New Delhi: The Delhi Police has asked a social media platform to remove or restrict access to 11 posts and videos allegedly presenting a misleading account of police action during a recent protest in the national capital, saying the content could provoke public reaction and adversely affect law and order.
The Joint Commissioner of Police, Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (IFSO), issued the notices on Monday under the Information Technology Act, 2000, directing the platform to remove or disable access to the reported URLs within three hours of receiving the intimation.
The action comes in the backdrop of the arrest of a 24-year-old man for allegedly circulating an AI-generated video falsely portraying a police officer as sexually assaulting a woman.
Police have said they are probing whether the circulation of the fabricated content was part of a larger conspiracy to malign the Delhi Police and create dissatisfaction during protests.
According to the notice, the 11 reported posts contained videos relating to a protest during which police personnel were deployed to maintain law and order and prevent escalation of the situation.
The Delhi Police said certain protesters allegedly pushed against police personnel, removed or jumped over barricades and attempted to forcibly proceed despite directions to comply with restrictions imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
When protesters allegedly continued to obstruct or resist the police, deployed personnel intervened and restrained or detained some of them while discharging their duties, the notice said.
However, the videos "appear to be selectively" portraying the subsequent police intervention as "misbehaviour or unwarranted use of force", while allegedly omitting the preceding acts of obstruction, resistance and non-compliance that led to the intervention, it said.
The police said such "selective, misleading and contextually incomplete" portrayal had the potential to create a false narrative regarding the conduct of police personnel, provoke public reaction and undermine public confidence in lawful law-and-order measures.
The police asked the platform to remove or restrict access to the specified content under the Information Technology Act, 2000, while preserving relevant data, logs and subscriber information for evidence purposes.
The notice cited statements conducing to public mischief, including false information or rumour and defamation.
The police action comes amid heightened scrutiny of social media content related to protests and the alleged use of manipulated or misleading material to shape narratives around police action.
On October 6, police arrested Nadeem Ahmed Ameen from the Mewat region for allegedly circulating a fabricated AI-generated video involving a police personnel.
Investigators are also identifying other social media accounts allegedly involved in creating a false narrative to tarnish the image of the Delhi Police and are probing whether the circulation of such content was part of a larger pre-planned conspiracy, officials said.
