India: Army says viral AI deepfake video falsely showed a lieutenant general saying China had taken parts of Arunachal Pradesh
In late October 2026 a video circulated on social media in which Lt Gen Girish Kalia, who commands the Indian Army's Spear Corps, appeared to say that China had taken control of areas of Arunachal Pradesh and that Indian forces lacked supplies. India TV reports that the Army called the video fake, said it had been made by editing an old video of the officer with the help of AI, and posted the original footage; India TV also reports that some opposition politicians had reposted the video and asked the government to respond. The fact-checker BOOM traced the footage to the officer's October 2023 media briefing in Kupwara about infiltration across the Line of Control, and reports that a deepfake voice detector rated the viral audio as likely a deepfake. Who made the video is not reported.
- AI system
- Unidentified video tool
- Occurred
- Oct 2026
- Reported
- 26 October 2026
- Event location
- India
- What the AI did
- Depicted or impersonated the person
- Reported harm
- Reputational Harm
- Whose AI use
- Someone else’s AI use
- Setting
- Public services
- Evidence
- AI involvement reported · Causal attribution supported · 2 sources
- 5 claims: 1 corroborated, 4 reported. 4 open questions
- People reported harmed
- 1 person
AI system as recorded: Unidentified AI tool used to alter October 2023 footage of the officer so that he appeared to make new statements, according to the Indian Army as reported by India TV; BOOM reports that the Hiya deepfake voice detector rated the viral audio as likely a deepfake
What Happened
The video. BOOM reports that a video shared on X in October 2026, including in a post dated 25 October, showed Lt Gen Girish Kalia, General Officer Commanding of the Spear Corps, apparently admitting that China had taken control of Asaphila, Longju and Taksing Circle in Arunachal Pradesh. It circulated after violent protests in Arunachal Pradesh on 23 October and reports of face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops, according to BOOM. India TV reports that the video also claimed Indian troops were not receiving supplies, and that some opposition Congress politicians reposted it and asked the government for an answer.
The Army's response. India TV reports that the Army said the fake video had been made by editing an old video of the officer with the help of AI, that his original remarks from a 27 October 2023 press conference concerned infiltration from Pakistan and operations against terrorists, and that the Army posted the original video to state that the circulating one was a fake, AI-made deepfake.
BOOM's analysis. BOOM found the source footage through a reverse image search: an ANI post of 27 October 2023 showing the officer, then commanding the 28 Infantry Division, briefing the media in Kupwara about infiltration attempts along the Line of Control. BOOM ran the audio through the Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector, which returned an authenticity score of 18 out of 100, indicating likely deepfake audio. BOOM rated the claim false.
What is not established. The Army statement was read only as India TV reports it, not in the Army's own post. Who made and first posted the video, which tool was used and how widely it was seen are not reported, and no complaint or investigation is reported.
Reported harm
According to the Indian Army as reported by India TV and to BOOM's analysis, a video altered with AI from 2023 footage showed Lt Gen Girish Kalia making false statements that China had taken parts of Arunachal Pradesh; it spread widely, was reposted by politicians, and the Army had to issue a denial.
Outcome
UnknownThe Army posted the original video and said the circulating video was a fake made with AI (India TV); BOOM rated the claim false. No complaint, investigation or platform action is reported as of 26 October 2026.
What remains unknown
- Who made the video and which AI tool was used.
- The text of the Army's own statement, which was read only as India TV reports it.
- How widely the video was viewed and shared.
- Whether any complaint, investigation or platform action followed.
What the evidence supports
AI involvement: reported. Two parties that examined the material attribute it to AI. The Indian Army, as reported by India TV, said the video was made by editing an old video of the officer with the help of AI and posted the original footage. BOOM traced the visuals to an October 2023 ANI clip of a different briefing and reports that the Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector scored the viral audio 18 out of 100, indicating likely deepfake audio. The AI-altered video depicted the officer saying things he did not say (depicted_or_impersonated). The Army's technical basis is not disclosed, and the tool used to make the video is unknown.
5 claims: 1 corroborated, 4 reported. What the statuses mean
Corroborated A video circulating on social media in October 2026 showed Lt Gen Girish Kalia apparently saying that China had taken control of areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
Causal attribution. The circulation of the video is observed independently by BOOM and by India TV.
- boomlive.in(opens in new tab) supports · English
The viral video is being shared on social media with the claim that Lt Gen Girish Kalia, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Spear Corps, admitted that China had taken control of Asaphila, Longju and Taksing Circle in Arunachal Pradesh.
- indiatv.in(opens in new tab) supports · Hindi
सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल एक फर्जी वीडियो में लेफ्टिनेंट जनरल गिरीश कालिया को यह कहते हुए दिखाया गया कि चीन ने अरुणाचल प्रदेश के कुछ इलाकों पर कब्जा कर लिया है
Reported According to India TV, the Army said the video was a fake made by editing an old video of the officer with the help of AI, and posted the original video to say the circulating one was an AI-made deepfake.
Causal attribution. The Army statement as relayed by India TV; the Army's own post was not read.
- indiatv.in(opens in new tab) supports · Hindi
सेना के मुताबिक, इस फर्जी वीडियो को लेफ्टिनेंट जनरल गिरीश कालिया के पुराने वीडियो को AI की मदद से एडिट करके तैयार किया गया। ... सेना ने लेफ्टिनेंट जनरल गिरीश कालिया का असली वीडियो पोस्ट कर स्पष्ट किया कि सोशल मीडिया पर प्रसारित हो रहा वीडियो फर्जी और AI से तैयार किया गया डीपफेक है।
Reported BOOM traced the footage to an ANI clip of 27 October 2023 in which the officer, then commanding the 28 Infantry Division, briefed the media in Kupwara about infiltration attempts along the Line of Control.
Causal attribution. BOOM's own finding.
- boomlive.in(opens in new tab) supports · English
We found that the original video dates back to October 27, 2023. A reverse image search using keyframes from the viral video led us to a post shared by news agency ANI on X on October 27, 2023.
Reported BOOM reports that the Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector gave the viral audio an authenticity score of 18 out of 100, indicating that it was likely a deepfake.
Causal attribution. BOOM's analysis with a detection tool; a detector score is probabilistic.
- boomlive.in(opens in new tab) supports · English
We also analysed the audio from the video using the Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector. The tool returned an authenticity score of 18 out of 100, indicating that the sampled audio was likely a deepfake.
Reported India TV reports that the video spread quickly on social media, that some Congress politicians reposted it and asked the government for an answer, and that the Army had to issue a clarification.
Causal attribution. India TV's account; the politicians are not named in the report.
- indiatv.in(opens in new tab) supports · Hindi
यह वीडियो सोशल मीडिया पर तेजी से वायरल हुआ। कांग्रेस के कुछ नेताओं ने भी इसे रीपोस्ट किया और सरकार से जवाब मांगा। वीडियो के व्यापक प्रसार के बाद सेना को स्पष्टीकरण देना पड़ा।
Sources
2 sources inspected. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.
- BOOM, 26 Oct 2026: Deepfake of Girish Kalia shows him admitting Chinese incursion in Arunachal(opens in new tab)
s1 · boomlive.in · Fact check · English · Inspected · 26 October 2026 · Primary
- India TV (Hindi), 26 Oct 2026: AI deepfake of Lt Gen Girish Kalia goes viral; claim of Chinese occupation in Arunachal false(opens in new tab)
s2 · indiatv.in · News report · Hindi · Inspected
How the sources were read, and where the events happened
English-language source; no translation. Read in full on 2026-10-27 (HTTP 200). BOOM's own reverse-image search and voice-detector analysis. Applies to s1.
Hindi-language source; translated by the research agent (an AI), not by a human translator. Read in full on 2026-10-27 (HTTP 200). India TV's report of the Army's statement. Applies to s2.
Event countries: India. Affected-person countries: India. Court countries: Unknown.
The video depicts an Indian Army corps commander and concerns Arunachal Pradesh; it circulated in India, was reposted by Indian politicians and was denied by the Indian Army (BOOM, India TV). The officer serves in the Indian Army. No court proceeding is reported.
Reviewed for publication 2026-10-27: Published as a reported depiction case (depicted_or_impersonated): the Indian Army, as reported by India TV, said a viral video of Lt Gen Girish Kalia was made by editing old footage with AI, and BOOM traced the 2023 source footage and reports a deepfake voice detector rated the audio as likely a deepfake. The officer's institution publicly denied the video; who made it is unknown.
People described
Lt Gen Girish Kalia, an Indian Army corps commander, who was depicted in an AI-altered video making statements he did not make; the Army publicly denied the video.
People reported harmed in this case
1 person
0 AI participants · 1 other person harmed
One person: the depicted officer, whose institution, the Army, publicly objected to the video. Viewers are an audience and are not counted; the Army as an institution is not a person.
Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.
Cite this case
Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.
APA
NOPE. (2026). India: Army says viral AI deepfake video falsely showed a lieutenant general saying China had taken parts of Arunachal Pradesh. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2026-indian-army-says-ai-deepfake-video-falsely-showed-lieutenant-general-saying-china-had-taken-parts-of-arunachal-pradesh
BibTeX
@misc{2026_indian_army_says_ai_deepfake_video_falsely_showed_lieutenant_general_saying_china_had_taken_parts_of_arunachal_pradesh,
title = {India: Army says viral AI deepfake video falsely showed a lieutenant general saying China had taken parts of Arunachal Pradesh},
author = {NOPE},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {AI incidents},
url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2026-indian-army-says-ai-deepfake-video-falsely-showed-lieutenant-general-saying-china-had-taken-parts-of-arunachal-pradesh}
} Related cases
Delhi Police say a ‘CCTV’ reel of a named ACP molesting a woman journalist at a protest was AI-generated; Haryana man arrested, her allegation unresolved
Delhi Police said at a press conference on 6 October 2026 that a reel circulated on Instagram and Facebook on 3–4 October, presented as CCTV footage, showed a person dressed as a police officer behaving inappropriately with a woman, with the photograph, name and designation of ACP Vivek Bhagat (Connaught Place) displayed so that it appeared to show him. According to the police, the man who ran the page used AI tools to generate the footage, a police technical test confirmed the clip was AI-generated, and he confessed to making it to malign the force; they also said its circulation caused agitation among protesters. A man from Palwal, Haryana, who runs an Instagram news page was arrested in the Mewat region on 5 October and booked for forgery, public mischief and attempting to provoke a breach of the peace. Separately, a woman journalist covering the 3 October protest against the Chief Election Commissioner had complained that the same officer groped and shoved her; ThePrint reported that no FIR had been filed against the officer and that no proof other than the purported footage had emerged; India Today reported that the Crime Branch was examining complaints by three women journalists. All statements about the video’s origin are the police’s; no independent forensic examination is reported.
Delhi Police and fact-checkers say a viral video of a Delhi Police DCP resigning over student protests was AI-generated; FIR filed in Maharashtra
In late July 2026 a 44-to-47-second video circulated on social media in which Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner Sumit Jha appeared to announce that he was resigning "immediately" because the government had pressured him to implicate students protesting with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on false charges. The fact-checkers Alt News and BOOM traced the frames to a genuine Delhi Police video of 23 July in which the officer warned about Pakistan-based social media handles spreading misinformation. BOOM found a mismatch between the audio and his lip movements and said Deepfake O Meter tools flagged the clip as AI-generated. Alt News reported a 67% likelihood of AI generation from Detectvideo.AI. Delhi Police posted a fact check calling the video "completely fake and AI generated", and the Hindustan Times reports that the Press Information Bureau also said it was AI-generated. After a member of the BJP social media team saw the video in a post by a Congress leader on 31 July, Maharashtra Cyber Police registered an FIR against unknown persons for public mischief and cheating by personation. The officer is named because he is a senior public official depicted in his official role and the fact checks name him; no statement from him is reported.
Meghalaya: a video described as an AI deepfake, showing Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong and East Khasi Hills police chief Vivek Syiem drinking and surrounded by money, circulates amid truck-extortion allegations; police call it fabricated and weigh legal action
Shillong newspapers reported on 1 and 2 October 2026 that a video described as an AI-generated deepfake was circulating on social media, linking Meghalaya's Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Home (Police), Prestone Tynsong, and East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem to allegations that police were illegally collecting money from trucks on a highway. Highland Post reported that the video shows the two laughing, drinking alcohol and surrounded by money, and that it appears to have been created with AI and is crudely made. Syiem called it a serious matter and said police would examine the video and decide on legal action after reviewing it; police describe it as fabricated. Posters targeting the two officials appeared in Shillong the next day. Who made the video is unknown and no complaint or arrest is reported.
Rajasthan: a social-media influencer's video of a Ganga dip at Haridwar was manipulated with AI into an objectionable reel that went viral; she says she is mentally disturbed and cannot leave her house, and filed a cyber-crime complaint on 16 September 2026
A Rajasthan social-media influencer visited Haridwar with her family in June 2026 and on 6 June uploaded to Instagram a short video, recorded by relatives, of herself taking a dip in the Ganga at Har Ki Pauri wearing a salwar suit. About two months later she found that the video had been manipulated with AI into an objectionable version showing the same movements with her face and body portrayed 'in a shameful manner'; the fake reel went viral in the week before 20 September and drew objectionable comments and re-sharing. In a public appeal she asked whoever uploaded it to remove it, saying it was a matter of her dignity, that she was mentally very disturbed and had reached a point where she could not step out of her house. She filed a complaint with the cyber-crime police on 16 September 2026; the investigating Rajasthan Police Service officer said they were trying to identify who created and circulated the video and to have it removed, and that identifying the accused would take time. Dainik Bhaskar's English edition reported the case on 20 September in a 'Sunday Big Story' that does not name her.
If you or someone you know is struggling, free and confidential support is available. Find a helpline near you at Signpost.