Piyush Rai had not claimed that the video was new. He told The Wire that the investigating officer had not reached out to him yet, and that he received a copy of the FIR from a reporter in Mathura.
Uttar Pradesh police on February 28 registered a first information report against a journalist and eight others for sharing a video showing overcrowded and unruly Holi celebrations in the state’s Mathura and Vrindavan towns. Police claimed that the video was old but was being presented as recent and that doing so had created an “atmosphere of fear”.
An FIR was lodged at Barsana police station in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh on February 28, based on a complaint filed by a Gaurav Tomar. The Wire has seen a copy of the FIR.
At 6:22 pm, on February 27, journalist Piyush Rai posted the video on X, captioned, “I am not a fan of crowded places and I try to scare the shit out of others too. That’s my idea of saving lives.”
The video showed overcrowded Holi celebrations allegedly in the famous Braj temples in Mathura-Vrindavan, where people could be seen being pulled and tugged in all directions.
Rai did not claim in the post on X that this was a video of the ongoing Holi celebrations.
Speaking to The Wire, Rai said, “The video showed a stampede-like situation and I know it was an old video because I had shared it earlier too. My intention was to just let people know that it is very crowded.”
Rai also said that the investigating officer had not reached out to him yet, and that he received a copy of the FIR from a local reporter in Mathura.
The Wire has also reached out to the Mathura Senior Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar. This story will be updated upon receiving a response.
Responding to his post at 7.05 pm, within an hour of when it was posted, Mathura Police said the video was old and that no such untoward incident has been reported this year so far, adding that an investigation would be conducted if any such incident comes to light.
“Mathura Police urges the public not to circulate last year’s videos or photographs to create an atmosphere of fear,” the police stated, warning of legal action against those spreading rumours.
A complaint was filed by Gaurav Tomar, registered at 8:47 pm, February 28, who alleged that the video was shared on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and X by the accused users on February 26 and 27. He claimed that the video is not only old but also of some other place, not Mathura.
He alleged that the video’s circulation has spread rumours, caused social disharmony and a sense of fear among women.
The police registered a case under Sections 196(2) (promoting enmity between different groups) and 353(2) (circulation of false information) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Sections 67 and 67A of the Information Technology Act.
The others named in the FIR include social media users and some vlog- and food-themed Instagram pages.
No action has been taken against the accused so far.
Several journalists have reacted to the FIR. Independent journalist Sachin Gupta condemned the police action, saying the video may be old but “year after year, the conditions remain the same”.
News24’s Shahnawaz commented defending Rai, stating that he is a “responsible journalist” and all his news and tweets are true. The FIR is extremely regrettable, he said.
Journalist Rohini Singh said, “Has all crime ceased in UP that you are resorting to all this @mathurapolice? Stop intimidating journalists and instead ensure no untoward incidents happen as a result of crowds,” expressing solidarity with Rai.
In a video statement, Mathura Police further said that an analysis of the videos showed that the videos shared are old. “Efforts have been made to spread confusion and gain cheap popularity. In this regard, the local residents of Brij have also clarified the situation and expressed objection, and taking cognisance of this, cases are being registered against all such handles under relevant sections.”
(This article has been written by Sharmita Kar.)
(This article first appeared in The Wire.)
Also Read: Uttar Pradesh: Stampede at Hathras ‘Satsang’ Claims 121 Lives https://www.vibesofindia.com/uttar-pradesh-stampede-at-hathras-satsang-claims-121-lives/
