April 29th 2024.
The Delhi Police has issued a summons to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for questioning on May 1st. This comes after a doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah was circulated on social media, prompting police action in some BJP-ruled states. In fact, in Assam, the first arrest has already been made in connection with the fake video.
According to sources, the Delhi Police's Special Cell personally delivered the notice to the Chief Minister's Office on Monday. Reddy, along with four other members of the Telangana Congress, has been asked to appear with all electronic devices used to create, upload, or tweet the video on their social media accounts.
At a Congress rally in Karnataka, Reddy boldly stated that "no one here is afraid" of such notices and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using Delhi Police to win elections. In response, the BJP has filed a complaint with the Election Commission, claiming that the Congress is trying to sabotage the election process by sharing the "deep fake and morphed" video of Shah.
Meanwhile, in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that one person has been arrested in connection with the fake video. The individual, identified as Reetom Singh, is associated with the Assam Congress and holds the position of "War Room Coordinator". However, the Congress has denied any knowledge of the fake video and stated that it must have been shared in Singh's personal capacity.
The Assam Police Chief Public Relations Officer has confirmed that a case has been registered based on a complaint regarding the circulation of a "distorted and motivated" post about Shah on social media. This was after the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, which operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs, filed a complaint with the Delhi Police's Special Cell.
The FIR, filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, has now sparked the possibility of arrests across the country. In fact, in Jaipur, an FIR has already been lodged by the BJP's social media department. The Cyber Crime SHO has stated that an investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, in Delhi, the Delhi Police's Special Cell has issued notices to three individuals - Naveen Pettem, Asma Tasleem, and Shivan Kumar Ambala - through advocate Ramachandran Reddy, who received the notice on their behalf. These individuals are believed to be involved in the circulation of the fake video.
At the mentioned rally in Karnataka, Reddy further stated that the Congress Party Office in Telangana received a notice from Delhi Police to arrest the Telangana Congress president and the Chief Minister. He accused Modi of using Delhi Police to win elections, claiming that the ED, Income Tax, and CBI are now powerless.
In response to these events, a BJP delegation met with the Election Commission in Delhi to file a complaint against the Congress for trying to disrupt the election process through the circulation of the fake video. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and the party's national media department in-charge, Anil Baluni, claimed that the Congress was spreading confusion among the public with this fabricated video.
The head of the BJP's IT department, Amit Malviya, also alleged that the Telangana Congress unit was behind the circulation of the doctored video and filed a police complaint. The Delhi Police's Special Cell has now reached out to social media platforms to identify the source of the video and those responsible for its widespread distribution.
According to sources, multiple teams have been formed to investigate the matter and make arrests. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre has also filed a complaint, stating that the fake videos are likely to incite violence and disrupt public tranquility and order. They have requested necessary legal action to be taken against the creators and spreaders of the video.
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