Telangana Police book Meta India head, social media account operators over alleged objectionable posts targeting PM Modi

Telangana Cyber Crime Police have registered two cases against the operators of several Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as Meta India's head, Times of India reported, over the alleged circulation of morphed and objectionable content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led NEET paper leak agitation.

The cases were filed following complaints by BJP supporters, who alleged that manipulated videos and images of the Prime Minister were being circulated on social media.

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Police have invoked relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, naming the operators of the identified social media accounts and Meta India's head as co-accused.

"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 said.

By Thursday evening, all the social media links cited in the complaints had become inactive. However, investigators said efforts were underway to trace the individuals operating the accounts.

One of the complainants, T Saikiran Goud, 32, a member of the Telangana BJP's social media core committee, submitted 20 Facebook and Instagram links to the police on Wednesday night and sought action against Meta for hosting the content.

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"On behalf of Telangana BJP karyakarthas, we seek an investigation into certain Instagram accounts that have been publishing and circulating content which, in our opinion, is derogatory towards Prime Minister and appear to promote narratives that may be prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and public order of the nation," Goud said in his complaint, urging the police to identify the individuals operating the accounts and initiate legal action against them.

In a separate complaint, S Aravind Reddy, a BJP supporter from Nampally, alleged that several Instagram handles had circulated "obscene" videos and images.

"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. Such content has the potential to mislead the public," Reddy alleged in his complaint.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and that efforts are focused on identifying the operators of the accounts and examining the content flagged by the complainants.