Yogi Adityanath condemns defamatory posts on Akhilesh Yadav's daughter, orders FIR
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday, 13 June strongly condemned the circulation of fake and defamatory social media posts targeting the daughter of Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, stating that no daughter — regardless of whose she is — should be subjected to such vitiated public discourse. The remarks came during the launch of developmental projects worth over ₹955 crore in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh.
What Yogi Adityanath Said
'I saw recently that some people were making comments on social media against the daughter of Akhilesh Yadav ji. As soon as it came to my notice, I immediately told the police to register an FIR against it,' the Chief Minister said.
He invoked traditional values to underline his stand: 'A daughter is a daughter. We have grown up with the values that a daughter in a village is everyone's daughter and a sister in a village is everyone's sister. We have never made any distinction.'
The FIR and Police Action
An FIR was lodged against three individuals at the cyber cell of Kanpur Police Commissionerate after SP leaders approached law enforcement over posts being circulated online with alleged malicious intent. According to the complaint, some users had posted a morphed photograph of the former Chief Minister's daughter on X and made what the complainant described as wildly false and defamatory comments. The police acted swiftly following the Chief Minister's directive.
Yogi's Counter-Advice to Akhilesh Yadav
While defending the crackdown, Yogi Adityanath also turned the moment into a pointed political message, advising SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to discipline his own party workers. 'Akhilesh ji, you give advice to others, but you must also see that your followers and workers keep their language restrained,' he said.
He added, in a veiled dig at what he characterised as a culture of abusive behaviour within the SP: 'You need to teach your own people. It would be better if you make them understand, and if they cannot understand, hand them over to us; we will make them understand properly.'
Context and Significance
The episode is notable for its cross-party dimension — a ruling BJP chief minister directing police action to protect the family member of the principal opposition leader in the state. This comes amid an ongoing political rivalry between the BJP and the SP ahead of future electoral cycles in Uttar Pradesh. Notably, women's safety and online harassment have remained recurring flashpoints in UP politics, with both parties frequently trading accusations over the issue.
The swift registration of the FIR and Yogi Adityanath's public remarks are likely to frame the political narrative around women's dignity and online accountability in the days ahead.