An FIR has been registered at IP Estate police station in Central Delhi Police against some social media influencers and other unidentified individuals engaged in alleged unauthorised circulation of official documents of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The FIR has alleged a coordinated conspiracy, also involving “insiders”, to defame the FSSAI and undermine public trust in India’s food safety framework.

The complaint, filed by Dr Sanjay Kumar, an official with the national food regulator, claims that a network of actors were engaged in a sustained campaign to circulate misleading content and confidential internal documents on platforms such as X and LinkedIn.

According to the FIR, registered on March 24, the alleged campaign was “highly coordinated”, with similar posts being rapidly amplified across accounts. Investigators suspect that some of the actors involved may be operating from outside India, raising concerns about possible foreign funding and cross-border influence.

As part of the probe, the Delhi Police has written to X, under Section 94 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), seeking registration and technical details of several accounts suspected to be disseminating contentious content linked to the case. According to the police communication, investigators have flagged activities from multiple accounts, including @khurpenchh, @YTKDIndia, @gemsofbabus_, @IamTheStory_, and @NalinisKitchen, around March 9-10. Specific URLs of posts have also been shared with the platform. Police noted that certain details also appeared to have been sourced from material that was “supposed to be highly confidential”, raising the possibility of unauthorised access and manipulation.

Authorities have also sought subscriber details such as registered mobile numbers and email IDs, IP logs with port information, session histories since account creation, and recovery credentials linked to the accounts. Officials said the data would be crucial in identifying those operating the handles and mapping any coordinated network behind the posts.

The FIR also alleged that confidential FSSAI documents were illegally accessed, leaked, and in some instances, selectively edited or forged. Authorities are probing whether any insider is involved in breaching confidentiality obligations. The complaint further suggested that the campaign may have been designed to benefit certain business entities, including those allegedly operating without valid FSSAI certification, by eroding consumer confidence.

Police have invoked provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 316(4) and 3(5), along with Section 72A of the Information Technology Act that pertains to breach of confidentiality and privacy.

The FIR frames the alleged actions as part of a broader attempt to weaken India’s food safety ecosystem and influence consumer behaviour, possibly in favour of alternative or foreign products.
Senior police officers said cyber forensics, financial trails, and potential international linkages will be examined as part of the ongoing investigation.