New Delhi: Delhi Police has written to Twitter and other social media platforms to recover data associated with the accounts that posted and shared a doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah involving reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs, ThePrint has learnt.
According to a police source, the investigation team is “tracking the handles back to the source account” from where the video was initially uploaded.
“The source from where the incriminating video was created and uploaded first and then shared on social media is being tracked. We have sought assistance from Twitter and they are on board to help us. They have shared some data which is being analysed by a team of experts,” the source said, adding that data has also been shared by other platforms, which is being analysed.
“We sought data from platforms that can assist in our investigation to find where the video was first uploaded from. A lot of information has been received in bits and pieces which is being looked into. We will soon be able to track the location from where it was uploaded,” the source said. “The priority is to track down the handle that first uploaded it.”
The Delhi Police’s Special Cell had Sunday registered an FIR, after the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which is under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), filed a complaint about the doctored video of Shah where his statements indicating a commitment to abolish quota for Muslims on religious ground in Telangana were changed to make it seem that he was advocating scrapping all reservations.
The FIR was filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) 153A (creating enmity between different groups on different grounds), 465 (forgery) and 171G (publishing false statements and undue influence).
“The video seems to be doctored, spreading misleading information with the intention of creating disharmony among communities, which is likely to affect tranquility and public order issues,” read the FIR.
The case is being handled by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of Delhi Police that also issued summons to 16 individuals across eight states including Telangana Chief Minister and Congress leader Revanth Reddy, in connection with the circulation of a video.
Declaring that he would not be scared by the notices sent by the Delhi police, Reddy said that after the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Income Tax (IT) department, the ruling government is using Delhi Police to target political opponents.
According to reports, Reddy — who was addressing a Congress public meeting in Karnataka when the notices were served on him at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad, the headquarters of the Telangana Congress — has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using Delhi police to win elections.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a post on X Monday that the state police have arrested one Reetam Singh in connection with the video.
Sources in the Assam Police told ThePrint that Singh is a resident of Guwahati. On the microblogging platform X, Singh describes himself as a “rocket scientist”, “lawyer”, “social engineer” and “war room coordinator” of the Assam Congress.
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