A sudden surge of 'likes' on his Facebook page has astounded former Indian Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, who has approached the police and sought an inquiry.

Suspecting foul play, the Congress MP from Chandigarh yesterday lodged a complaint with IG, Police, here stating that the number of 'likes' on his Facebook page had shot up from 51,600, on Tuesday to 62,500 on Wednesday.

Apprehending that somebody may be doing so for some ulterior purpose, Bansal has requested for an inquiry into it.

The IG has marked an inquiry into the case, which will be investigated by the Cyber Cell of the police here.

The MP told reporters that on a daily basis, one expects 10-20 or maximum around 100 genuine 'likes', but an increase of over 10,000 'likes' in just a day was unusual.

A few days back, the 'likes' on the Facebook page of Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon had increased by over 9,000 in one day, with most of these reportedly being from Istanbul.