Misleading Deepfake video falsely links Defence Minister to Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest

Four days after the arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk amid violent protests inLeh over the demand for statehood and inclusion of Ladakh under the SixthSchedule, a deepfake video of Ladakh DGP Dr. S D Singh has surfaced, falsely claiming that the arrest was made without evidence.

In the digitally altered video that has gone viral, Singh is heard saying, “We are aware that the people of Ladakh have not been given their rights. We did not find any evidence against Sonam Wangchuk. And this entire fiasco happened on the instructions of the Indian defence minister for which we seek apologise for the people of Kashmir.” The post was shared on X with the caption: “#BreakingNews:ADGP Ladakh Dr SD Singh admits that he arrested Sonam Wangchuk on the instructions of the Indian Defence Minister without any evidence.”

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Flagging the post and the video as fake, the Press Information Bureau’s fact check division on X stated that the DGP Ladakh has made ‘NO such statement’. “A digitally altered video of Director General of Police (DGP) Ladakh Dr. S.D Singh is circulating on social media, in which he is making claims that Sonam Wangchuk was arrested on the directions of the Indian Defence Minister without any evidence.”
PIB also shared a link to the original, unaltered video and cautioned the public against such AI-generated content designed videos shared with the intention to spread misinformation and create panic.“Stayvigilant! Always verify content before sharing, and help curb the spread of misinformation,” the post read.

Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA), on Friday, after violence broke out in Ladakh. The violence took place during Wangchuk’s hunger strike in support of the demands.

Hours after his arrest, he was shifted to Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan. In a statement the Ladakh administration said that the decision was taken in the wake of “larger public interest.”

A press statement read that it was not advisable to keep him in Leh district. “In this backdrop, the administration, based on specific inputs, took a considered decision to detain Shri Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) and move him to Jodhpur,” the statement said.

On Thursday night the Ministry of Home Affairs said it has cancelled the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licence of innovator and education reformist Sonam Wangchuk’s Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) over alleged funding violations. Post the cancellation, the Leh-based institute can no longer receive or utilise foreign funding.

The Home Ministry added that despite many leaders calling for an end to the hunger strike, Wangchuk continued and misled the people through provocative mentions of Arab Spring-style protests and references to the recent Gen Z protests in Nepal.

On Tuesday, Gitanjali J. Angmo, wife of the activist, accused the police of wrongly associating her husband with Pakistani contacts. She claimed that Wangchuk is being deliberately framed and that authorities are constructing a false narrative linking him to the recent disturbances in Leh.