PATNA: A political activist in Bihar has filed an FIR against ace poll strategist and former JD(U) leader Prashant Kishor, accusing him of plagiarism. Shashwat Gautam, a political activist and data analytic coordinator, claimed Kishor ripped off content developed by him for his recent campaign ‘Baat Bihar Ki’ (Conversation about Bihar).
In his complaint, filed at Pataliputra police station in Patna, Gautam said the poll campaign planner not only plagiarized his content but also launched a campaign, with a name very similar to his own. Kishor’s campaign was titled ‘Bihar Ki Baat’.
He also named Osama Khursheed, an associate of Kishor, in the case registered under sections 420 (cheating and dishonesty) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC. Khursheed is suspected to have provided the content in question to Kishor. A native of Bihar’s Motihari district, Gautam worked as a strategist for the Congress and was also an advisor to Bihar chief minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar much before Kishor joined the party.