Lucknow, Jan 6 (IANS): An FIR has been lodged against unidentified persons who manage the Twitter account of the Samajwadi Party (SP) on the complaint of the Uttar Pradesh's BJP's social media cell in-charge, who alleged that the former had issued life and rape threats to her and her family on the virtual platform.

The FIR has been lodged under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354-A (sexual harassment), 504 (insulting) and 506 (criminal intimidation), and sections 66, 67 and 68 (misuse of social media platform by posting vulgar, abusive and life and rape threatening posts) of the IT Act, at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow.

According to a police official, BJP leader Richa Rajput, said in her complaint, that besides getting threats, abusive and vulgar words were used for her character assassination in the tweets.

The official added the police were carrying out a threat perception review, and proper security cover would be provided to Rajput, if required.

The SP's official Twitter handle is often known to be taking regular digs at the BJP government in the state.

It is usually replete with posts about the party's poll campaigns and comments by its leadership.

This is not the first time that such an FIR has been lodged against the Samajwadi Party's Twitter handle and its social media cell.

Last month, Lucknow-based journalist Manish Pandey and city-based lawyer Pramod Kumar Pandey had lodged similar such complaints with the police.