Journalist, cop arrested for sharing Facebook post on Tripura CM Biplab Deb

A journalist and a police constable were arrested on Sunday for sharing a Facebook post which claimed Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb's wife has filed a divorce suit against him, police said.

Freelance journalist Saikat Talapatra has been arrested and lodged for the night at the West Agartala Police station, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Subrata Chakraborty said.

The police constable was arrested after a case was registered against him for sharing the Facebook post, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Puneet Rastogi said.

Details of the police constable are yet to be made available. Both of them would be produced in court on Monday.

Talapatra has worked with several TV channels before starting to freelance in 2018.

The two were arrested for sharing a Facebook post by one Anupam Paul, in which he claimed that Biplab Deb's wife Niti Deb has filed a divorce suit in Delhi's Tees Hazari court, officials said.

A case has already been registered against Paul, who is currently on the run, they said.

The Chief Minister has described the post as a "deep-rooted conspiracy" to tarnish his image. "It is a baseless and motivated post which is in bad taste."

His wife Niti Deb has also denied that she has filed any divorce suit and said, "Rumours have no mouth, only dirty, filthy and sick minds."

The state BJP had demanded that the administration take the strictest action against those involved in it.

Previously Biplab Kumar Deb had alleged that Congress president Rahul Gandhi "hatched a conspiracy" and opposed the Rafale jet deal with France to demean India's position in the world.

READ | Rahul Gandhi Hatched Conspiracy To Demean India Over Rafale Deal: Biplab Kumar Deb

Addressing a press conference on Friday, December 14 Deb had said the Supreme Court verdict, dismissing four petitions challenging the deal, proved that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre is an accountable, enterprising and welfare government.

"Congress president Rahul Gandhi hatched a conspiracy to demean India's proud position in the world... Congress had a stable government under Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for 10 years. Why did they fail to finalise the Rafale agreement? Who were they talking to? Why were they trying to demoralise our soldiers? Who instigated them to do this?"

Deb asserted that Gandhi should seek an apology from people for raising "baseless" questions.