Deepfake video of Delhi cop saying 'I am resigning' goes viral; FIR filed in Maharashtra

In the video, Jha talks about resigning “immediately”. He claims the government expected him to address the media and lie about the protesting students.

The Maharashtra Cyber police has registered a case in connection with an allegedly deepfake video of a deputy commissioner with the Delhi Police, captioned, “I am resigning from service.”’

The video, circulating on social media, was shared by several Congress leaders and supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). (Raju Shinde/HT )

The video, circulating on social media, was shared by several Congress leaders and supporters of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), in which DCP Sumit Jha claims he is resigning as the government had asked him to implicate students taking part in the recent CJP-led student agitation.

“We have registered a case against unknown persons under sections 353 of statements amounting to public mischief of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and 66 D for cheating by impersonation of the Information Technology Act,” said an officer with the Cyber Police.

What happened

The complainant is Nikhil Bhambre, who works with the social media team of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which constitutes the Delhi government. On July 31, Bhambre viewed a post by Congress leader Bhai Jagtap, in which he had tagged the video portraying the DCP.

In the video, Jha talks about resigning “immediately”. He claims the government expected him to address the media and lie about the protesting students. “I was instructed to prove them guilty. I can’t be a part of any such system which might prevent me from speaking the truth and compel me to implicate them on false charges. These students are not terrorists, they are the future of our nation. I joined the police force to stand with the truth, not to peddle lies. I can’t be a part of what the government is trying to do. From today, I am not with the government, but I stand with these students,” the officer is seen saying in the video.

Deepfake video

The video was later confirmed to be deepfake, with the Press Information Bureau (PIB) issuing a statement that it was AI-generated. “The original video was in relation to the DCP talking about how Pakistani social media handles wanted to create instability during the protests,” said the officer. The case has been registered as the video has been shared without verification to create confusion in the minds of the public, said the First Information Report.