Lallantop journalist, Zee 24 Kalak and Congress spread fake news after Air India crash, claim boy who recorded the incident was detained: Here is the truth
On 14th June, The Lallantop journalist Abhinav Pandey claimed in a social media post on X that the teen who recorded the video of the London-bound Air India flight crash had been detained by the Ahmedabad Police.
In his post, Pandey claimed that the teenager who first recorded the video of the crash was taken away by the police. He said, “Already frightened by the tragic incident, [name retracted] was left even more shaken by the police action. It was his first time visiting the city, his first time seeing an airplane, and what he witnessed was a horrifying crash.”
Source: X
He further claimed that, instead of reassuring him, the authorities subjected him to further fear. According to Pandey, his father, Madan, a retired soldier, raised serious concerns over the treatment meted out to his son. He further tagged Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and questioned the conduct of the police.
To support his claims, he further shared a screenshot of a post by Zee 24 Kalak that said the same thing in Gujarati, which no longer exists.
Source: X
However, there is another post along similar lines.
Ahmedabad Congress Sevadal also made the same allegation, claiming that the boy was detained by police for filming and sharing a video of the recent plane crash.
Ahmedabad police refuted claims
Replying to both Pandey and Zee 24 Kalak, Ahmedabad police clarified that the teenager had come to the police station to record his statement. After he gave the details to the police, he was let go with his father. Police made it clear that the boy was not detained.
The police said, “No one has been arrested for making this video. A screen recording of the mobile video went viral. The minor who recorded the video provided details to the police. He came with his father to give a statement as a witness. He was then sent back with his father. There has been no arrest or detention. Please refrain from spreading rumours or misinformation.”
Pandey further replied to the police and claimed he did not say the teenager was detained or arrested. He claimed that his question was on the method the police used and questioned why they were not polite.
Source: X
While Pandey claimed he did not say the police detained the teenager, he apparently forgot that he had shared the Zee 24 Kalak post’s screenshot that categorically claimed he was detained. The post where the screenshot was shared was available till this post was published.
The contradiction between Pandey’s defence and his earlier post raises questions about the credibility of his claim. With the police issuing a clear denial and no evidence of detention, the matter appears to be a case of premature outrage based on unverified information.
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