May 05, 2024 02:44 AM IST
The development came a day after the Delhi Police arrested Arun Reddy (37), who runs an account named ‘Spirit of Congress’, in connection with the case.
The Delhi Police on Saturday added criminal conspiracy charge under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to its FIR in connection with the alleged doctored video of Union home minister Amit Shah being circulated on social media, even as it secured a three-day custody of a Congress worker in the case, people familiar with the matter said.
The development came a day after the Delhi Police arrested Arun Reddy (37), who runs an account named ‘Spirit of Congress’ and identifies himself as an AICC national coordinator for Telangana on X, in the case.
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The investigating team added Section 120B of IPC after Reddy’s initial interrogation suggested that multiple persons conspired together, edited the original video of Shah and circulated the doctored video clip on social media platforms in a bid to spread “misinformation and create public disorder”, police officers associated with the case said.
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“We have added criminal conspiracy section to the FIR because our investigations have indicated to a larger conspiracy into the matter. We sought Reddy’s custody from the court on grounds that his interrogation was required to get to the bottom of the conspiracy and identify plus arrest other people who were involved in the offence,” a senior officer said, asking not to be named.
The analysis of Reddy’s cell phone showed that he had deleted chats with people in Hyderabad between April 26 and 28, the officer said. “We are in the process of retrieving the deleted chats and interrogating Reddy…”
Reddy was picked up from west Delhi on Friday for questioning and was later arrested by the intelligence fusion and strategic operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police Special Cell that is probing the case.
“Every message from Telangana posted on the microblogging site from the handle is first sent to Reddy for clearance. The posts go online only after his approval. Due to that reason, he is responsible for the objectionable doctored video of the home minister that was posted on a microblogging site,” a second officer said, also declining to be named.
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Earlier, the Delhi Police on April 28 lodged an FIR in connection with the doctored video of Shah, where his statement during a Lok Sabha poll rally indicating a commitment to abolish quota for Muslims on religious grounds in Telangana was edited to make it appear he was advocating scrapping of all reservations.
The FIR was registered under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth), 465 (punishment for forgery), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 171G (false statement in connection with an election) of IPC and relevant section of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karn Pratap Singh has been writing on crime, policing, and issues of safety in Delhi for almost a decade. He covers high-intensity spot news, including terror strikes, serial blasts and security threats in the national capital.
