Hyderabad Cybercrime Police have registered cases against the operators of several Facebook and Instagram accounts and Meta's India head over the alleged circulation of morphed and objectionable content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests against exam irregularities.
Police said the alleged manipulated posts and videos were shared on Facebook and Instagram during the protests. They have launched an investigation into the matter.
BJP Supporters File Complaints
According to The Times of India, BJP supporters filed the complaints that led to the registration of the FIRs. Police have named Meta's India head as a co-accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology (IT) Act.
Investigators have started gathering evidence to identify the people responsible for creating and sharing the content.
“We have issued a notice to Meta about the cases registered and the objectionable links reported by the complainants. We are also trying to collect details about the accused to identify and arrest them,” a cybercrime investigator was quoted as saying.
Complainants Submit Social Media Links
T Saikiran Goud, a member of the Telangana BJP's social media core committee, and BJP supporter S Arvind Reddy were among those who filed complaints. The report said Goud submitted 20 Facebook and Instagram links and sought action against Meta for hosting the alleged content. Reddy claimed the posts targeted several public figures through digitally altered images and videos.
“I came across multiple morphed and digitally manipulated videos and images depicting the Prime Minister, US President and former Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan in an obscene, derogatory and misleading manner," Reddy was quoted as saying.
Centre Seeks Explanation From Meta
The cases come as Meta faces growing scrutiny from the Indian government over its content moderation policies. The company has agreed to appear before the government to explain the policy and technical issues raised by authorities.
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary S Krishnan told ANI that the government has asked Meta to send its senior-most representatives to explain the circumstances and provide clarity on both policy and technical matters.
Meta Says PM Modi Video Was Removed by Mistake
On Tuesday, Meta said it had removed a video featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi “removed in error” and later restored it. Soon after, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology reportedly summoned Meta's global head of public policy for Facebook and Instagram, according to sources, to explain the incident. Police said the investigation into the newly registered cases is continuing.