Photoshopped 'German Shephard' tweet: ANI lodges police complaint

News agency Asian News International (ANI) on Tuesday lodged a police complaint about a fake tweet in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is now in Germany.

The fake tweet said, "My love for Germany goes back. When I was a small boy in Guj my only friend was a German shepherd: PM #ModiInGermany"

PM Modi, who is currently on a three-nation tour, was in Germany on Monday and Tuesday. 

After the tweet went viral, the agency said: 

This is a photoshopped tweet. ANI has got nothing to do with it. Legal action will be taken against those responsible pic.twitter.com/CZcWnFJgX8

— ANI (@ANI_news) April 14, 2015

Editor-in-Chief of ANI Sanjiv Prakash said the complaint has been lodged with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police.

"We have been subjected to a fake tweet and keeping with the provisions of law, we have filed a complaint with the cyber cell of the EOW," he said. A top police official said it was inquiring into the matter. 

The fake tweet created a furore on social media website. Smita Prakash, Editor at ANI news clarified by tweeting the following:

. @AapChorHain @ANI_news @AamAadmiParty its a fake tweet. ANI did not tweet this nor did the PM say it. Forgery

— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) April 14, 2015

A lot of people expressed their outrage on Twitter over the fake tweet and supported ANI.  

That fake/photoshopped tweet is outrageous.. Shocking some low life could do this. Glad ANI is taking legal action.. This is criminal

— Sunanda Vashisht (@sunandavashisht) April 14, 2015

Not even one of those who plugged in the fake tweet think .. there was something odd about @ANI_news spelling it as 'Shephard' ? No one?

— shilpi tewari (@shilpitewari) April 14, 2015

Now ppl faking @ANI_news tweet to malign PM Modi!Latest in series of blatant lies.Shows opposition getting desperate https://t.co/5YbohRR33Q

— Smita Barooah (@smitabarooah) April 14, 2015

While speculations were being made about the origin of this photoshopped tweet, Smita Prakash tweeted saying it was circulated by Ankita Lal, who is an online activist and blogger.

This is a photoshopped tweet by @ankitlal . ANI did not tweet it nor did the PM say it. https://t.co/OuC2Hft278

— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) April 14, 2015

In response to Prakash's accusations, Ankit Lal said:

.@smitaprakash, the kind of things Modi ji is speaking on tour I didn't find the statement exceptional. That's why tweeted without verifying

— Ankit Lal (@ankitlal) April 14, 2015

.@smitaprakash However I do realize that I should have verified the authenticity of the Tweet which I didn't and my apologies fr it.

— Ankit Lal (@ankitlal) April 14, 2015

.@smitaprakash @ashu3page Plz chk timings of Tweet! pic.twitter.com/5lRsOlleuI

— Ankit Lal (@ankitlal) April 14, 2015

On Tuesday night, Smita Prakash blocked Ankit Lal on Twitter. To this, Ankit Lal tweeted the following: 

.@smitaprakash, why have you blocked me? First you make a false allegation and then block me when I try to put the truth across?

— Ankit Lal (@ankitlal) April 14, 2015

Nice to know that @ANI_news has filed a complaint. Will @smitaprakash apologize fr her Tweets alleging me of photoshop if proved otherwise?

— Ankit Lal (@ankitlal) April 14, 2015