FIR filed over Amit Shah's doctored video on SC/ST quotas
The Delhi Police has registered an FIR in a complaint over a "doctored video" of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The purported video shows the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader advocating for the abolition of reservation quotas for SCs, STs, and OBCs. The case was filed on Sunday on a complaint by the Union Home Ministry. A copy of the FIR was also sent to Delhi Cyber Police's Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations after which the agency launched an investigation.
Why does this story matter?
A video of Shah's purported speech at a rally in Telangana's Siddipet on April 25 has been making the rounds of social media, triggering a controversy. The purported video shows the Union Minister as saying, "If the BJP comes to power, it will end the unconstitutional SC, ST, and OBC reservation." Several social media handles, including official handles of Congress state units, shared the video, claiming that the BJP is preparing to end SC/ST reservation.
BJP condemns the doctored video
The BJP has publically condemned the video stating that the clip had been manipulated to distort Shah's original statements. "Congress is spreading an edited video which is completely fake...and has the potential to cause large-scale violence," BJP Spokesperson Amit Malviya said. The BJP said the original video was of Shah discussing the removal of 4% "unconstitutional" reservation for Muslims in Telangana. "They [the Congress] must be prepared for legal consequences," he added.
Read Malviya's post here
FIR filed under sections of IPC, IT Act
Meanwhile, the FIR has been registered by the Special Cell under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act. According to the complaint filed by Sinku Sharan Singh, deputy commandant, Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), some doctored videos are being circulated on social media with "the intent of creating disharmony among communities which is likely to affect public tranquillity and public order." Investigation is underway.
