Sambit Patra’s tweet classified as ‘manipulated’ prompts police action to ‘find out the truth’
Team Clarion
NEW DLEHI – A team of Delhi Police’s Special Cell is conducting a search operation at the offices of Twitter in Delhi in connection with alleged Covid-19 ‘toolkit’ and sought response from the company for tagging a tweet of Sambit Patra as “manipulated media”, a police official was cited by news agency ANI.
The raids are being conducted at two spots— Lado Sarai, Delhi and Gurugram.
Delhi Police PRO Chinmoy Biswal said that Twitter has some information which is not known to police.
The controversy started last week after the Bharatiya Janata Party accused the congress of creating a ‘toolkit’ to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, Congress denied the allegation saying that the toolkit being peddled was fake and that the party had nothing to do with it.
Twitter labelled Patra’s tweet ‘manipulated’ after Alt News, a fact-checking website, debunked the alleged ‘toolkit’ as fake.
The Delhi Police launched the enquiry against the social media giant following a complaint in connection with tagging Patra’s tweet ‘manipulated’.
“It appears that Twitter has some information which is not known to us on the basis of which they have classified it (Patra’s tweet) as such. This information is relevant to the inquiry. The Special Cell, which is conducting the inquiry, wants to find out the truth. Twitter, which has claimed to know the underlying truth, should clarify,” Biswal said.
The Congress had lodged a police complaint on May 19 for FIR against BJP chief J.P. Nadda, Union Minister Smriti Irani, BJP general secretary B L Santosh and Patra accusing them of forgery of documents.
Congress’ students wing NSUI in Chhattisgarh filed a police complaint against Patra and former chief minister Raman Singh after reports emerged that the BJP had “forged” the letterhead of AICC Research Department and printed “false and fabricated” content on it. The complaint led to an FIR against Patra and Singh at the Civil Lines police station in Raipur.