Delhi Police Book Prashant Bhushan Over Alleged Sharing of Fake Lavrov Video; MEA Exposes Another Misleading Clip

 Police launch an investigation into the alleged circulation of an altered recording attributed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while the External Affairs Ministry exposes a separate fabricated statement falsely credited to S. Jaishankar.

NEW DELHI: Fabricated videos purporting to show senior Russian and Indian diplomats making controversial statements have triggered two separate developments in New Delhi, with the Delhi Police opening a criminal investigation involving senior advocate Prashant Bhushan and the Ministry of External Affairs issuing a public rebuttal to another misleading social media claim.

The police action concerns a video allegedly depicting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov making statements antagonistic towards India.

Investigators are examining claims that the manipulated recording was circulated through the X account of Bhushan, a prominent lawyer who regularly comments on public and political issues.

The matter came to the attention of the Delhi Police during an online surveillance exercise on November 3. Officers noticed a post by the account @thequotesnews, which flagged the alleged circulation of the video from Bhushan’s handle, @pbhushan1.

Following the report, the Special Cell registered a criminal case, numbered 263/26. The FIR invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 336(4), 353(1)(c), 356 and 340(2), as well as Section 66C of the Information Technology Act.

Police suspect that the disputed recording could have been used to circulate fabricated claims, provoke public reactions and damage reputations.

The investigators are now scrutinising the footage and its digital trail to establish how it was created, uploaded and circulated.

The allegations against Bhushan have yet to be established through the investigation.

MEA intervenes over false statement attributed to Jaishankar

In a parallel development, the government’s fact-checking mechanism has challenged another viral claim involving India’s diplomatic engagement over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The MEA’s Fact Check Unit on Tuesday rejected a social media message that portrayed External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar as having expressed displeasure with Lavrov.

The post claimed that the Russian minister had responded sarcastically to an Indian appeal for peace, prompting an expression of disappointment from Jaishankar.

A video accompanying the claim was presented as evidence and linked to Jaishankar’s participation in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, US, on October 30 and 31.

However, the statement attributed to him was not part of his actual address.

The ministry described the circulating material as fake and advised people not to be misled by deliberately manufactured social media content.

The actual diplomatic message was about three areas of cooperation

The original recording shows Jaishankar discussing India’s efforts to maintain communication with the parties involved in the Ukraine conflict.

Rather than criticising the Russian foreign minister, he outlined the subjects on which New Delhi had been engaging Moscow, Kyiv and European capitals.

These discussions covered the protection of commercial vessels and maritime personnel from attacks, the revival of grain shipments from the two warring countries, and difficulties surrounding energy supplies.

Jaishankar characterised the energy question as the most difficult component of these discussions.

He also explained that India’s diplomatic contacts had extended beyond Moscow.

Referring to his previous visit to the Russian capital and subsequent discussions in Kyiv, he said New Delhi remained engaged with both sides. India was also coordinating with Washington, which had launched its own initiative to facilitate a settlement.

There was no expression of resentment towards Lavrov in the original remarks, contrary to the impression created by the viral post.

Digital misinformation raises concerns over diplomatic relations

The two controversies have emerged at a time when sensitive international developments are increasingly being accompanied by manipulated recordings, misleading captions and statements falsely attributed to government representatives.

Videos involving senior diplomats can acquire credibility quickly, particularly when edited footage is presented alongside authentic recordings of international meetings.

Such material can create a false impression of diplomatic disagreements and distort the public understanding of India’s foreign policy.

While the Delhi Police investigation will determine the circumstances surrounding the Lavrov video and the alleged role of those involved in sharing it, the MEA’s clarification has established that the statement attributed to Jaishankar was not genuine.