Social Media Uproar Over Doctored Kanhaiya ‘Azadi’ Tape

Those who shared the doctored tapes that show Kanhaiya shouting for Kashmir’s ‘azadi’ have apologised.

Students take out a peaceful march in support of Kanhaiya Kumar. (Photo: AP)

Social media was in uproar on Friday amid claims that a video that first went viral showing JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and others shouting slogans seeking Kashmir’s “azadi” may have been doctored with a superimposed audio clip.

The controversial tape emerged from a 9 February event at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, causing nationwide outrage as police arrested Kanhaiya Kumar and cracked down on students in the university.

The police also played a clip in a court on Monday when it heard the case against the PhD student.

A new viral video, said to be the original clip of the event, shows that the students indeed raised slogans for “freedom”, but from poverty, fascism, “sanghwaad”, feudalism, capitalism, Brahmanism and inequality.

The first video clip was telecast by some TV channels including Zee News, Times Now and India TV. ABP News ran the ‘original’ video on Thursday evening.

Later in the day, India Today analysed the videos saying that the audio had been doctored.

However, none of the clips could be independently verified, even as Delhi Police has been claiming that it has “adequate evidence” to prove Kanhaiya Kumar made “anti-national” remarks.

Amid the conflicting tapes, many reacted angrily to what they think was a deliberate attempt to frame the Left-leaning student leader. Some of those who shared the “doctored clip” apologised.

Senior journalist Siddharth Vardarajan, in an online article said:

Kanhaiya has been vilified by the Home Minister of India, by official spokespersons of the Bharatiya Janata Party, by the Delhi police and black-coated thugs who masquerade as lawyers – and by television anchors. He has been violently assaulted inside court premises. “We have all the evidence we need,” Delhi police chief BS Bassi declared...From fabricating a case to resorting to violence and peddling forged ‘evidence’, all those who have worked to ruin a young life must be brought to account.