Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has filed a police complaint over an allegedly AI-generated deepfake video that circulated widely on social media. The altered clip falsely portrayed him as making threatening remarks against students participating in protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.
Goyal said the footage had been created by manipulating a video of his interaction with reporters outside Parliament. He alleged that artificial intelligence was used to distort the meaning of his remarks and present a false version of the conversation to the public.
Several social media links carrying the video were later taken down, according to government sources. The incident has raised fresh concerns about the use of deepfake technology to manipulate political statements and influence public opinion during sensitive protests.
Piyush Goyal FIR registered over altered video
Goyal confirmed that he had approached the police over the manipulated clip and provided specific details about the case.
He said, “I have lodged a complaint with the police in this regard, and today, on July 25, 2026, at 4:35 AM, an FIR (No. 123/26) has been registered at Chanakyapuri Police Station. Strict legal action will be taken against every individual involved in creating, disseminating, or deliberately promoting this fake video.”
The minister also said the irresponsible use of artificial intelligence to mislead citizens could not be tolerated. He urged people to verify viral videos before sharing them and to depend only on authentic and trusted sources for information.
The alleged deepfake surfaced while students were protesting over examination irregularities and demanding reforms in India’s medical entrance and competitive examination systems. The false clip appeared to show Goyal making threatening remarks against protesters, a claim he strongly denied.
Investigators are expected to examine the original source of the video, the accounts that first uploaded it and the users who helped amplify it. No person had been publicly identified as responsible for creating the clip at the time of reporting.
PIB fact check warns against AI misinformation
The Press Information Bureau’s fact-check unit also described the circulating clip as an AI-generated deepfake. It advised social media users not to treat the video as authentic or forward it without verification.
According to the PIB warning, some accounts identified by the government as propaganda-linked were circulating the manipulated footage. That claim remains attributed to the PIB fact-check unit and has not been independently verified in the available information.
Goyal said citizens should rely on official statements, complete recordings and trusted news organisations before accepting sensational claims circulated online. He expressed confidence that India’s technology-aware citizens, particularly young users, would not be easily misled by such content.
The case highlights the growing difficulty of identifying realistic AI-generated material. Modern tools can imitate a person’s voice, facial expressions and speaking patterns, making fabricated videos appear convincing when viewed without context.
Deepfake videos can spread rapidly during protests, elections and other politically sensitive events. Even when such content is removed later, it may already have reached a large audience and influenced public discussion.
The police investigation will now focus on tracing the digital trail behind the clip and determining who created it, who first circulated it and whether those who promoted it knew that the video had been manipulated.
