Hyderabad Police book Meta India head, social media accounts over PM Modi posts

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Police have booked Meta India head along with several Facebook and Instagram accounts over content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent Cockroach Janta Party protests over NEET paper leaks. 

Cybercrime Police have registered cases against the India head of Meta, Arun Srinivas, as well as several Facebook and Instagram accounts for alleged circulation of morphed and objectionable videos and images of the Prime Minister on the social media platforms. 

The cases under various sections of BNS and the IT Act have been registered on the basis of complaints filed by S. Aravind Reddy, a businessman, and T. Saikiran Goud, a Telangana BJP activist. 

The complainants stated that while browsing Instagram, they came across multiple morphed and digitally manipulated videos and images portraying the Prime Minister in an obscene, derogatory and misleading manner. 

"The comments contain offensive language, ridicule, and indecent remarks directed at the Hon'ble Prime Minister and other individuals depicted in the manipulated content, thereby amplifying the offensive nature of the posts and encouraging their wider circulation and engagement. The above content appears to have been digitally altered or AI-generated and circulated on social media," the complaints have stated. 

The complainants stated that such content has the potential to mislead the public, spread misinformation, incite hatred or public unrest, outrage public decency, defame or insult the dignity of public figures, disturb public order, promote hostility among different sections of society, and otherwise violate the applicable provisions of law. 

Saikiran Goud submitted a list of 20 Facebook and Instagram links along with his complaint and sought action against Meta for hosting the content. 

Police were trying to collect details of the social media accounts and identify the operators of these accounts. 

Meta recently expressed regret after a video posted from the PM's account was briefly blocked on Facebook.

 Indo-Asian News Service