Delhi Police serve notices to Telangana Congress social media head and others over Amit Shah 'doctored' video

Hyderabad: Investigators from the Delhi Police Special Cell has served notices to Congress leaders in Telangana, including the party's state social media cell in-charge. The move comes in connection with an FIR registered against the circulation of an allegedly digitally altered or doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Delhi Police representatives visited the Congress party's Telangana headquarters at Gandhi Bhawan in Nampally on Monday evening and served notices to party social media unit in-charge, Manne Satish, the state Congress' spokesperson Asma Tasleem, and other party workers, Naveen and Sivasankar.

There were also reports that notices have been issued to chief minister, A Revanth Reddy, summoning him to appear before the police on May 1.

In the alleged digitally altered video, Amit Shah was seen advocating abolition of reservation quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Reacting to the notices, Revanth Reddy said that after ED, CBI and the Income Tax department, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah were now using the Delhi Police to send notices. “We are not scared of these and will fight, defeat BJP in Karnataka and Telangana,” he said.

The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) of the Delhi Police Special Cell started the investigation after the case was registered. In a written complaint, the Ministry of Home Affairs stated that it had found some doctored videos circulated by Facebook and Twitter users. It also attached a report containing details of links and social media handles from which these videos were being shared.

The Delhi Police Special Cell registered an FIR on Sunday in connection with the doctored videos of Amit Shah's speech on reservation. Police said the case has been registered under sections 153/153A/465/469/171G and 66C of the IT Act.

Telangana Congress social media handles shared a 17-second video of Home Minister Amit Shah in which he was seen saying that when a BJP government is formed, it will end the ‘unconstitutional reservations’ given to SC, ST, OBCs.

However in the original video, from his speech on April 23, at Chevella, Amit Shah was seen saying, "If the BJP is voted to power, then the unconstitutional Muslim reservation will be ended in the state. This right belongs to Telangana's SC, ST, and OBC communities, and they will get this right. We will end Muslim reservations."

Congress spokesperson and legal advisor, K Ramachandra Reddy confirmed receiving notices from Delhi Police seeking information and evidence from the social media head Satish Manne.

“As of now, we have not received a copy of the complaint,” he said.