Uttar Pradesh Congress leader and Member of Legislative Council Naseemuddin Siddiqui has filed a police complaint against BJP's national spokesperson Sambit Patra and Canada-based Pakistani author Tarek Fatah for allegedly sharing a “fake video” and maligning his and his party's image.
Fatah allegedly shared a video on Twitter on Tuesday and Patra shared the same video on Thursday. Both used similar caption saying that it was the Congress leader Siddiqui in the video.
In the video a man is seen and heard saying: “First we are Muslims and then Hindustanis. We Muslims own India, our loyalty is to Islam.”
The man in question is reportedly a Samajwadi Party leader Maviya Ali and the video is two-year-old.
In a letter submitted to Uttar Pradesh DGP OP Singh and UP police cyber cell both on Thursday, Siddiqui writes, “On 1st January, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra had shared a fake video on twitter and facebook with a fake caption implicating me. In the video, they had shown me saying that I am first a Muslim and then Pakistani etc. However, the video has neither me nor my voice.”
Siddiqui, who quit BSP and joined Congress two years ago, alleged in the letter, “This fake video aims to insult me, my family and my party and seeks to mentally torture me. Hence, you are requested to take legal action.”
Patra's post, in which he even tagged Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, generated massive response-1.71 lakh video views and over 15,000 shares by Thursday.
Both haven't deleted their posts yet although they tweeted hours later to say that the it was not Siddiqui but Maviya Ali in the video.
FIR was not filed at the time of writing this report.
