NEW DELHI, March 29 (TCN) — A video posted on YouTube under the name of “Krishna Prasad” shows a Muslim man being coerced into saying “Narendra Modi hamara baap hai,” (Narendra Modi is my father), and other phrases such as “Jai Jai Shri Ram,” as well as anti-Pakistan phrases. The man is being held by his beard and is evidently being spoken to very aggressively by the person obscured in the video. Eminent activist Shehzad Poonawalla has put together a petition to the Election Commission, Minister for State of Home Affairs, National Commission for Minorities, and National Foundation for Communal Harmony. The petition states that the video, if genuine, violates Indian Penal Code section 503 (Criminal intimidation), 153A (incitement of hatred/ill will between communities), section 295A (hurting religious sentiments) and section 505 (public mischief. It also violates the Information Technology Act of 2000.

According to Poonawalla, the veracity of the video has not yet come to light but that the Election Commission must take action as soon as possible given the potential for videos like this to incite further divide and animosity.

The riots in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh of September 2013 began due to a series of fake videos of members of a community killing another, circulated by political personalities. The potential for circulation of fake or real videos has the potential to instigate violence and therefore a petition is circulated to request the EC and other relevant ministries take action against it, said the activist.