Shah urged to order forensic analysis of YSRCP MP's alleged nude video clip

A lawyer of Andhra Pradesh High Court has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order forensic analysis of a nude video clip allegedly involving YSRCP MP Gorantla Madhav.

He alleged that the police are trying to mislead the people on the issue by stating that the video being circulated on social media is not original.

G. Lakshminarayana wrote a letter to Shah, demanding forensic analysis of the video clip.

The lawyer said women were shocked by the statement of Anantapur Superintendent of Police K. Fakirappa that the video clip is fake and morphed.

He wrote that since the issue is related to self-respect and security of women, the home minister should ensure forensic analysis of the video in a central lab so that the truth comes out.

The lawyer voiced concern over the growing number of crimes against women. He alleged that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government has failed in providing protection to women.

According to the lawyer, 777 cases of sexual assaults and other crimes against women occurred between June 2019 and July 2022.

The lawyer's demand came close on the heels of the National Commission for Women (NCW) urging Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take action against the MP.

The Commission received complaint of alleged sexual harassment against him. According to the complaint, the MP is alleged to have engaged in an explicit video call without the victim's consent.

The content of the video is alleged to be indecent, obscene and undignified, the Commission said.

NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma has also written to Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police to conduct an independent inquiry in the matter.

The MP from Hindupur has denied the allegations against him. He claimed that a fake and morphed video was circulated by some people to malign him.

Madhav was accorded a grand welcome by his supporters on Friday when he reached the constituency. They termed the video clip a conspiracy by the political opponents.

Annatapur SP had said on Wednesday that the video clip is not original but whether it is morphed or not can be established only after they get the original video.

He revealed that the video was uploaded from a mobile number registered in the United Kingdom and was first shared in I-TDP WhatsApp group.

The SP said since the video has been shared multiple times across social media platforms, it has become difficult for the police to ascertain if it was real or morphed.

He said a person sent the recorded video to a second person and when the second person was watching it on his mobile a third person recorded it and that video was circulated.

The SP said unless the person who first posted the video is identified and the video is traced, the clip currently being circulated may be edited or morphed one.

He said if the victim comes forward to lodge a complaint it would be easy to find out if the video was real or morphed. "Let the victim come and give a complaint, we will seize the mobile and investigate," the SP said when asked why the police has not seized the MP's mobile to verify if the video was real or morphed.

The SP said the police have registered a case on a complaint by MP Madhav's follower K. Venkateshwar Rao on August 4 and took up the investigation. It was found that the video was uploaded from a mobile number registered in the UK on the night of August 3. He said the police were trying to identify the person and gather his details.

--IANS

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