Omar Rashid
New Delhi: An AI-generated fake video of the Taj Mahal in Agra burning after an attack by Pakistan; a ‘terror attack’ in Shahjahanpur, that never actually happened; display pics, photos and videos showing support for the Pakistan army – these are some of the “anti-national” and “misleading” social media posts that the Uttar Pradesh police have taken action against over the past week, as military tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following Operation Sindoor.
Police said they arrested at least 25 persons from across the state, so far, for “anti-national posts” as well as for “spreading rumours through misleading posts” on social media. Action was taken against 40 social media accounts, said police, adding that the process to block them had been initiated.
The action ranged from booking people for allegedly sharing or posting content that allegedly supported Pakistan, even as the Indian armed forces were targeting sites in the neighbouring country to avenge the Pahalgam attack, to morphed and AI-generated posts.
UP police said they were monitoring social media 24×7 to identify such posts.
In Bareilly, police arrested a man identified as Fakruddin after he allegedly shared a video on Instagram hailing the Pakistan army. A Pakistani flag was seen in the video. Anshika Verma, Superintendent of Police (South), Bareilly, said Fakruddin was arrested for posting “anti-national” content on his Facebook profile. He was booked under section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), dealing with making, publishing, or circulating false statements, rumours or alarming news that are likely to create feelings of enmity, hatred, or ill will between different religious, racial, or regional groups or castes. Later, a video was shared on social media showing Fakruddin in police custody, and in apparent discomfort, crying out ‘Pakistan Murdabad’.
A person identified as Jamaat Ali was arrested in Sambhal after he allegedly shared a video on Facebook which claimed that Pakistan had shot down one of India’s Rafale fighter jets and taken an Indian pilot captive. According to the FIR lodged against him, Ali was accused of sharing a clip from a Pakistani channel, which compared the alleged shooting down of a Rafale jet with the capture of Indian fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman following the Balakot airstrikes in 2019. Ali, who makes a living by working on an electric tower, was booked under section 152 of BNS, dealing with acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. His act could lead to a sentiment of separatism against India and was a blow to the unity and integrity of India, said police in its complaint.
In Bareilly, a 22-year-old tailor Mohammad Sajid was arrested for allegedly posting a video showing support to Pakistan. A case was registered in Shahjahanpur against three social media profiles, including one “Ankit Kumar 71010” and “parvinda.2023,” for allegedly posting a fake video of a terror strike in the district. Police also lodged a case against several IDs for posting an AI-generated video of an attack on the Taj Mahal.
One person was arrested in Baghpat for allegedly posting a post in favour of Pakistan. His post encouraged Pakistan support and separatism was against the government, said police.
In Kaushambi, a man identified as Afsar Ali Ghosi was arrested for posting a cartoon of a man slaying a Hindu deity with the caption ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ even though the frame appeared to be from Bangladesh as indicated by its national flag. One Naushad was arrested in Azamgarh for allegedly posting a video on social media describing the Pakistan army as “powerful.”
In Bareilly, a person identified as Sajid was arrested for allegedly posting “Pakistan Zindabad” on social media. A video widely shared on social media later showed him shouting “Pakistan Murdabad” in the presence of police personnel.
In Muzaffarnagar, a person named Zeeshan was arrested after Hindutva groups protested accusing him of posting a comment in favour of Pakistan on a video. Another person Mohammad Riyaz was booked and arrested in Sambhal for allegedly using a Pakistan flag in his story and openly supporting Pakistan in its military action against India by sharing a reel. “In his post he said, ‘Chahe jo ho jaye, support toh bas Pakistan ko karenge’ (No matter what, I will support Pakistan),” stated Sambhal SP Krishan Bishnoi.
The police officer said that Riyaz’s post seemed deliberate and encouraged “separatist tendency in India”.
One Dilshad was arrested in Meerut after certain right-wing groups objected to him using the photo of a girl with a Pakistani flag as his display picture on WhatsApp.
In Muzaffarnagar, a person Anwar Jamil was arrested after an undated video of him shouting ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ was shared on social media. After his short video went ‘viral’, Jamil uploaded a clip clarifying that the controversial video was old and that he had made the comments as part of a bet with his friend during a cricket match between Australia and Pakistan. Raju Kumar Sab, circle officer Muzaffanagar City, said that the video was being verified.
The article appeared in the thewire