The Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police has registered an FIR against Meta India head Arun Srinivas over the alleged circulation of morphed and abusive images and videos targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests.
Several operators of Instagram and Facebook accounts have also been booked. These FIR against Meta India head and some Facebook and Instagram users have been filed on separate complaints filed by BJP supporters.
One complainant, S Aravind Reddy, alleged that while scrolling Instagram, he came across numerous morphed and AI-generated videos and images featuring PM Modi.
These visuals included edited images of PM Modi with US President Donald Trump alongside ex-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
S Aravind Reddy, a 29-year-old businessman, alleged that the morphed and AI-manipulated viral posts were capable of misleading the public, spreading misinformation, inciting hatred and public unrest, outraging public decency, defaming public figures, disturbing public order and promoting hostility among different sections of society.
The other complaint has been filed by a Telangana BJP activist, T Saikiran Goud, who also levelled similar allegations, and urged the police to probe the social media accounts allegedly publishing content “detrimental to the sovereignty, integrity and public order of India.”
“We, BJP Telangana Karyakarthas, respectfully submit this complaint seeking an investigation into certain Instagram accounts that have allegedly been publishing and circulating content which, in our opinion, is derogatory towards the Prime Minister of India and appears to promote narratives that may be prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and public order of the nation,” the complaint reads.
The accused persons have been booked under Sections 66-C (identity theft) and 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act, along with Sections 353(2) (statements conducive to public mischief) and 336(4) (forged electronic record harming reputation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The Hyderabad Cybercrime Police has issued notices to Meta regarding the case filed and the objectionable links flagged by the two complainants.
In a related case, a zero FIR has also been registered in Greater Noida against a woman for making objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
