In the ongoing Indian elections, manipulated videos have become a significant issue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused unidentified individuals of creating fake videos with doctored voices, claiming leaders were making statements they never made.
One such video showed Federal Home Minister Amit Shah promising to stop social guarantees for minorities, a sensitive topic for millions of voters.
Police are investigating this case, along with other fake videos involving Bollywood actors criticizing Modi, and have arrested some Congress Party workers.
This situation has been labeled as India's first AI election due to the extensive use of manipulated content.
Indian Minister Shah accused the main opposition Congress party of creating a fake speech video to mislead the public.
He posted the original and edited versions, but provided no evidence.
The Congress workers involved in sharing the video were arrested in various states, with at least nine people detained including a national social media coordinator.
The police have issued directions to address the issue and some of the arrested individuals were released on bail.
In New Delhi, India, the ministry of Amit Shah directly oversees the police, and Congress leader Arun Reddy has been arrested and placed in three-day custody.
Reddy's arrest has led to protests from Congress workers and the use of the #ReleaseArunReddy tag on social media.
Manickam Tagore, a Congress lawmaker, criticized the arrest as an authoritarian misuse of power.
India is currently holding elections from April 19 to June 1, making the prevention of misinformation spread a significant challenge.
With over a billion voters and 800 million internet users, authorities are working around the clock to monitor and issue take-down orders to social media platforms like
Facebook and X as investigations begin.
In Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, over 500 people monitor online content, removing controversial posts and working with social media companies.
A recent fake video caused controversy, depicting Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticizing Prime Minister Modi over a 2019 militant attack.