Madhya Pradesh police on March 30 gave a clean chit to senior BJP leader Sanjay Joshi in the CD controversy, saying the video were ?manipulated? and his photographs and the man shown in it did not match in forensic tests.
?It seems there was an attempt to blackmail and threaten Joshi using forged electronic tools as the report received from the forensic laboratory in Hyderabad opined that his photographs and the man in the CD did not match?, Inspector General of Police (CID) M P Dwivedi said.
The report of Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Hydera-bad, which was received three days ago, observed that digital manipulations were carried out in the CD showing discontinuity and jumping, Dwivedi said adding there was no lip movement and sound effect had not been activated, perhaps to ?suppress other activities in the room where shots were taken?.
Though it appears that someone resembling Joshi could have been used in the shots ?no conclusion can be drawn now and we are investigating like a professional agency?, he said.
Apart from Joshi, presence of two other men could be detected in the visuals during forensic tests while there was indication of some stray light entering the room, the IG said adding the woman'sface was also concealed.
Joshi had resigned as BJP general secretary in the midst of BJP national executive meeting in Mumbai in December last year.
According to the CFSL report the man in the CD is not Sanjay Joshi and the CD had been ?severely edited?.
Joshi lodged a complaint with the Bhopal police in December 2005, saying he had received calls demanding Rs 50 lakh. If the money was not given, he was threatened with slander.
When Joshi did not pay up, he, his party colleagues and mediapersons got copies of a CD allegedly featuring him in a compromising position with a woman.
Joshi filed a complaint with the Bhopal police, as he believed the CD originated from the Madhya Pradesh capital, and insisted that its authenticity be verified. He also submitted another CD, which had his images, and a colour photograph.
The forensic report said:
1. The CD is not an original recording, but a compressed version of a video clipping
2. It has multiple edit points (which means it was edited)
3. Has thread in and thread out of images. Lab spotted two persons passing in front of the camera
4. The CD is disjointed, lacks continuity, has multiple cuts and jams, was severely edited
5. Lighting is poor and the face of the female is masked at all times
6. The images of the male person in the CD does not match with the colour photograph and CD of Shri Sanjay Joshi.
Sanjay Joshi said in Delhi that the ?clean chit? to him ?vindicated? his stand that he was innocent.
?I came to know about my innocence through the media. Now, the truth has been exposed,? he said and alleged that in fact the whole episode was to ?malign BJP and RSS through character assassination?.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Dr Praveen Togadia alleged that some leaders were behind the making the CD and Sanjay Joshi had to pay the price for his ?strong stand? on ideological issues, he said.
?Whoever stood with ideology was viciously treated. Joshi had taken a strong stand on the Jinnah issue. So, he was ill treated. Now that he (Joshi) has passed the agnipariksha (test of fire) and is proven innocent, it is time to reinstate him with respect and punish the dirty minded, demonic, power-hungry criminals who got the CD made? the VHP secretary general said.
BJP president Rajnath Singh heaped lavish praise on Joshi saying he ?has passed with 100 per cent marks in the agnipariksha.?
He said the party had faith in him and believed it was a conspiracy to defame him.
