‘Treacherous act, apologise to nation’: Kiren Rijiju tells Congress as Army debunks fake videos, denies claims of Chinese intrusion

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju slammed the Congress party on Tuesday after the Indian Army debunked videos shared by a leader of the main opposition party claiming that China has taken control of parts of Arunachal Pradesh.

Rijiju accused the Congress of sharing a fabricated video featuring Lieutenant General Girish Kalia and demanded an apology for allegedly tarnishing the Army’s image.

In a post on X, Rijiju demanded an apology from the opposition party, writing, “Congress Party must apologize to the nation for spreading fake AI video to tarnish the image of Indian Army.”

“This is a treacherous act and is on par with the vile deeds of our enemies. The Congress Party is running a despicable campaign on behalf of India’s enemies,” the Union minister added.

Congress spokesperson from Bihar, Ritu Choudhary, shared a post claiming that Chinese vehicles had entered Indian territory, while another alleged that China had taken control of areas in Arunachal Pradesh and that the Army was being denied essential supplies.

Congress leader Ritu Choudhary wrote on X, “Shameful! Lieutenant General Girish Kalia (GOC, Spear Corps) says that China has captured Asafila, Longju, and Taksing circles in Arunachal Pradesh. Despite demands for logistics (supplies), there are reports that the army is being deployed against ‘Gen Z’ instead of China.”

The Indian Army’s fact-check unit debunked the video, saying it had been digitally altered and contained fabricated remarks attributed to the officer. The Army clarified that the video was a deepfake.

In a post on X, the Army said, “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 misleading video attempts to portray fabricated statements as a leaked admission by a senior Indian Army officer. The video uses Synthetic Generated Information to falsely attribute remarks to Lt Gen Girish Kalia. The original footage relates to a press briefing delivered by then GOC 28 Infantry Division, Maj Gen Girish Kalia, in Kupwara, Jammu & Kashmir, on 27 October 2023.”

The Army added that the officer had made no statements about Chinese control over areas in Arunachal Pradesh or the denial of supplies to Indian troops.

Debunking another video, the Army pointed out that it showed Chinese commercial vehicles at Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, a designated India-China border trade point. “The movement of commercial vehicles at an authorised border trade route is being misrepresented as evidence of a Chinese military intrusion,” it said.