Muzaffarnagar riots: Who is 'viral video' uploader Sangeet Singh Som?

Sangeet Singh Som, BJP MLA from Sardhana in Meerut district finds himself at the centre of controversy after riots in neighbouring Muzaffarnagar district. According to the police, Som was one of the politicians who uploaded a fake video clip that provoked mobs in Muzaffarnagar district. The video, which the police have decried as a fake, showed a mob lynching two boys. And although, it has since been revealed video was clearly shot in Afghanistan or Pakistan, a large section of the population believed the incidents of the video had actually taken place in a village in Muzaffarnagar, which subsequently led to the deadly riots that killed 48 people. Som however denies the charges of having spread the video. He told New York Times over the phone, “that one of his staff members had been operating his Facebook account and pressed “like” on the video clip."  [caption id=“attachment_1106143” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Police keep guard after the Muzaffarnagar riots. PTI[/caption] “The charges against me are completely false,” he told NYT. “I will be accused because it is my Facebook account. The fact is that this government in Uttar Pradesh is failing on all fronts. They are instigating the communal violence and accusing BJP.” The Indian Express has today done an extensive profile on Sangeet Singh Som. According to an  Election Commission stats report, Som got 62,432 votes in Sardhana during the 2012 election. His assets are said to be worth over Rs 20 crore, according to Myneta.info. The report in IE points out that Som at 34 is BJP’s youngest MLA in Uttar Pradesh. He also has the dubious distinction of having been part of three parties, BSP in 2007, SP in 2009 and back to BJP in 2011. It also highlights that Som seems to have a penchant for security guards. In fact when SP removed his guards, Som moved Allahabad High Court with a case for Y-category security. The report adds that in “April, the court ruled he was entitled to Y category. The government has now provided him one guard as an MLA and four under Y category, still five per shift but their services now free.” Read the full profile on Indian Express here.