Delhi Police registers FIR against Prashant Bhushan over sharing doctored video of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

Police register FIR against Prashant Bhushan over fake Russian Foreign Minister video.
Image: Indian Express

On Wednesday, 4 November, the Delhi Police has registered an FIR against Prashant Bhushan for sharing a doctored video of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that purportedly showed him making remarks critical of India.

The case, registered by the Special Cell’s IFSO unit as FIR No. 263/26, has been filed under Sections 336(4), 353(1)(c), 356 and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Section 66C of the Information Technology Act. The provisions relate to forgery, public mischief, defamation and identity theft using a computer resource.

According to the police, the matter came to light during cyber patrolling on 3 November, when officers came across a post by the social media handle @thequotesnews saying that Bhushan’s X account, @pbhushan1, shared the manipulated video of Lavrov.

In a post on X, the Delhi Police said the video carried “disseminating misleading, defamatory, and inflammatory content to incite public disturbance and spread rumours”. Officials said the footage had the potential to spread rumours, defame individuals and disturb public order.

The purported clip showed Lavrov criticising India’s internal affairs and its purchases of Russian oil. Bhushan shared the video with the caption: “A tight slap by the Russian foreign minister on India. What kind of advice was Jaishankar giving to Russia?”

The video also purportedly suggested that Russia’s commercial relationship with India did not give New Delhi the right to interfere in Moscow’s foreign policy or advise it on matters concerning Russia, Ukraine or the United States.

The FIR follows a fact-check by the Ministry of External Affairs, which declared the footage fabricated. The MEA’s Fact Check unit issued a public warning on X, stating: “Fake Alert!!! The video of the Russian Foreign Minister being used in this post is fake!” The Russian Embassy also rejected the purported remarks attributed to Lavrov and confirmed that the video was fabricated, according to reports.

Police said they are examining the video’s content and its circulation on social media. The case is being investigated by the Special Cell.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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