NEW DELHI: The government has debunked a doctored video circulating on social media that falsely showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi making threatening remarks against people protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the persistent leak of NEET papers. The Press Information Bureau (PIB)’s fact-checking unit said the clips were AI-generated deepfakes and did not reflect the prime minister’s actual words.In a related fact-finding exercise, the government also flagged a video circulating on social media of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal that falsely appeared to be making similar remarks against protesting students.In a posting toHe added, “#PIBFactCheck: This is an #AI-generated deepfake video shared to mislead the public. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not made any such statement.”The fact-finding wing said the original video shared by PM Modi had been digitally altered to create a misleading version. He also shared a link to the original, unedited video posted by the Prime Minister.A fake video circulating online showed a doctored audio track of PM Modi purportedly saying, “We are warning people not to take part in the Cockroach Janata Party protests. Those who do not heed this warning will be subject to strict action from the Government of India to ensure that such acts are not repeated in future. Students are advised to focus on their education, failing which they will face serious consequences.” We are issuing a clear warning to our students. ”The original video, posted by the prime minister on his official social media accounts on Thursday, has since received 334 million views on Instagram. In the video, Prime Minister Modi addressed his audience as “friends” and spoke directly into what appeared to be the front camera of a cell phone held at arm’s length, without a podium, studio setup or formal backdrop.In the video, the Prime Minister said the paper leak issue was causing difficulties for hundreds of thousands of students and their parents. He said those responsible have been arrested and steps are being taken to ensure students do not lose their studies.The Chief Minister also said that provisions for speedy courts have been prepared and will be taken up by the Union Cabinet.The fact-checking unit also debunked another AI-generated video that incorrectly showed similar remarks by the Prime Minister on the Roach Janata Party protests. In the doctored video, PM Modi appeared to be saying, “What’s wrong with this cockroach? Even if one paper gets leaked, is it no big deal? Students can just go and sit the exams again next year.” PIB clarified that the statement was fabricated and shared the original video in which the Prime Minister was seen making remarks about the monsoon and the ongoing Monsoon Parliament.Additionally, PIB flagged another digitally altered video that falsely depicted Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan threatening protesting students. In the doctored footage, Prime Minister Pradhan appeared to say, “Great leaders don’t resign because of cockroaches. They crush cockroaches under their shoes and throw them into the dirty drains where they belong,” and appeared to warn protesters that they would “face serious consequences soon.” Refuting the claim, PIB said, “Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has not made any such statement.”The fact-finding unit accused Pakistani propaganda accounts of disseminating the digitally altered video containing fabricated claims. The original video was posted on the occasion of Shital Sasthi and did not mention any protests.The doctored video surfaced amid ongoing protests led by the CJP. The CJP has consistently demanded that Pradhan be held accountable for the alleged NEET paper leak, and one of its main demands is for the education minister to resign.In a separate fact-finding, the government accused another manipulated video involving Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, falsely claiming that Mr. Goyal had made similar threatening remarks against the Jantar Mantar protests.“Mr. Goyal has not made any such statement regarding the protests,” PIB said.The government called on the public to check the authenticity of videos before sharing them and to rely on official sources.
