Guwahati, 27 October (HS): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has accused the Congress of attempting to discredit the Indian armed forces through a digitally manipulated video falsely attributed to a senior Army officer, demanding strict legal action against those responsible.

Describing the alleged attempt as a “classic Cong playbook”, Sarma said the video was being circulated to malign the armed forces and embarrass the country for political gains.

“A doctored video, already debunked, pushed to malign our armed forces and shame the nation for cheap political gain,” Sarma wrote on social media while sharing the clip. He further alleged that the content had the approval of the Congress leadership, asserting that those involved must face the full force of the law.

The controversy concerns a viral video falsely attributing remarks to Lieutenant General Girish Kalia, General Officer Commanding of the Army’s Spear Corps, on alleged Chinese occupation of parts of Arunachal Pradesh and claims that Indian troops had been deprived of essential supplies.

In the manipulated clip, the senior officer appears to claim that Chinese forces had taken control of Asaphila, Longju and Taksing Circle in Arunachal Pradesh. It also alleges that the Centre was deploying paramilitary personnel against Gen Z protesters instead of using them to counter China.

The video further claims that 25 Indian soldiers had been arrested and their whereabouts were unknown, raising questions about the government's commitment to safeguarding the country's territorial sovereignty.

However, the Indian Army's official fact-checking handle, Indian Army Fact Check (@MythbusterXX), rejected the video as fabricated. It said the clip used artificial intelligence-generated lip-syncing and voice cloning to falsely attribute the statements to the senior officer.

According to the Army, the video was created using archival footage from a press briefing held in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, on October 27, 2023. At the time, Kalia was serving as the General Officer Commanding of the 28 Infantry Division and was briefing the media on counter-terrorism operations along the Line of Control.

The original briefing dealt with infiltration attempts and operational achievements in the region. The Army had reported foiling 10 infiltration attempts, eliminating 27 terrorists and recovering warlike stores and narcotics.

Clarifying the facts, the Army said the officer had made no statements about Chinese forces occupying Arunachal Pradesh or Indian troops being denied essential supplies.

In its fact-check issued on October 25, the Army described the viral clip as a digitally manipulated attempt to portray fabricated remarks as a leaked admission by a senior military officer. It warned that such synthetic media was intended to spread military disinformation and create public panic.

The Army also urged social media users to verify the authenticity of original footage before sharing unverified videos, cautioning that manipulated content could mislead the public on sensitive national security matters.-----------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash