Exclusive/ Making Fake Videos Viral a Sign Opposition Has Conceded Defeat, Amit Shah Says | Exclusive

New Delhi: Making fake videos viral is a sign that the Opposition leaders are lying as they have lost their ground in the election battle, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday, in an exclusive conversation with Republic Media Network, even as he asserted that they [the Opposition] are “not going to win” as their “self-confidence is gone”.

"My original video is with both: the media as well as the general public of the country", Shah quipped while responding to a question on an edited video of him that has been doing rounds on social media. 

His stinging remarks come hours after the Assam Police made first arrest in connection with the case. The arrested individual has been identified as Reetam Singh (31), who is a Guwahati resident. Singh, who is believed to be associated with the Assam Congress, reportedly functions as the party's ‘War Room Coordinator’.

'Cong Wants to Derail Election Process Through Deep Fake & Morphed Video'

Earlier during the day, the BJP had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against the Congress, alleging that the party members circulated a “deep fake and morphed” video of Shah on purpose to derail the election process.

“The Congress wants to derail the entire election process through a deep fake and morphed video (of Amit Shah). We raised a complaint before the Election Commission today against it. The Congress has tried to create confusion among people by posting a deep fake video from its official handle,” Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters after meeting the poll panel officials.

A BJP delegation comprising Vaishnaw and the party’s national media department in-charge Anil Baluni also demanded strict action against the Congress party.

Alleging that the Congress has continuously been violating the model code of conduct and the poll body's directives, Baluni reportedly said, “This is being done through their (Congress’) official social media accounts. We have requested the Election Commission to stop this and also take strict action”. 

Amit Shah's Deep Fake Video: What's at the Centre of the Controversy?

A fabricated video of Amit Shah has been doing rounds on social media, showing the HM reportedly claiming during an election speech that the BJP government will 'scrap the reservation' for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs), and the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). 

The original video from an election rally in 2023, however, shows the minister addressing a gathering at the 'Vijaya Sankalp Sabha' in Telangana, in which he can be seen talking about scrapping the 'unconstitutional reservation' for Muslims in the state if the BJP is voted to power. 

Part of the video – from 14 minutes onwards – shows Shah addressing a massive crowd at the KVR Ground in Chevella, while asserting that it is the constitutional “right of every citizen belonging to the SC, ST and OBC community in the state”.

The Delhi Police had on Sunday registered an FIR after Sinku Sharan Singh of the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre filed a complaint about the doctored video of Shah where his statements indicating a commitment to scrap reservation for Muslims on grounds of religion were changed to make it look like he was advocating for abolishment of reservation in all forms.

Some doctored videos are being circulated on social media with “the intent of creating disharmony among communities which is likely to affect public tranquillity and public order”, according to the complaint filed by Singh.

Separately, the police have also issued notices to five members of the Telangana Congress, including party's state chief and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who posted the video on X.

The Delhi Police has asked Reddy to appear before it on May 1 with the mobile phone that was allegedly used for posting the altered video on X.