Delhi police says viral claim of attack at Rahul Gandhi’s residence is fake, warns of action

A viral social media post claiming an attack and gunfire at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's residence is fake, Delhi Police said on Wednesday, warning against the circulation of misleading information.

Delhi Police, in a post on its official X handle, said the video was old footage from a December 2019 incident and had no connection with recent events, dismissing claims of an attack at the residence of the Leader of Opposition as false.

“Do not fall for or amplify this rumour,” police said, adding that spreading malicious rumours on social media was a punishable offence and strict legal action would be initiated against the handle.

They also advised social media users to verify information through official channels.

The action comes days after police arrested a 24-year-old man for allegedly using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to create and circulate a fabricated video depicting a police officer sexually harassing a woman journalist during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The accused, identified as Nadeem Ahmed, allegedly circulated the video falsely portraying police personnel in an objectionable manner, police said.

The incident is being investigated separately from the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against police personnel by women journalists.

The police have also approached social media platform X seeking the removal of objectionable and allegedly misleading content linked to the protests, sources said.

The social media monitoring exercise is aimed at identifying fabricated content, misleading claims and posts that could potentially disturb public order, they added.

Police teams are scanning online platforms, while further action is being taken against content found to be spreading misinformation or attempting to incite unrest, sources said.