The Delhi Police arrested Arun Reddy of the Spirit of Congress account on Monday in connection with a ‘deepfake morphed video’ of Union Home Minister Amit Shah
Reddy managed the “Spirit of Congress” account on X/Twitter, which was allegedly involved in sharing the altered video. On May 3, the authorities apprehended Arun Reddy and will present him before the court on Saturday, May 4.
Who is Arun Reddy as admin of ‘Spirit of Congress’ on Twitter/X is arrested for morphed video of HM Amit Shah
As per reports, Reddy is accused of destroying evidence and circulating the morphed video of Shah. As per Delhi police sources, Reddy’s mobile phone is sent to the forensic team for further investigation.
Arun Reddy is said to be the admin of the Spirit of Congress page on Twitter/X and the AICC national coordinator of social media. He is also the coordinator of the party’s social media in Telangana.
What Exactly Happened?
For the unfamiliar, on Wednesday, X/Twitter blocked the Jharkhand Congress’s account following a legal request. The reason for the block was the posting of a ‘deepfake morphed video’ featuring Amit Shah.
Also on Wednesday, the Delhi Police’s special cell issued a notice to Jharkhand Congress President Rajesh Thakur under Section 91 of the CrPC, asking him to appear at the cell’s office on May 2 to address the circulating doctored video involving Shah.
Earlier, Jharkhand Congress posted on X that Amit Shah’s election speech “went viral,” in which he allegedly stated that if the BJP returned to power, OBC and SC/ST reservations would be abolished.
In a related development, legal representatives for Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and four other leaders, who had been summoned by the Delhi Police concerning the ‘deepfake video’ case, requested more time to appear via email.
Additionally, the Assam Police arrested Reetom Singh on Monday, the first person apprehended in connection with the ‘doctored’ video case, amid allegations that several Congress leaders had shared the video clip.
What Did Manickam Tagore Say?
Congress leader Manickam Tagore stated on Friday that Arun Reddy had been held by Delhi Police for more than 24 hours without any information being provided or an FIR being disclosed.
“We demand the immediate release of Arun. This authoritarian abuse of power by the current regime is unacceptable,” Tagore wrote.
On Friday, the Hyderabad Police announced that they had arrested five social media activists affiliated with the Telangana Congress Party in connection with the case.
Our Telangana colleague Arun Reddy, has been detained by @DelhiPolice for 24hrs with no information or FIR disclosed. We demand the immediate release of Arun. This authoritarian misuse of power by the regime is condemnable. #ReleaseSpiritOfCongress #ReleaseArunReddy pic.twitter.com/bL0dG2O4UD
— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) May 3, 2024
The accused were presented before a local court, which granted them bail with the condition that each must submit two sureties worth ₹10,000 and appear before the investigating officer every Monday and Friday until further orders.
According to a statement from Hyderabad police, a state BJP leader had filed a complaint on April 27, claiming that the Telangana Pradesh Congress Party’s X account posted a morphed or manipulated video of Amit Shah’s speech during his recent campaign event and public gathering in Siddipet, violating the Information Technology Act.
Police stated that the act of altering the video was intended to mislead the public and voters, potentially inciting fear among the OBC communities.
As a result, a case was filed under various sections, including 469 (forgery), 505(1)C (spreading rumors), and 171G (disseminating false information).
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