Pune/Nashik: Maharashtra cabinet minister Girish Mahajan said on Sunday that he has written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking a thorough probe into the circulation of morphed photographs on social media, allegedly showing him and a young woman.
Speaking to reporters in Nashik, Mahajan said he shared the photographs with a private cyber expert and the state cyber crime police for verification. Both submitted reports stating that the photographs were tampered with and modified. These edited images were then circulated on social media platforms. Apart from writing to Fadnavis, I have also spoken to him and requested a proper investigation to identify all those involved in this unethical act,” Mahajan said.
The minister further said that the woman seen in the morphed photographs is a close friend of his daughter. “My entire family shares a close bond with her and her family. Her father passed away. The original photographs were taken during Ganpati festival celebrations when she and my family were present. However, others were edited out to show only me and my daughter’s friend before being uploaded on social media,” he said.
Mahajan claimed that the cyber crime police prepared a list of people who allegedly uploaded or circulated the photographs. “I have decided to take legal action against all of them. A similar attempt was made around five months ago to defame me. It is time to ensure that such elements are taught a lesson and no one dares to indulge in such illegal acts in future,” he said.
He added that the investigation would reveal the person behind the alleged act. “I suspect my political opponents are behind this attempt to defame me,” Mahajan said.
He also took potshots at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya Thackeray, saying they cannot strengthen the party by “sitting at home”. “Their party is in complete disarray. Senior leaders and cadres are quitting and joining the rival faction led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. Unless both father and son come out and visit different parts of the state regularly, the party’s base cannot be strengthened,” Mahajan said.
