Gujarat: BJP MP Parbatbhai Patel's purported sleaze video goes viral; cops detain 2 for questioning
Palanpur, Aug 11: Police in Gujarat have registered an FIR against two persons and detained them after a video purportedly showing BJP MP Parbatbhai Patel in a compromising position with a woman went viral on social media even as the parliamentarian claimed the clip was doctored, said an official on Wednesday.
The FIR was lodged on Tuesday at the Tharad police station of Banaskantha district on a complaint given by the MP's son, Shailesh Patel, said Deputy Superintendent of Police P H Chaudhary, adding the Local Crime Branch (LCB) is probing the case.
Parbatbhai Patel (72), the Lok Sabha MP from Banaskantha, denied any wrongdoing and claimed the video has been doctored and his face superimposed on the person seen in the clip, while his family alleged a conspiracy to extort money and defame them.
"In his complaint, Shailesh Patel has alleged that his father's edited video was made viral on social media by the two accused - Magha Patel and Mukesh Rajput (both detained) as part of a pre-planned conspiracy.
"We have lodged an FIR under sections 389 (extortion), 500 (defamation), criminal conspiracy (120-B) of the IPC and under relevant sections of the IT Act," he said.
Evidence collected so far suggests there was a conspiracy to malign the MP's image and extort money from him through the video, said the DySP.
In the one-minute video, a man resembling Parbatbhai Patel can be seen hugging a woman on a sofa and getting intimate. It appears they were aware about the presence of some other persons in the room, including the one who was shooting the video.
According to Chaudhary, Magha Patel had earlier threatened on his Facebook page that he will "publish a video of Banaskantha's top politician on August 15".
Then on Tuesday, the same video, purportedly featuring Parbatbhai Patel, was shared in a WhatsApp group by Mukesh Rajput, he said.
"Both (Magha Patel and Rajput) were shown as accused in the FIR. They were detained for questioning by the LCB. Evidence given by the complainant and collected from the social media by police primarily establish that there was a conspiracy to malign the MP's image and extort money from him through this video," said the DySP.
He added that the video will be sent for forensic analysis to find out its authenticity.
Shailesh Patel told reporters that the video has been used for defaming his father and to extort money.
"Magha Patel has been threatening to release the video for some time. This is an edited video created only to defame my father. This is a conspiracy and the accused had earlier demanded money in exchange for not releasing the video," said Shailesh Patel.
Parbatbhai Patel, who had previously served as a minister in the BJP government in Gujarat, claimed the video has been edited by superimposing his face on the person seen in the clip.
"Everyone knows about my character. I never indulged in any wrongdoings in my entire life. It is possible that my photo was used for making such an edited video.
"People have been trying to extort money from me since 2016 for this video. I had challenged them to release it if they want to," said the Lok Sabha MP.
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Deepika Kumari leads Indian recurve archery team to dramatic World Cup gold
Shanghai (PTI): The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenager Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in a tense shoot-off to beat home favourites China and clinch the women's recurve team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 here on Sunday.
In a final marked by fluctuating fortunes, India edged past the home side 5-4 (28-26) in the shoot-off after the four-set regulation ended 4-4.
The victory was especially sweeter as India had earlier stunned record 10-time Olympic champions South Korea in the semifinals en route to their first World Cup women's team gold since 2021.
Deepika, who was also part of India's World Cup-winning teams in Guatemala City and Paris in 2021, now has seven World Cup team gold medals to her name since 2010.
It was also the Indian women recurve team's first World Cup medal in three years, its previous podium finish coming in Stage 4 in Paris in 2023 where Ankita was a member of the winning team.
India's campaign in Shanghai has thus already yielded two medals after compound archer Sahil Jadhav opened the country's account, securing a bronze on Saturday.
India also remained in contention for another podium finish later in the day with recurve archer Simranjeet Kaur set to compete in the semifinals. She is a win away from her maiden individual World Cup medal.
Travelling without a full-time national coach amid the continuing impasse over appointments, it was the vastly experienced Deepika who led from the front, constantly motivating her teammates during breaks and changeovers.
Prafull Dange, who was the designated women's recurve coach after his ward Kumkum topped the national trials, largely remained in the background as Deepika guided the side through the pressure moments against a hostile home crowd and vocal Chinese support staff.
Against a young Chinese side comprising Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and teenage archer Yu Qi, who all made their World Cup debuts only last year, India looked in control initially but nearly let the match slip after taking the opening set (54-53).
Shooting last in the Indian order, Deepika set the tone with successive 10s as India edged the first set despite Ankita (8-8) and 17-year-old Kumkum (10-8) putting up an inconsistent show.
Deepika continued her fine rhythm in the second set with another perfect 10 as India briefly held a one-point advantage (28-27) midway through the end. But China responded strongly with two 9s and a 10 in their final three arrows of the second set to post 55.
Ankita replied with a 9, but Kumkum managed only an 8, leaving Deepika needing a 10 to level the set.
The four-time Olympian, however, slipped to a 7 as India lost the set 52-55 and China drew level at 2-2.
The hosts then moved ahead in the third set. The teams were initially tied at 56, but a review upgraded China's final arrow from 8 to 9, handing them the set 57-56 and a 4-2 lead.
India appeared on the verge of defeat in the fourth set despite Deepika rediscovering her touch with two 10s. Kumkum's final arrow landed in the 7-ring as India posted a modest 54.
China required two 10s and a 9 from their last three arrows to seal the match.
Zhu and Huang delivered perfect 10s, leaving 18-year-old Yu Qi needing a 9 for victory in front of the home crowd.
But the youngster shot an 8, allowing India a dramatic escape and forcing a shoot-off.
The Indians peaked at the right moment in the decider. Ankita opened with a 9, Kumkum followed with a superb 10, and Deepika calmly delivered a 9 when only an 8 was needed to seal the title.
