Delhi Police have arrested a man for allegedly circulating an AI-generated video showing a person in police uniform misbehaving with a woman during a protest in the national capital, Additional DCP, New Delhi, Manjeet, said on Tuesday.
Speaking to ANI, DCP Manjeet said the footage started circulating on social media on October 3 and was being portrayed as CCTV footage from the protest site.
He said the accused told police during initial questioning that he was an independent journalist and had studied till Class 10 at a madrasa in Saket, Delhi.
Speaking to ANI, DCP Manjeet said, “On 3rd October, we saw footage circulating on social media wherein it is being shown as the CCTV footage from the protest site. It is being portrayed that an individual in Police uniform is misbehaving with a woman. Through social media, the identity of the officer is being revealed.
When we examined it, we found that one Nadeem Ahmed, a r/o Palwal, Haryana was running that channel. We arrested him. In the initial questioning, he told us that he is an independent journalist. He told us that he had studied till class 10 in Madrasa of Saket, Delhi. He also told us that he is a 10th-fail.”
The accused told police that he made the video to tarnish the image of the police and create hatred against them among protesters, who could then attack police personnel.
He said Ahmed’s source of funding and alleged accomplices were being investigated. Police have also seized his phone for further analysis.
“Upon further questioning, he told us that he has AI tools, with the help of which he keeps making such videos. When we asked him why he made such videos, he told us that he wanted to tarnish the image of Police so that the protesters coming there would start harbouring hatred for the Police and start attacking them. We took immediate cognisance of this and arrested him. We will take him into police remand and further question him. His source of funding and accomplices are matters of investigation. We have seized his phone for further analysis. He became more active during CJP protest. So, we will analyse if this is part of any bigger conspiracy,” he further said.
The controversy began on October 3 during demonstrations in the national capital by the All India Students’ Association (AISA) and other groups protesting against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Several protesters, including AISA president Neha Bora and senior advocates Prashant Bhushan and Kapil Sibal, attempted to breach police barricades near Jantar Mantar.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Neha Yadav, protesters were warned to vacate the site as Section 163 of the BNSS was in force and were subsequently detained after they refused to comply.
Following the detentions, three women identifying themselves as journalists filed a complaint alleging that police officers manhandled and sexually harassed them during the law and order situation on October 3.
(with inputs from ANI)
