Telangana Chief Minister Called for Questioning in Investigation of Altered Video Featuring Amit Shah

The footage purportedly circulated via the Telangana Congress X account, subsequently prompting several party members to reshare it.

In a development from New Delhi, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy received a summons from the Delhi Police on Wednesday regarding a manipulated video featuring Home Minister Amit Shah. Additionally, notices have been issued to four other individuals, all hailing from Telangana, to participate in the investigation. Disregarding the summons, Mr. Reddy criticized the Delhi police, accusing them of being a "new tool for the BJP". "They've employed the CBI and ED in the past, and now they're turning to the Delhi Police.

The video allegedly originated from the official X account of the Telangana Congress, subsequently circulated by numerous party members, who contended it depicted the BJP's purported plan to eliminate SC/ST reservation quotas.

The Delhi Police initiated legal action following complaints from the BJP and the Home Ministry regarding a manipulated video widely circulating on social media platforms. In the edited footage, the Home Minister appeared to advocate for the elimination of reservation quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

In response to the complaints, the police filed a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology (IT) Act, and launched an investigation. Additionally, notices were sent to X and Facebook requesting information about the accounts responsible for uploading and sharing the video.

The BJP argued that the video was altered to distort Mr. Shah's original comments from a political rally. BJP representative Amit Malviya condemned the dissemination of the "false video" by various Congress members, cautioning of possible legal consequences.

Amidst the ensuing controversy, Amit Shah reaffirmed on Sunday that under the BJP-led NDA government, there would be no reconsideration of reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes. He also criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for alleging that the BJP intends to revoke reservations if re-elected for a third term.

"Rahul Gandhi is attempting to deceive the public by spreading falsehoods against us. The BJP has governed this country for 10 years and has been elected with a clear majority twice. If our intention was to end reservations, it would have happened already. These claims are baseless," Mr. Shah told ANI.

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi had asserted that the BJP-led government aims to amend the Constitution to strip backward communities and Dalits of their reservations and other rights.