New Delhi: Union minister Kiren Rijiju, on Tuesday, demanded an apology from the Congress after the Indian Army debunked two videos shared by a party spokesperson that falsely claimed incursions into Indian territory and control over parts of Arunachal Pradesh by the Chinese.
Ritu Choudhary, a Congress spokesperson from Bihar, shared the videos. One purportedly showed Chinese vehicles entering Indian territory, while the other falsely attributed remarks to a senior Army officer suggesting that China had taken control of areas in Arunachal Pradesh and that Indian troops were being denied essential supplies.
Clarifications on both videos were issued by the Army. While one was identified as misleading footage of an authorised border trade route, the other has been detected to be a deepfake.
In its response to the first video, the Army said the footage showed Chinese commercial vehicles at Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, a designated India-China border trade point, rather than evidence of a military intrusion, as reported by News18.
“The movement of commercial vehicles at an authorised border trade route is being misrepresented as evidence of a Chinese military intrusion,” it said.
The second video featured a manipulated clip of Lieutenant General Girish Kalia, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Spear Corps, purportedly speaking about Chinese control over parts of Arunachal Pradesh.
Clarifying the origin of the footage, the Army said it had been taken from a press briefing in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, on October 27, 2023, concerning infiltration attempts across the Line of Control.
The officer had made no such remarks about Arunachal Pradesh or the alleged denial of supplies to Indian troops, the Army said.
“The original footage was from a press briefing in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, on 27 October, 2023, concerning infiltration attempts across the Line of Control. He made no such statements about Chinese control over Arunachal Pradesh or denial of supplies to the Indian Army,” the Army said in a post.
Rijiju, who represents Arunachal Pradesh in the Lok Sabha, reacted to the controversy, calling on the Congress to apologise for circulating the manipulated content and accusing the party of attempting to undermine the reputation of the armed forces.
“Congress Party must apologise to the nation for spreading fake AI video to tarnish the image of Indian Army. This is a treacherous act and is on par with the vile deeds of our enemies. The Congress Party is running a despicable campaign on behalf of India’s enemies,” he said.
The Congress also came under attack from the BJP over the videos. Party spokesperson C R Kesavan accused Congress leaders of trying to discredit the armed forces by sharing the manipulated clip.
“Congress Party leaders disseminating a deepfake video to malign our valiant armed forces once again proves beyond doubt the vile Sena virodhi/anti-Army mindset of the party. The Congress has been a serial offender when it comes to tarnishing the image and demeaning the dignity of our Armed Forces,” Kesavan posted on X.