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The ongoing debates over E20 petrol (20% Ethanol-blended petrol) rollout just took a wild turn. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against four social media influencers for allegations to E20. It accuses them of deliberately spreading false information about E20 petrol and dragging Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s name into the controversy without any factual basis. The case claims that they tried to mislead the public and damage the minister’s reputation. The FIR follows a formal complaint filed by the convenor of BJP’s social media cell, Nagpur. It also needs to be clarified that Toyota hasn’t lodged any complaint against Manish Kashyap, one of the accused.

The FIR was registered following a formal complaint from Shishir Arun Tripathi, the convenor of BJP’s Nagpur City Social Media Cell. It names four persons- Manish Kashyap, Desi BoysNCR, Harshit Rathi, and Anklesh Invatee. Desi Boys NCR (desi_boysncr) is an Instagram handle whereas the other two are famous influencers. They are all big on platforms like Youtube and Instagram.

The complaint alleged that Kashyap’s (recent) video featured false, defamatory and misleading claims about E20 usage. It also alleged the videos shared by these influencers to be parts of a larger smear campaign aimed at damaging the minister’s political and social image.

The complaint further said that the creators used fake or misleading interviews with common people to make these videos appear more credible. It stated that these actions even risked disturbing social harmony. And finally, it also pointed out that the three accused other than Kashyap used abusive language against the minister.

The most popular individual named in this FIR is Manish Kashyap, the famous YouTuber from Bihar who had recently put out a viral video of his Toyota Innova Hycross allegedly developing issues due to E20 usage.

Soon after it went viral, Toyota carried out a detailed inspection on the Hycross and issued a statement saying that the actual cause of the incident was not the use of E20 petrol, but fuel adulteration. The fact that Manish Kashyap is a YouTuber-politician who had previously quit BJP to join the Jan Suraaj Party last year, adds more flavour to the case. Kashyap’s video went viral in no time and triggered strong responses from netizens.

According to the police, the four influencers shared videos that raised serious allegations about E20 petrol usage. These were later found to be misleading. Some of them even claimed that large-scale fraud and illegal transactions were taking place under the blanket of E20 policy. Some claimed that laws were being violated in the name of promoting ethanol-blended fuel.

All these videos, the police said, created confusion among viewers and raised concerns about the credibility of the E20 program. According to the police, these allegations were not backed by proper evidence or factual representations. Most of these videos tried to sensationalise the matter, attract attention online and bring more followers to the respective creator accounts.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has remained a strong advocate and even the face of India’s Ethanol-blending program. These videos, the FIR claims, were aimed at damaging his reputation.

Some of them mentioned Gadkari’s name and allegedly used it on social media platforms, in a derogatory way. The Instagram handle Desiboyz NCR, has videos against Gadkari even at the time of writing. They have also shared an apology video, likely after the FIR was filed. Anklesh Invatee’s Instagram account has been deactivated. Rathi’s account also seems to be missing.

One of the biggest issues mentioned in this FIR is using Gadkari’s name and trying to link it to alleged irregularities with the minister having no actual connection to those. Investigation reportedly revealed that the minister had no role in any of the incidents or claims mentioned in these videos. Officials believe that the influencers used his name to gain viewership and followers.

According to available information, Toyota hasn’t filed any FIR against Manish Kashyap in the Hycross issue. This contradicts the statement/ claim made by Minister Gadkari in one of his recent interviews.

Following it, the Cyber Cell examined the videos and found the content to be completely baseless. Officials said they exaggerated and promoted misleading narratives. Some of them even created unnecessary panic among viewers. Importantly, it confirmed that Gadkari had no involvement in the alleged issues shown in the content.

The case has been registered under Sections 356, 352 and 296 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 67 of the Information Technology (IT) Act.