in the capital city for allegedly posting fake news about the organisation. Rout has also been charged with spreading false news against the editor of the news channel of the media house.
Rout has been booked under Sections 294 (uttering any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (intending to insult the modesty of any woman) of the IPC and Section 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the IT Act.
It is worth mentioning here that Rout had spent about three months in Jharpada Special Jail in Bhubaneswar earlier after his arrest for allegedly publishing obscene photos of sprinter Dutee Chand and alleged attempts to extort money from her.
At that time, a criminal case was filed against Rout under Sections 292 (obscene and indecent publication), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 385 (causing fear to a person to commit extortion), 506 (criminal intimidation), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 509 (intending to insult the modesty of any woman).
According to reports, a number of cases are registered against Rout at the Lakshminagar police station, Women’s police station and Cyber Police Station in Bhubaneswar.
