UP police files FIR against Sundar Pichai over 'defamatory' video, later removes name

In a rather unusual case, Uttar Pradesh police in Varanasi booked Google CEO Sundar Pichai and 17 others over a video that allegedly defamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The UP police, however, later removed Pichai's name and that of three other Google top officials from the FIR after they were found 'not involved' in the case.

The FIR lodged at Bhelupur police station on February 6 included the name of top Google India official Sanjay Kumar Gupta too, along with Pichai. Google is yet to respond on the case.

"The names of Google officials were removed from the FIR the same day as it turned out that they were not involved in the case. Investigation on other points is underway," said an official from the local Bhelupur police station.

The FIR was lodged after a complaint by a local resident who claimed that he got over 8,500 threat calls on his mobile phone after he objected to the video that he came across in a WhatsApp group. The video, also available on YouTube has over 5 lakh views.

Ghazipur-based musicians who allegedly made the video song, a recording studio and a local music label company who were involved in the making of the song have been named in the FIR.

The accused were booked under Indian Penal Code sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), 500 (defamation), 120B (party to a criminal conspiracy). Charges of publishing or transmitting obscene material under IT Act Section 67 have also been invoked in the FIR.

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