The Nagpur Cyber Police have filed a case against several social media account holders or content creators for spreading allegedly misleading information targeting Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari regarding ethanol-blended petrol.
The complaint targets a YouTube video uploaded on July 3, 2026, by creator Manish Kasyap, as well as posts from other accounts including ‘Desi Boys’, ‘Harshit Rathi’, and ‘Anklesh Inwati’, news agency ANI reported.
Hours after the FIR, YouTuber Manish Kasyap said he would continue to stand by his remarks and accused the government of trying to silence criticism.
The police action came after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal asked people facing issues with E20 petrol to make videos and share their concerns on social media. He also raised concerns about the impact of E20 fuel on older vehicles, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The complaint was filed by BJP Nagpur City Social Media Cell Convener Shishir Arun Tripathi. The videos and posts circulated baseless and objectionable claims about Gadkari and E20 fuel that could mislead the public, confuse citizens and disturb peace, the complaint said.
In response to the digital evidence submitted, the police filed the case under Sections 356, 352, and 296 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, alongside Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, as per ANI.
Reacting to the FIR, Kashyap denied that his video contained false information and defended his criticism of the government’s ethanol-blending programme. “Respected Shri Nitin Gadkari ji, I have heard that an FIR has been filed against me…The allegation against me is that the video I made about pure petrol and ethanol-mixed petrol was false,” he said. “I faced this problem, and people across the country are also facing it.”
Questioning the government’s ethanol policy, Kashyap said, “About 2,000 crore litres of ethanol are being produced, while the petroleum industry’s consumption is only around 1,100 to 1,200 crore litres. There is surplus production. To benefit a few people because of this surplus, is it right to push E20, E25, E30 and make so many others suffer?”
He also alleged that vehicles were being affected by ethanol-blended petrol and questioned the police action against those raising concerns.
The FIR comes amid a debate over the government’s ethanol blending programme and the use of E20 petrol, which contains 20% ethanol blended with petrol.
