NEW DELHI: Delhi Police has registered an FIR against advocate Prashant Bhushan over the alleged circulation of a doctored video of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which purportedly showed him criticising India over its internal affairs and oil purchases.
In a post on X, Delhi Police said the matter came to its notice during cyber patrolling on November 3, 2026, after a social media handle, @thequotesnews, flagged the alleged circulation of the manipulated video from Bhushan’s account, @pbhushan1.
According to the police, the video allegedly contained misleading, defamatory and inflammatory content, with the potential to incite public disturbance and spread rumours.
The FIR has been registered at the Special Cell police station under Sections 336(4), 353(1)(c), 356 and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 66C of the Information Technology Act. The case has been numbered FIR No. 263/26.
The Ministry of External Affairs’ Fact Check unit also issued a warning on X, declaring the video fake and rejecting the authenticity of the remarks attributed to Lavrov. The Russian Embassy, too, dismissed the purported statements and confirmed that the video was fabricated.
The controversy erupted after Bhushan shared the clip on social media, describing the purported exchange as a “tight slap” against the Indian government. However, government fact-checking authorities subsequently clarified that the video had been digitally manipulated and contained fabricated audio and captions.
The police investigation is now underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the creation and circulation of the allegedly manipulated video.
