Assam 2021: Twitter suspends two accounts for fake news on Ajmal

Guwahati: At least two accounts have been suspended by Twitter for sharing a doctored video of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal where he allegedly called for making India an Islamic Nation. 

The suspended accounts are – Legal Rights Observatory – LRO and Voice of Assam. Both the Twitter profiles currently read, “Account suspended”.

Meanwhile, Ajmal has threatened to take legal action against LRO for intentionally trying to damage the party’s prospects in the Assam elections. 

The doctored video says the Mughals ruled India for 800 years and the British ruled it for 200 years. And now, INC-AIUDF will make Assam an Islamic state. However, AIUDF rubbished it, calling the video “a 100% fake.” 

Fact checker Alt News debunking the news said the video circulating is a clipped version of a 2019 speech by Badruddin Ajmal.

Further, Saket Gokhle, a transparency activist has written to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Assam, asking for an investigation and lodging an FIR against those who circulated the doctored video to influence the upcoming Assam Assembly Elections. 

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Pointing out a few people including journalists from right-leaning organisations, he mentioned – Archana Singh, India TV News; Ashok Srivastav, DD News; Astha Kaushik, ABP News; Deepak Chaurasia, News Nation; and Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, Chairman and MD of News Live (wife of BJP MLA Himanta Biswa Sarma).

Gokhale requested for “urgent and immediate enquiry” and “appropriate action within the next 7 days”.

Furthermore, Alt News noted that journalists, troll accounts, regional channels and political leaders, all related to the saffron party, had shared the doctored video or the contents in text form.