New Delhi, 27 October (H.S.): Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has called on the Congress to apologise to the nation for sharing fake videos alleging Chinese incursions and territorial occupation in Arunachal Pradesh.

Kiren Rijiju accused the opposition party of openly endorsing what he described as hostile propaganda against India, alleging that it had failed to apologise for circulating misleading content.

In a post on social media platform X on Tuesday,kiren Rijiju questioned whether the Congress had the courage to openly support what he termed enemy propaganda against the country and then refuse to apologise to the nation.

On Monday, the minister had also demanded an apology from the Congress, accusing it of attempting to damage the image of the Indian Army by sharing fake, AI-generated videos. Describing the alleged act as a betrayal, he claimed that the party was advancing the agenda of India’s adversaries.

The controversy followed posts by Bihar Congress spokesperson Ritu Choudhary, who claimed that Chinese vehicles had entered Indian territory. Another post alleged that China had taken control of certain areas of Arunachal Pradesh and that supplies of essential items to Indian troops were being obstructed.

The Indian Army had fact-checked the first video and clarified that it showed the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, a key trade point along the India-China border. According to the Army, the movement of Chinese commercial vehicles visible in the footage was being misleadingly portrayed as a military incursion.

The second video featured Lieutenant Girish Kalia purportedly stating that China had occupied Arunachal Pradesh. The Army identified the footage as a deepfake.

According to the Army, the original video was from a press briefing held on October 27, 2023, in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, concerning an attempted cross-border infiltration. During that briefing, Kalia had made no statements about China or Arunachal Pradesh.

The controversy has centred on allegations that manipulated footage was used to suggest a Chinese military advance into Indian territory, claims that the Army’s reported fact-checks disputed.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar