Udupi, July 15: A criminal case has been filed against Dr. Kirtan Upadhya, a laparoscopic surgeon at a private hospital in Brahmavara, for allegedly posting derogatory remarks against Islam and Muslims on social media, as per a report by the Coastal Digest. The incident caused widespread outrage after screenshots of his comments surfaced online.
Dr. Upadhya reportedly responded to a tweet on Saturday, July 13, which asked, “If you could delete one thing from the planet today – What would it be?” with the answer “Muslim Community.” The tweet quickly attracted attention and criticism, with many expressing shock and disappointment that a medical professional could make such a statement. The inflammatory nature of his comment sparked calls for legal action, with social media users demanding intervention from authorities, including the Karnataka DGP.
Netizens also claimed that Dr. Upadhya had previously made similar Islamophobic remarks, sharing screenshots of other posts from the same handle. In response, a case was filed against Dr. Upadhya following a complaint by Sub-Inspector (Wireless) Ajmal Ibrahim EA, head of Udupi District Police’s Social Media Monitoring Cell. The complaint requested proper legal action for attempts to foment religious hatred and jeopardize communal harmony.
A case was registered against Dr. Upadhya under Sections 196 and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for attempting to disrupt communal harmony and promote animosity between religious communities. Dr. Upadhya later claimed that his account was hacked and subsequently deleted the controversial post. However, police confirmed that no formal complaint of hacking was filed.
Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of the fact-checking organization AltNews, noted that Dr. Upadhya had deleted the tweet and locked his Twitter profile, preventing access to his account. He also pointed out that the handle name was changed from @LonelyStranger_to @Stranger_Solo.
The investigation into the matter is ongoing.
