Amit Shah doctored video | Delhi, Assam, Maharashtra police file cases

Delhi, Assam, Maharashtra police file cases over doctored video of Amit Shah's speech; Congress leaders embroiled.

The police in Delhi, Assam, and Maharashtra filed three separate cases and at least one person was arrested in connection with a doctored video of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s April 25 speech in Telangana regarding reservation.

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and four other Congress officer-bearers in the State too found themselves embroiled in the controversy on Monday, as the Delhi Police issued notice to them under Section 91 (summons to produce documents) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). 

A government source told The Hindu that the notice to to appear before the Delhi Police on Wednesday has been sent to Mr. Reddy as he is the president of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) and not because he is a Chief Minister.

“The video that looks prima facie ‘altered’ was posted by the Telangana Congress handle on X [formerly Twitter]. Being the State president of the party, Mr. Reddy has to explain the origin of the video,” the source said, adding that if Mr. Reddy does not appear on the scheduled date, another notice will be sent. The video was fact-checked by a Telugu user on X the same day, and that user will be asked to join the probe to trace the video, the source further said. 

While in the doctored video, Mr. Shah is heard saying that the BJP intends to eradicate reservations for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes (OBC), in the original video he says the party intends to remove the 4% reservation for Muslims in Telangana. 

“When the BJP will form the government, it will end the unconstitutional reservation for Muslims in Telangana. This is the right of ST/SCs and OBCs and they will get their rights,” says Mr. Shah in the original video. The video is part of an election speech Mr. Shah delivered at Siddipet.

Reacting to the FIR by the Delhi Police, Mr. Reddy, who was addressing a rally in Kalaburagi in Karnataka, said he was not “scared”. “So far, the Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and Income Tax Department were used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Minister to win elections, but today I got to know that a team of Delhi Police reached the Telangana Congress party’s office because someone posted something on social media. They came to arrest the Telangana Congress president and the Telangana CM, this means the PM is using Delhi Police to win elections now, but we aren’t scared”, he said.