First, a video allegedly showing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) members shouting pro-Pakistan slogans surfaces, then they dismiss the video as morphed and seek investigations claiming to have a police complaint.
The only catch here is the agency the ABVP approaches with its complaint is not a police agency and has no power to investigate.
On Sunday, after ABVP issued a press release stating that the 1 minute 32 second long video titled “The Conspiracy”, uploaded on social media shows four students, allegedly belonging to them could be seen and heard shouting “Pakistan Zindabad”, something the police has booked the left wing students for.
The release, in addition to a detailed statement on how the video was totally false and incorrect, contains the claim that they have approached the Cyber Cell. When The Hindu contacted Shreerang Kulkarni, the Head, National Media & PR, of the ABVP, he said that it was Delhi Police Cyber Cell that the complaint had been submitted to on Sunday afternoon.
The complaint, said Mr. Kulkarni, had been submitted online.
However, when contacted officers in the Delhi Economic Offences Wing, said that neither had they received any such complaint nor do they have an online mechanism to receive complaints on cyber crime.
The screenshots of the complaint when studied closely did not appear to be that of Delhi Police and the link address did not contain the words Delhi or Police. A google search of some of the keywords seen in the website then directed the user to http://cybercrimecomplaints.com/.
On the same website, the complaint filed by Mr. Kulkarni and individual complaints on the same subject by two of his colleagues also found mention confirming that it was the same portal that the complaint was submitted to.
When this was pointed out to Mr. Kulkarni, he maintained that it was indeed the Delhi Police and he was informed about the same by one Supreme Court lawyer.
To cross check yet again, The Hindu contacted cyber crime expert Vicky Shah who conformed that http://cybercrimecomplaints.com/ was indeed a private portal with no investigating power. A senior EOW officer also confirmed the same.