New Delhi: Police in BJP-ruled Gujarat arrested a Congress leader and an AAP functionary, and Delhi Police issued notices to 12 more people from different opposition parties as the probe into the doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's speech widened on Tuesday.
The BJP stepped up its attack on opposition INDIA bloc parties, including the Congress, saying that their senior leaders were now posting fake videos as their frustration and depression has reached a new level over the prospect of the BJP and the NDA crossing 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.
In total, 17 people, including Telangana Chief Minister and Congress leader Revanth Reddy, have been issued notices to appear before the Delhi Police's investigation officer (IO) in connection with the case. Sources, however, said Reddy is "unlikely" to join the probe and may send his representative.
Reddy and four others of the Telangana Congress unit were served notices on Monday to appear before the IO on May 1 with their mobile-phones, laptops, tablets or any other electronic devices using which they could have created, uploaded or posted the video on their 'X' accounts.
The sources said Reddy has been served notice in his capacity as the Telangana Congress chief and not as chief minister.
According to the sources, if a person is served notice under section 160/91 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the person can either make a physical appearance before the IO or can send a legal representative.
As the political slugfest over the controversy intensified, Shah at a press conference in Guwahati in Assam said the Congress' "frustration and disappointment have reached such a level that it made and circulated the video on social media and even chief ministers and state unit chiefs also forwarded it".
"They should contest elections on the basis of their principles, programmes and manifesto and not by circulating a fake video," he said.
The first arrest in the fake video case was made in BJP-ruled Assam on Monday, with police there identifying the accused as Reetom Singh. The 31-year-old is associated with the state Congress and functions as the party's 'War Room Coordinator', according to his X profile.
On the arrest and notice to Reddy, the Congress on Monday had warned of similar action against BJP leaders in Congress-ruled states, while the BJP lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against the Congress, alleging that it circulated the "deep fake and morphed" video of Shah to derail the poll process, and demanded strict action against the party.
Targeting the INDIA bloc, BJP president JP Nadda at a "professionals meet" organised as part of the party's Lok Sabha poll campaign in Karnataka's Shivmogga accused opposition parties, including the Congress, of indulging in "divisive politics".
He said that "a few days ago there was a video and they were trying to create an impression and environment that the BJP is against SCs, STs and OBCs, and if we come to power the reservations for these communities will go."
"They came out with a fabricated video... people and media exposed the INDI alliance's deepfake video. The sad part of it is that the fake video was uploaded on social media from Telangana CM Revanth Reddy's phone and all partners of the INDI alliance tried to make it viral... they are in deep depression about BJP and NDA crossing 400 seats under PM's leadership," he said.
Hitting out at the ruling BJP, Congress general secretary communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that the Delhi Police's summons to the Telangana chief minister is yet another "nail in the coffin of free and fair elections", and asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi is afraid that the CM will "torpedo" his party's prospects.
On the arrest of Congress leader Satish Vansola and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) worker Rakesh Baria in Gujarat for allegedly sharing the video, Congress' media department head Pawan Khera at a press conference in Ahmedabad asked Shah what action he took in the past when numerous fake videos of Rahul Gandhi were created and spread through social media.
Even some cabinet ministers had shared such videos, he alleged.
On the serving of notices to the 12 people on Tuesday by the Delhi Police, the sources said they belong to opposition parties and will appear before the IO in the coming days. The Special Cell of Delhi Police on Sunday had 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 of all reservations.
Sources in the Special Cell on Monday had said that now arrests are likely to follow across the country.
The Delhi Police, which is also under the MHA, filed the FIR in the case under Indian Penal Code sections 153 (causing provocation with intention to cause riot), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc), 465 (forgery), 469 (forgery to harm the reputation of any party), and 171G (publishing false statement with intent to affect the result of an election) and under the Information Technology Act.
In Jaipur, an FIR was lodged on Monday on the complaint of the social media department of the BJP in connection with the doctored video.
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