Arun Reddy Arrest: The Delhi Police on Saturday arrested a man named Arun Reddy on Friday (May 4, 2019) in connection with the case of a manipulated video featuring Union Home Minister Amit Shah. According to the Delhi Police, Arun Reddy was operating an X account, named Spirit of Congress, which first shared the video. The tampering of the video showing Amit Shah speaking about reservations has prompted an investigation by the Delhi Police. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was also sent a notice for sharing the manipulated video on social media.
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Who Is Arun Reddy?
Arun Reddy is a member of the Congress party and purported operator of the X account, 'Spirit of Congress'. A doctored video featuring Amit Shah was shared from the handle. Notably, the profile photo on the X account features both Arun Reddy and Rahul Gandhi, hinting at his affiliation with the party's leadership.
Reddy described himself as the national coordinator of AICC on the X account. Additionally, allegations have surfaced claiming that Reddy attempted to destroy evidence from his mobile phone, further complicating the legal case against him.
Arun Reddy, who hails from Telangana, has been working as a social media volunteer for several years. He has been sharing party ideologies through his Spirit of Congress account. However, Arun Reddy has never held any official position within the party before. He has only been conducting social media campaigns for some time now. During the Telangana Assembly elections, and also Rahul Gandhi's visit to Telangana, he conducted campaigns from Hyderabad.
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The Case Against Arun Reddy
Last month, a video purportedly showing Amit Shah discussing the abolition of reservations for SC-ST and OBC communities went viral on social media, sparking widespread controversy. However, upon investigation, the claim made in the video was found to be false, prompting a complaint with the Delhi Police. Law enforcement authorities took action in several locations, with notices issued to leaders who had shared the video on social media platforms.
It was found during the investigation that the video had originated from Telangana. The Delhi Police had been in the capital, Hyderabad, in connection with the investigation in the matter. Several people, including CM Revanth Reddy, were sent notices in the case.
The CM has, however, clarified that he has no connection with the Amit Shah video. When asked to appear for questioning, he went to the police along with his lawyer and provided an explanation. While in Hyderabad, the Delhi Police also visited Gandhi Bhavan and issued a notice to the legal cell of the Congress party.
Additionally, based on the complaint filed by BJP leaders, the Telangana police have also arrested eight individuals, including Manne Satish, Vishnu, Vamshi, Navin, Shiva, Geetha, and Asma Tasleem, who were working in the social media department of the Telangana Congress, as reported by ABP Desam.
Congress leader Manickam Tagore Saturday responded to Arun Reddy's arrest, expressing concern over the lack of disclosure from the Delhi Police regarding the arrest or the filing of an FIR. He emphasised that more than 24 hours have passed since Reddy's arrest, urging for transparency and demanding his immediate release.
The Delhi Police had presented Arun Reddy before a judge on Friday night, following which he was remanded in police custody for three days. Additionally, the Delhi Police has included Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to criminal conspiracy, in the FIR registered regarding the fake video.