NEW DELHI: The Indian Army’s official fact-checking wing, ‘Indian Army Fact Check’ (@MythbusterXX), has issued a public warning debunking a digitally manipulated “deepfake” video circulating on social media.
The fake video falsely attributed fabricated statements to senior military officer Lieutenant General Girish Kalia (AVSM, VSM), General Officer Commanding (GOC), Spear Corps (3 Corps).
The misleading clip, propagated across online platforms, falsely claimed that Lt Gen Kalia made a “leaked admission” stating China had taken control of Asaphila, Longjou, and Taksing Circle in Arunachal Pradesh, and that Indian Army troops deployed in the sector were denied essential supplies.
Addressing the malicious video, the Indian Army clarified that Synthetic Generated Information (AI lip-syncing/voice cloning) was overlaid onto actual archival footage to spread military disinformation and create unwarranted public panic.
“A digitally altered video is being circulated with fabricated remarks attributed to Lt Gen Girish Kalia, claiming that China has taken control of Asaphila, Longjou and Taksing Circle in Arunachal Pradesh and that the Indian Army has been denied essential supplies,” the Indian Army Fact Check handle posted. “The misleading video attempts to portray fabricated statements as a leaked admission by a senior Indian Army officer. The video uses SyntheticGeneratedInformation to falsely attribute remarks to Lt Gen Girish Kalia.”
Tracing the source of the visual material, the military revealed that the original footage was recorded on October 27, 2023, in Kupwara, Jammu & Kashmir.
At the time, then-Major General Girish Kalia was serving as the GOC of the 28 Infantry Division and was addressing a press briefing regarding counter-terrorist operations along the Line of Control (LoC).
According to the original briefing held on October 27, 2023, the focus was entirely on counter-terror operations and infiltration attempts along the Line of Control in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir.
During the briefing, the officer detailed operational achievements, including 10 foiled infiltration attempts, the elimination of 27 terrorists, and the seizure of large quantities of warlike stores and narcotics.
At no point did the officer make any reference to China, Chinese control over border areas in Arunachal Pradesh, or any supply restrictions faced by Indian troops.
The Army outlined a clear pattern of coordinated disinformation behind the viral campaign: Old Military Briefing + Digitally Manipulated Remarks + False Attribution + Fabricated Territorial Claims = Misleading Military Disinformation.
Advising citizens and social media users to exercise caution, the Indian Army urged the public to scrutinise unverified video clips and verify original sources before amplifying manipulated content designed to mislead the nation.
