Deepfake Video Showing UP CM Yogi Adityanath In Skullcap Goes Viral, FIR Registered In Lucknow

A FIR has been filed at Hazratganj police station under various sections of BNS and IT Act after a deepfake video featuring Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath wearing a skullcap surfaced online.

According to reports, a complaint against a Facebook account named "Pyara Islam" was lodged by BJP leader Rajkumar Tiwari, a resident of the Narhi area in Hazratganj.

In the video, a split-screen frame shows UP CM Yogi Adityanath in a skullcap with a smiley face, while another man with his face covered with a scarf salutes him.

After the video went viral, many social media users reacted sharply to the morphed video and demanded action against the individuals behind the Facebook page that shared it.

Lucknow Police responded to one of the posts that sought action, stating that they had taken cognizance of the video and necessary action had been taken.

In a similar incident in May last year, a man in Noida was arrested for sharing a deepfake video of UP CM Adityanath.

According to reports, the Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested a man in connection with a case related to the dissemination of an AI-generated deepfake video of Yogi Adityanath.

Additional Director General of Police (UP STF) Amitabh Yash has reportedly stated that the video was used to spread misleading information, strengthening anti-national elements.