Hyderabad Police Book Meta India Head, Others Over Alleged Morphed Content Targeting PM Modi

Hyderabad Police have registered cases against Meta India head Arun Srinivas and several Facebook and Instagram accounts over the alleged circulation of morphed and objectionable content targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent Cockroach Janta Party protests linked to the NEET paper leak issue.

The Cybercrime Police booked the accused under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act following complaints filed by businessman S Aravind Reddy and Telangana BJP activist T Saikiran Goud.

According to the complaints, the complainants came across multiple digitally manipulated, morphed and AI-generated videos and images on Instagram portraying the Prime Minister in an obscene, derogatory and misleading manner. They alleged that the posts contained offensive language, ridicule and indecent remarks that encouraged wider circulation and engagement on social media.

The complaints further stated that the content had the potential to mislead the public, spread misinformation, incite hatred or public unrest, outrage public decency, defame public figures and disturb public order. They also alleged that such posts could promote hostility among different sections of society and violate relevant provisions of law.

Saikiran Goud submitted a list of 20 Facebook and Instagram links along with his complaint and sought action against Meta for allegedly hosting the disputed content on its platforms.

Police have begun collecting details of the social media accounts involved and are working to identify the individuals operating them as part of the ongoing investigation.

The development comes shortly after Meta expressed regret over an incident in which a video posted from Prime Minister Modi’s official account was briefly blocked on Facebook.

The investigation is continuing, and authorities are examining the origin and circulation of the alleged content.

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