UP attack video: Another plaint names twitter official, actor

The complainant, Amit Acharya, has sought action against Twitter India managing director Manish Maheshwari for failing to take down posts on a video that purportedly showed the elderly Muslim man being attacked in Ghaziabad

A Delhi-based lawyer on Wednesday filed a complaint with the police against a Twitter India official, actor Swara Bhaskar, a journalist and a fourth person for allegedly trying to trigger communal tension by circulating what it claimed was “fake news” about an attack on a Muslim man in neighbouring Ghaziabad.

This is the second such complaint against Twitter and journalists over the issue that has seen conflicting narratives of the incident (HT_PRINT)

“An FIR has not been registered,” Deepak Yadav, deputy commissioner of police (New Delhi district), said.

The complainant, Amit Acharya, has sought action against Twitter India managing director Manish Maheshwari for failing to take down posts on a video that purportedly showed the elderly Muslim man being attacked in Ghaziabad on June 5. The complaint further alleges that the other accused -- Bhaskar, journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani and a Mohammed Asif Khan -- shared that video.

This is the second such complaint against Twitter and journalists over the issue that has seen conflicting narratives of the incident. On Tuesday, Uttar Pradesh police filed an FIR against Twitter, news portal The Wire.in, journalists and Congress leaders for “promoting enmity between religions” by circulating a purported video of the incident online. Sherwani, named in Wednesday’s FIR, also works with The Wire.

The victim’s family has alleged he was forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram”. UP Police, however, ruled out any communal angle.

Twitter declined to comment, and the three others did not respond to request for remarks.