Delhi: Pornographic Video Plays On Digital Ad Billboard At Connaught Place, Probe Launched

Delhi News: After a pornographic clip was displayed on a digital advertisement board in Connaught Place, the government agency responsible for the board was temporarily shut down.

Representational Image | A pornographic clip was displayed on a digital advertisement board in Connaught Place, Delhi police registered a case under the IT Act.

Source : PTI

A pornographic clip was displayed on a digital advertisement board of Connaught Place in Delhi on Friday night. The incident took place around 10:30 PM in the H block area. A passerby who noticed the explicit content recorded it and reported the incident to the police.

According to news agency ANI, after the complaint, the Delhi Police registered a case under the IT Act and launched an investigation. The police confirmed the registration of a case after receiving the video from the individual who reported the incident.

A case under sections of the IT Act registered after a person gave video and compliant to police that a porn clip was played on the advertisement board in Connaught Place last night: Delhi Police

— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2024

As a result of this incident, the government agency which was responsible for the digital advertisement board was temporarily shut down. While the investigation is ongoing to identify those responsible. "The video clip spanning a few seconds was later removed from the board with the help of civic authorities," a police officer said, news agency PTI reported.

NDMC Releases Statement

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which oversees the area, released a statement stating that the incident may have involved "hacking" the screen using advanced technology. The council explained that it operates two types of panels in its areas: one for advertisements and another as an interactive touchscreen.

"Both panels meet international standards and are managed by a server that is fully secured with a firewall and antivirus. We also offer free public Wi-Fi hotspots in NDMC areas," the statement said.

The civic body described the incident as "one of its kind" and is investigating how the firewall was breached, and mentioned that it has installed advertisement boards at 50 locations within its jurisdiction.

They noted that only one board was compromised, while all others were not affected. The breach likely involved some advanced technique, which the civic body is working to identify.

Pornographic Clip Played In Patna Railway, Delhi Metro Stations

A similar incident occurred in the past. In March 2023, an explicit video was played on TV screens for three minutes at the Patna train station, leaving people stunned. People were confused when pornographic videos began playing on the station's TV screens in place of ads. Later, they complained to the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF).

Another incident took place in 2017 at the Rajiv Chowk Metro station. An LED screen meant for commercials flashed a pornographic clip, shocking commuters. Officials from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) were alerted by alert commuters after the explicit content had been played for almost ten minutes. Several travellers recorded the incident on their phones, which resulted in extensive social media dissemination and an official DMRC investigation.