Pakistani Handle’s Deepfake Video Of Delhi Cop Cites Amit Shah; Account Withheld

New Delhi: Indian authorities have thwarted a cross-border disinformation campaign aimed at spreading narrative-driven propaganda amidst recent student demonstrations in the national capital.

A doctored video featuring Delhi Police’s Chief Spokesperson and Public Relations Officer (PRO), Rajiv Ranjan, was circulated on social media by an account operated from Pakistan. 

The deepfake clip falsely depicted the senior IPS officer alleging political interference in police operations.

In the manipulated video, the IPS officer was falsely shown claiming that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had directly instructed the Delhi Police force to “end the student protest by any means necessary.” However, official records confirmed that the senior officer made no such remarks.

The original press briefing by the Delhi Police PRO urged protesting students to maintain peace, refrain from violence, and follow lawful instructions while security personnel maintained law and order.

Investigators noted that the video was artificially edited and overlaid with fabricated audio to exploit ongoing tensions surrounding student protests and misguide public perception.

"The video was blatantly manipulated to misrepresent facts and incite public unrest by fabricating statements that were not issued by the department." — Senior Official.

Following an immediate investigation and escalation by Indian law enforcement and cyber safety agencies, swift measures were taken to mitigate the spread of the malicious content.

The social media platform withheld the offending Pakistani handle within Indian jurisdiction in compliance with legal demands under India's Information Technology framework.

Security agencies have heightened monitoring across digital channels to trace and counter ongoing cross-border propaganda efforts seeking to destabilise public order during ongoing civic demonstrations.

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