Bengaluru: Assam BJP social media convenors booked for video showing CM Sarma ‘shooting’ at Muslims
The visuals and the caption conveyed an ‘intimidating and provocative’ message, normalising and glorifying violence against a minority, the complainant said.
The Bengaluru Police filed a case against the convenor and co-convenor of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Assam unit for an artificial intelligence-generated video showing Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma symbolically firing at two Muslim men, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.
The first information report was registered on February 12 on a complaint filed by a Congress member in Karnataka saying that the video uploaded by the Assam BJP had objectionable and potentially provocative content that could disturb public peace and promote enmity between communities, the newspaper reported.
The February 7 video clip posted on social media platform X combined what appeared to be original footage of the chief minister handling rifles with artificial intelligence-generated images portraying Muslims as targets. On-screen text included slogans such as “Foreigner free Assam”, “No mercy”, “Why did you not go to Pakistan?” and “There is no forgiveness to Bangladeshis”.
Following criticism, the video was deleted.
“Given the official nature of the handle and its large number of followers, the visual imagery combined with the caption conveys an intimidating and provocative message, normalising and glorifying targeted violence against specific religious minorities,” The Indian Express quoted the complaint as saying.
It alleged that the video had the “potential to instil fear and vulnerability in members of the Muslim community and incite hatred and possible violence in certain sections of the public”.
The FIR named Biswajit Khaund and Ron Bikash Gourav, who managed the BJP Assam unit's X account, the newspaper reported.
They were charged under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to provocation with intent to cause riot and circulation of false information, rumours or reports intended to incite hatred or ill-will between groups.
The investigation into the matter was underway, the police was quoted as having said.
On February 12, Assam BJP claimed that the post was “immature” and “unauthorised”. One of the four co-convenors of the BJP’s state social media cell had been removed from his position in connection with the video.
On February 11, Sarma said that an FIR had been filed in Assam as well in connection with the video.
