New Delhi: The Delhi Police Wednesday morning detained former civil servant Ashish Joshi, who retired as extra secretary to the Authorities of India in March this 12 months, for questioning in reference to a case, officers conscious of the matter informed ThePrint.
Sources within the Delhi Police confirmed that its Particular Cell registered a case towards Joshi two days in the past in connection together with his “on-line exercise” below Part 192 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to “wantonly giving provocation with intent to trigger riot”.
Joshi, a 1992-batch officer of the Indian Put up and Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS), was launched Wednesday night after he was questioned. At round 7.30 pm, he wrote on X: “Simply bought again house. Delhi Particular Cell dropped me house. Particulars later.”
Simply bought again house.
Delhi Particular Cell dropped me house .
Particulars later .— Ashish Joshi (@bismil_prasad) September 2, 2026
“The case was registered two days in the past. He was referred to as for questioning and was sure down. It’s a cognisable and bailable offence,” a Delhi Police officer stated.
In 2019, Joshi was suspended for allegedly violating civil service conduct guidelines after he posted on X in search of authorized motion towards then insurgent AAP MLA Kapil Mishra over a controversial video uploaded by the latter.
“I didn’t commit any crime,” Joshi had informed ThePrint on the time. “As a public servant, I used to be simply doing my job of informing the authorities involved,” he stated in regards to the grievance. “I don’t remorse what I did.”
On Wednesday morning, the social media platform was abuzz with allegations of Joshi being “picked up by Delhi cops in plain garments”.
Former MLA and senior Congress chief Sandeep Dikshit took to X to jot down about Joshi’s lacking standing. “This morning my good buddy and somebody helping me in reaching out to civil society Ashish Joshi @bismil_prasad (retired Further Secretary) has been taken away by two police constables from Nehru Park. I got here to know after his spouse spoke to me within the morning. We’ve been attempting to hint him since 10 am however no hint in any respect. We’re very apprehensive and @DelhiPolice @CPDelhi should inform us the place he has been taken as early as potential,” he wrote.
“Former bureaucrat Ashish Joshi @bismil_prasad was picked up by two plainclothes Delhi policemen throughout his morning stroll in Delhi earlier right this moment. His whereabouts stay unknown. Is the Modi authorities so uncomfortable together with his social media posts that it has to resort to this?” wrote Congress’s Supriya Shrinate.
Talking to ThePrint a senior police officer confirmed Joshi’s detention. “He’s being questioned close to a case and can quickly be launched.” The officer didn’t disclose any particulars of the FIR or the sections of the case. Joshi’s function within the case remains to be unclear.
A number of the former civil servant’s social media posts have been vital of the present dispensation. He had lately posted on the CJP protests as properly. “Civil Providers Grapevine. There was a large showdown between HM and HS associated to motion towards college students at Jantar Mantar. HS was towards extreme police motion towards college students. Additionally there was resistance by junior officers within the discipline. HS didn’t need extension. However was given an extension regardless of objection of HM. Residents might learn between the traces,” one in every of his posts, later deleted, learn.
He had additionally posted on the “shuddhikaran” in Haldwani after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally.
This can be a travesty of justice.
The individuals who carried out the casteist “purification havan” at Haldwani’s Ramlila Floor after @kharge ji’s rally nonetheless roam free.
In the meantime, an FIR is registered towards @RahulGandhi .
In Delhi too there’s a Ramlila Floor.
Was any such… https://t.co/ogAxPVo2iU— Ashish Joshi (@bismil_prasad) August 30, 2026
Joshi’s 2019 suspension got here after he flagged what he referred to as an “incendiary put up” by Delhi minister after which insurgent AAP MLA Kapil Mishra. Joshi was then serving as Division of Telecom (DoT) controller of communications in Uttarakhand.
The previous civil servant had filed a grievance with the Delhi Police commissioner over a video uploaded by Mishra on X the place he emphasised the necessity to assault India’s “inner enemies” like journalist Barkha Dutt, and activists Prashant Bhushan, Kavita Krishnan and Shehla Rashid.
“The matter that indecent messages had been doing the rounds on social media was dropped at my discover by my school junior Barkha Dutt, who tagged me on Twitter,” Joshi, an alumnus of Delhi College’s St. Stephen’s School, had informed ThePrint on the time.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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