Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party president Harsh Malhotra on Monday, 17 August condemned the circulation of a doctored photograph falsely depicting BJP national president Nitin Nabin holding the tricolour upside down, calling it a deliberate attempt to insult the national flag. The party filed a formal police complaint over the episode and dispatched a three-member delegation to meet senior Delhi Police officials.

The Complaint and Police Meeting

Malhotra sent a delegation comprising Delhi BJP State vice president Rajesh Bhatia, State Minister Gaurav Khari, and Legal Cell Convenor Neeraj to meet Delhi Special Commissioner of Police Devesh Srivastava. The delegation submitted a written complaint demanding a detailed investigation into the circulation of the fake photograph and sought the arrest of those responsible.

Malhotra urged Delhi Police to register a case against the individual or individuals behind the creation and attempted spread of the image, which he described as an act targeting national sentiment.

How the Fake Photo Spread

According to Malhotra, the doctored image was circulated across multiple social media platforms, including X, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. The BJP characterised the episode as a coordinated effort by what it called 'anti-social elements' to inflame public sentiment, particularly in the days following Independence Day.

BJP's Political Charge

Malhotra alleged that a 'defeated and frustrated Opposition,' which he said is 'losing power state after state,' is continuously misusing social media to disturb the atmosphere in the country. He asserted that BJP workers would not allow such attempts to succeed. The party stopped short of directly naming any individual or organisation as responsible, though the remarks were widely understood as directed at rival political forces.

AAP Leader Arrested Separately

In a separate development on the same day, the Delhi BJP praised Delhi Police's action in arresting Aam Aadmi Party National Council Member Sri Chand Vohra from Gwalior. Vohra faces allegations of encroaching on the property of his own party's Dalit worker, Rakesh Kumar, in south-east Delhi's Jaitpur Extension. The BJP noted the arrest approvingly, framing it as prompt police action against a political rival.

Both episodes unfolded amid a charged political atmosphere in the capital, with the BJP using both incidents to sharpen its criticism of the Opposition ahead of upcoming political contests. Investigators are expected to examine the digital trail of the fake photograph in the days ahead.