Tuesday, October 27

BJP slams Congress over sharing deepfake videos on China, Arunachal Pradesh

New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) Senior advocate and BJP leader Nalin Kohli on Tuesday criticised the Congress for sharing videos falsely claiming Chinese incursions into Indian territory and alleged that the opposition party was spreading misinformation on matters concerning national security.

Speaking to IANS, Kohli said the Congress leaders had posted the videos without verifying their authenticity and accused the party of using sensitive national security issues for political gains.

“It is very unfortunate that the Congress party and its leaders tweet false things without even gathering information, even when it is against the national interest, to spread fear by saying, ‘Look at what is happening between India and China.’ This video itself is false. It is AI-generated and far from the truth. They posted it immediately without any application of mind,” he said.

The BJP leader also referred to the Congress’s criticism of previous military operations, including Operation Sindoor, the Balakot airstrikes and the surgical strikes, questioning whether the party was placing political considerations above national interest.

“Do these Congress party leaders think it is right to put the national interest aside and do this for their own politics?” Kohli asked.

Earlier, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also condemned the Congress after the Indian Army debunked videos shared by a Congress leader alleging that China had taken control of parts of Arunachal Pradesh. He demanded that Congress apologise for the move.

Previously, a Congress spokesperson from Bihar, Ritu Choudhary, in a post, claimed that Chinese vehicles had entered Indian territory. In a fake video, it was alleged that China had taken control of areas in Arunachal Pradesh and that the Indian Army was being denied essential supplies.

The Indian Army clarified that the video showed Chinese commercial vehicles at Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, an authorised India-China border trade point, and did not depict a military intrusion.

“The movement of commercial vehicles at an authorised border trade route is being misrepresented as evidence of a Chinese military intrusion,” the Army said.

In a separate fact-check issued on Sunday, the Army also dismissed a video circulated by Pakistan-linked social media accounts that purportedly showed Chinese soldiers searching Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh and claimed that Indian troops needed Chinese permission to move through the state.

The Army clarified that the footage was actually from a counter-terrorism mock drill conducted in Bengaluru in May 2026 and had no connection with Chinese forces or military activity in Arunachal Pradesh.

It cautioned people against confusing a security exercise with an actual military confrontation.

The Army also debunked a video featuring Lieutenant General Girish Kalia, General Officer Commanding of the Spear Corps, which falsely portrayed him as saying that China had taken control of parts of Arunachal Pradesh.

According to the Army, the original footage was from a press briefing in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, on October 27, 2023, concerning foiled infiltration attempts across the Line of Control. The officer had made no statements about Chinese control over Arunachal Pradesh or the denial of supplies to Indian troops.

–IANS

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