Delhi Police Files FIR Over Fake Viral Video Of Cabinet Meeting Instigating Communal Disharmony

The morphed video was circulated with the ill intent to promote enmity and instigate communal disharmony, said the Delhi Police

New Delhi: In connection to the morphed video of a cabinet meeting doing the rounds on social media, the Delhi Police have registered an FIR against the perpetrators who have allegedly altered the audio to make it sound like some political leaders were insisting on removing Sikhs from the Indian Army.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) KPS Malhotra, chief of the IFSO (Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations) – the Delhi police’s cyber cell unit—said police have filed a case and identified two handles that first shared the morphed video.

 “The morphed video was circulated with the ill intent to promote enmity and instigate communal disharmony. The people behind the video have tried to show that the meeting was against the Sikh community. In reality, the video was of the cabinet committee meeting that took place after the demise of the first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat. This video of the meeting is available on news portals and social media platforms. We have filed a case, identified two handles, and are proceeding with the investigation,” said DCP Malhotra.

Meanwhile, one of the government’s Twitter handles, PIBFactCheck that counters misinformation on policies and schemes also tweeted saying, “A tweet referring to a viral video claim that in a #Cabinet Committee meeting on Security, there was a call for the removal of Sikhs from the Indian Army. #PIBFactCheck The claim is #Fake No such discussion/meeting has taken place”.

"In this regard, a case has been registered by Delhi Police and investigation has been taken up. The Twitter accounts which started the propagation of this video are found to be @simrankaur0507 and @eshalkaur1," Malhotra added, according to news agency ANI.

Such act of promoting disharmony/enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion is prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony and can disturb public tranquility and is an offence under section 153A of the Indian Penal Code, the DCP said.

The Delhi Police further advised the general public not to believe in such videos and do a proper fact check before sharing the same on social media.

Rawat, who hails from Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand, died in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on December 8 along with 13 others including his wife Madhulika Rawat. (ANI)