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3 Assam Congress leaders held for circulating AI-generated video of CM Sarma
Three Congress leaders were arrested in Assam for sharing a fake AI-generated video of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma but were later granted bail.
Silchar: The Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Assam Police arrested three Congress party leaders for allegedly circulating an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated video featuring chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
They were, however, granted bail after being produced before a Kamrup district court on Friday, CID special director general of police (DGP) Munna Prasad Gupta said.
Chairman of the social media and IT department of the Majuli District Congress, Jibeswar Gam (27), spokesperson of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Upen Raj Nath, and Rupohi Congress member Shahidul Islam (29) were arrested separately between Wednesday and Thursday from Majuli and other districts.
Police said they will be taken to Guwahati for further interrogation.
Senior Congress spokesperson Raju Sahu was summoned and questioned but not arrested, CID officers said.
A video edited in the style of the quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati was widely circulated on social media. The chief minister’s office (CMO) later clarified that the clip was fake and artificially generated.
The CMO’s official X handle posted on November 26: “Alert! A fake, fabricated video is being circulated by some netizens to malign Hon’ble CM Dr. @himantabiswa. This claim is completely baseless. We urge everyone to stay cautious and avoid sharing unverified content. Those creating or circulating such misinformation will face legal action.”
Following the post, a case was registered at the CID’s Cyber Cell under Sections 319(2) (cheating by personation), 336(4) (forgery intending to harm reputation), 356(2) (defamation), and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
Additionally, Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (cheating by impersonation using computer resources), was also invoked.
CID officers said the arrests were made for circulating doctored content intended to mislead the public, and that further investigation is underway.
