Days after a video of Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury “appealing” to people to vote for BJP instead of the ruling Trinamool Congress in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls went viral, the West Bengal Police on Friday said that the clip was a manipulated one.
“Our cyber team found that a portion of the video was cropped and circulated. This was probably done to gain some political advantage during the elections,” an officer told PTI.
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“We are looking to trace the video’s source by locating its IP address,” the officer added.
A case had been lodged at the Jangipur police station under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 499/500 (criminal defamation) and Section 66D of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Reacting to the police’s statement, Chowdhury, the West Bengal Congress Committee (WBCC) president, posted “Satyameva Jayate” (truth triumphs) on X (previously Twitter).
“We strongly condemn this act of spin doctoring of the videos or public speeches of our beloved leaders to malign them publicly. We especially thank the Election Commission for understanding the magnitude of this case and thus taking immediate appropriate action,” the state Congress said in a statement on X.
The case
On Wednesday, the ruling Trinamool posted the video on its social media handle. In it, Chowdhury, who was addressing a public meeting in his Lok Sabha constituency, Baharampur, was seen saying in Bengali, “It is better to vote for the BJP than to vote for the TMC (Trinamool Congress).”
The TMC accused the senior Congressman and Baharampur MP, of acting as the ‘B-team’ of the BJP in the state.
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“Listen to how the B-Team member is openly asking people to vote for the BJP – a party that REFUSED to release Bengal’s rightful due & deprived our people of their rights. Only a Bangla-Birodhi can campaign for the BJP, which has repeatedly insulted Bengal’s icons,” the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led party wrote on X.
(With PTI inputs)
