Nagpur: The State Cyber Department has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against 12 social media handles, including the official ‘X’ account of Nagpur Congress Sevadal, for posting a defamatory video aimed at maligning the image of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The accused have posted and shared a maliciously edited video of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s recent speech on Naxalism to incite unrest and provoke societal divisions.
The X handle @SevadalNGP, with a following of 3,290 users, describes itself in the bio as the “Official X Handle of Nagpur Congress Sevadal.” According to a senior police official from the Maharashtra Cyber Crime Department, the video posted by this account, along with others, falsely claims that CM Fadnavis does not believe in the Constitution of India, democracy, and constitutional institutions, while suggesting he intended to create a parallel state.
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Maharashtra Cyber registered the case on Tuesday based on a complaint filed by a representative of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The 12 social media users were booked for publishing or circulating false information that’s likely to cause fear among the public, defamation, and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Information Technology Act, officials said.
The speech that’s part of the video is from last year when Fadnavis was the deputy chief minister, when he had said that Naxalites do not believe in the Constitution of India and democracy, and want to set up a parallel state. According to the police, the edited video did not have the initial part of the speech referring to Naxalites, making it appear as if Fadnavis was saying that he did not believe in the Constitution and democracy.
“The complaint pertains to 12 social media users across platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube,” said Special Inspector General of Police Yashasvi Yadav from the Maharashtra State Cyber Department. “The video originates from Fadnavis’s time as deputy chief minister, with his original address being modified before widespread distribution on social media channels.”
Yadav added, “The video has been deliberately taken out of context to falsely portray the chief minister of Maharashtra saying that he does not believe in the Constitution of India, democracy, or any constitutional body, and suggesting that he aims to create a parallel state. The maliciously edited video has gained traction among certain unsocial elements who are using it to post derogatory, abusive, and objectionable comments.”
Maharashtra Cyber has issued notices to social media platforms to provide information about the 12 users who posted the video. They were identified by their usernames: Bharat Bhavla Shinde (@Bs131B), Suddhodhan Sahajrao (@Suddhodhan74629), Nagpur Congress Sevadal (@SevadalNGP), Saurabh Singh Chauhan (@Sbchauhan0103), Mukesh Lavhale (@MukeshLavhale), suressh.kale, Prasad Salvi, Varad Kanki, Amol Kamble, Syed Saleem, THE SMART 230K, and Vishnu Bhotkar.
A Maharashtra Cyber team is tracing the internet protocol (IP) address of the initial post to identify the culprits who edited the video and posted it on social media. The police have issued notices to all the social media intermediaries involved to provide information about the booked users.
