Assam: Cong files police complaint against BJP over 'AI-Generated' videos

Guwahati, Sep 18 (IANS) The Assam Congress, on Thursday, lodged a police complaint accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of circulating "AI-generated propaganda videos" on social media with the intent to incite communal tension and discredit Congress leaders ahead of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections to be held in the state.

The complaint was filed by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee's (APCC) Media Department Chairman Bedabrata Bora at Dispur Police Station.

It accuses the BJP's state social media team of "criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity, and violating the Model Code of Conduct".

The FIR names Assam BJP President Dilip Saikia, state social media convener Shaktidhar Deka, and other functionaries linked to the party's digital campaigns.

According to the Congress, a video uploaded on September 15 under the title "Assam without BJP" projected a distorted version of the state, suggesting that Assam would become Muslim-dominated if the BJP was voted out of power.

The video allegedly showed visuals of meat shops, liquor sales, and Islamic motifs alongside manipulated statistics claiming that Muslims would make up 90 per cent of the population.

The purported video carried captions like "choose your vote carefully", which the Congress said were aimed at stoking fear among voters.

The Congress also alleged that the BJP's social media machinery had circulated similar content earlier, including one video posted on September 12.

It also cited fresh instances of edited videos appearing on platform X this week, portraying illegal immigrants taking over Guwahati landmarks such as the airport, Nehru Stadium, and the historic Rang Ghar amphitheatre.

The videos reportedly carried captions such as "We can't let this dream of paijan be true".

The Congress urged the police to order a forensic probe, seize devices from BJP's social media department, and direct social media platforms to remove the content under provisions of the IT Act, 2000.

It also demanded the Election Commission's intervention for alleged violations of the model code of conduct.

Reacting to the controversy, Assam Congress President Gaurav Gogoi said: "The BJP's IT cell is trying to spread fear and division, but such propaganda cannot dent the Assamese society. Assam deserves politics that uplifts, not degrades."

--IANS

tdr/khz