AAP MP Sanjay Singh, Bihar Congress leader Pappu among eight booked in Manikarnika Ghat controversy

Lucknow: A day after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s claim that AI generated videos were used to ‘mislead’ the people in the controversy surrounding the alleged demolitions at the iconic Manikarnika Ghat and damage to the centuries old statue of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar in Varanasi triggering protests, the police on Sunday registered a case against Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh, Bihar Congress leader Pappu Yadav and six others for hurting religious sentiments and disrupting social harmony.

According to police sources, besides Singh and Yadav, Haryana Congress leader Jasvinder Kaur, Ashutosh, Pragya Gupta, Manish Singh, Ritu Rathore and Sandeep Dev were also booked in the matter.

Police said that the accused persons tried to incite religious passion, mislead people and disrupt social harmony by circulating misleading information on social media through AI generated texts and videos regarding the developmental and renovation works being undertaken at the Manikarnika Ghat.

In one of the complaints, it was said that the government of India was compared to the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb which triggered anger among the people who have faith in democracy.

A senior police official said in Varanasi that the cyber cell was assisting in the investigation and that further action would be taken on the basis of investigation.

Adityanath had on Saturday said that ‘’Disinformation campaign is on through AI generated videos….Congress is trying to create obstacles in the implementation of the project….Congress and its allies should keep in mind that that they are committing a sin and it can’t be accepted,’’.

Protests had erupted in the town after a few videos showing a damaged statue of Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, the Indore based queen who had built the Manikarnika Ghat in 1771 and later got it renovated in 1791, went viral on social media. The videos also purportedly showed some damaged idols..

The district administration, however, refuted the claims and said that the Ghat was being renovated and that all the idols and statues were being preserved and would be reinstalled.