A sting operation video on mobile payments company Paytm, released by news website Cobrapost, shows Paytm Senior Vice President Ajay Shekhar Sharma allegedly saying that the Indian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had asked the company for user data. MediaNama is unable to independently verify the authenticity of this video, and it is worth pointing out that the video isn't available in full. This video has been released as a part of the 'Operation 136' sting operation series, largely focusing on news organisations and their alleged willingness to promote political agenda. In the video, Ajay Shekhar Sharma, who is the younger brother of Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, allegedly tells the undercover reporter: "Jab JK mein band huye the na pathar … toh personally PMO se phone aya tha kaha gaya tha ki data de do ho sakta hai ki Paytm user hon..." [Translated: When there was a curfew in Jammu & Kashmir due to stone pelting, then the Prime Ministers Office personally called asking for data, because it's possible that some people might have been Paytm users]. Note that Sharma did not say that Paytm complied with the PMO’s alleged demand or not, although, the voiceover in the Cobrapost video said that they did. In a blog post titled "Your Paytm data is NEVER shared with anyone", the company has said that: There is a video going around on social media and it falsely claims that we shared some data with 3rd parties. Nothing can be further from the truth. We…
