X users booked for spreading 'misinformation' that 'Amul' ghee used in Tirupati laddus

Ahmedabad: Police on Saturday registered a case against seven users of social media platform 'X' for allegedly spreading misinformation that the "low quality" ghee used for making laddus at the Tirupati temple belonged to the 'Amul' brand, an official said.

A massive political row has erupted after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu claimed that animal fat was used in making laddus made Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati during the previous government in the state.

Anand-based Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets its milk and dairy products under the brand name 'Amul', has denied having supplied ghee (clarified butter) to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the temple.

As per the FIR, X users of seven different handles spread misinformation that ghee with animal fat used for preparing laddus for Tirupati Balaji temple belonged to the 'Amul' brand with the intention of harming the reputation of the GCMMF, the cyber crime police station official said.

These X users spread misinformation that ghee sold under the Amul brand was used to prepare laddus which is then used as 'prasad' (offering) at the temple in Tirupati, thereby damaging the reputation of the co-operative organisation, it said.

The FIR was filed at the Ahmedabad cyber crime police station.

The accused persons were booked under sections 336 (4) and 196 (1) (a) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita dealing with forgery intending to harm the reputation of any party, and promoting enmity on grounds of religion, race, etc, respectively.

The police also invoked provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Act, the official said.

The GCMMF issued a clarification on its X handle 'Amul.coop' on Friday night and said it never supplied Amul ghee to the TTD.

"We also wish to clarify that Amul ghee is made from milk at our state-of-the-art production facilities which are ISO-certified. Amul ghee is made from high quality pure milk fat...This post is being issued to stop this misinformation campaign against Amul," it said.

GCMMF Managing Director Jayen Mehta said that certain persons were spreading misinformation that the low-quality ghee used at the Tirupati temple was supplied by Amul.

"Cyber crime has registered an FIR against those spreading misinformation against us," Mehta said.

He said that such misinformation is a matter of serious concern for 36 lakh dairy farmer families dependent on Amul for their livelihood.

"We never supplied the ghee to the temple. We have lodged an FIR to stop this misinformation," he said.