Journalist arrested for objectionable Facebook post on U.P. CM Adityanath in Ballia

Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested a journalist from Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district for allegedly uploading an objectionable and provocative image of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Facebook, officials said on Tuesday (February 10, 2026).

According to the police, a case was registered on Monday (February 9, 2026) at the city police station on a complaint filed by BJP Hanumanganj Mandal general secretary Amrish Kumar Pandey.

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The FIR names one Pawan Tiwari under Section 196(1)(b) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place, etc.) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Citing the FIR, police said the accused posted an objectionable image of UP CM on Facebook on Sunday (February 8, 2026), accompanied by a controversial caption.

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The complaint alleged that the post was intended to disturb social harmony, spread disorder and incite a particular community against the government.

City police station SHO Kshitij Tripathi said the accused, Mr. Tiwari (35), was arrested on Monday (February 9) and sent to jail.

He said Mr. Tiwari is a resident of the Sukhpura police station area in Ballia district but currently lives in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, where he works as a journalist.

Mr Tripathi stated that the accused had travelled to his native village to attend a family wedding when the allegedly inflammatory post was uploaded and subsequently went viral.

Further legal proceedings are underway in the case, police added.