NEW DELHI : In a significant development, the Delhi Police arrested Arun Reddy, who operates the ‘Spirit of Congress’ social media account, on Friday in connection with a doctored video of Home Minister Amit Shah.
The manipulated video, which was widely circulated on social media platforms, falsely claimed that Shah advocated for the abolition of reservations if the NDA government is formed. The video was posted by several users on social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter.
The arrest came after a team from the Delhi Police travelled to Telangana two days ago to investigate the matter. The source revealed that the video was posted by the Telangana Congress, prompting the police to investigate who handles their social media.
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The FIR was filed by the Special Cell after they received a complaint from Sinku Sharan Singh, an official working with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The complaint, received on April 28, stated, “It has been found that some doctored videos are being circulated by users of Facebook and Twitter. The video seems to be doctored spreading misleading information to create disharmony among communities which is likely to affect public tranquillity and public order issues.”
The official added that the FIR was filed against social media users circulating the edited statements of Home Minister Amit Shah. “Those operating such social media handles across the country are on the radar of Special Cell. Early arrests are likely. Those who deleted videos are also on the radar,” the official said.
According to the content of the MHA complaint and the annexed report, a prima facie offence under sections 153/153A/465/469/171G IPC & 66C IT Act was made out.
The police stated that their monitoring team is actively working to identify the culprits who spread the doctored video. The arrest of Arun Reddy marks a significant step in this ongoing investigation.
