Al-generated photos, fake content fuel online battles
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, February 10 2025: The ongoing digital warfare in Manipur, where artificial intelligence (AI) -generated photos, doctored videos, and fake social media accounts continue to shape the conflict's narrative nearly two years after ethnic hostilities erupted in the state, a news report published on NDTV highlighted.

According to the NDTV report, a particularly revealing case emerged last month when an X handle impersonating a fictional young woman using AI -generated profile photos inadvertently exposed the real person behind the account.

The user, who had been actively engaging in online discussions about Manipur, was identified after he mistakenly posted a query to the Imphal office of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) along with his enrolment number.

Upon verification, local media reported that the account, which went by the name 'Kiara Jain' (@Kiaraa_jain), was being operated by a 44-year-old man named Brajesh Singh.

His IGNOU enrolment details listed his current address as 'IGAR South Mantripukhri, Imphal, Manipur' and his previous address as 'Drona Boys Hostel, Garhi Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir' .

IGAR refers to the Inspector General Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force deployed in the state.

The X handle 'Kiara Jain' has since been deactivated, but before its exposure, it had been actively posting content about the situation in Manipur, including taking swipes at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deployed in the state.

The report also cited state government sources stating that an investigation into the matter is underway.

However, the sources cautioned against premature speculation, stating that listing an address as IGAR on a distance-learning university form does not necessarily confirm any affiliations.

They declined to comment on whether a first information report (FIR) had been registered in the case.

The incident is just one of many examples of how misinformation, AI-generated profiles, and manipulated digital content continue to influence public perception and fuel tensions in Manipur.

The battle over narratives in the state has also seen the widespread circulation of manipulated content, including lip-synced videos, morphed photos, and misleading subtitles.

A recent victim of such tactics is BJP MLA Paolienlal Haokip from Saikot (Scheduled Tribes) constituency.

In a strongly worded statement, he condemned attempts to malign him using a doctored video.

The manipulated footage, which was shared widely on social media, features a fake voiceover in Meeteilon making it appear as though the MLA was issuing threats.

The voice had been dubbed and lip-synced onto an actual interview he had given to The Wire.

The doctored video also carried The Wire's logo, seemingly in an attempt to make it appear authentic.

Taking to X, Paolienlal Haokip denounced the video, calling it "false propaganda" aimed at radicalising people.

He linked it to previous statements made by Kuki leaders and civil society organisations, who have accused chief minister N Biren of misleading the Meetei community into hostility toward the Kukis.

Paolienlal Haokip, one of the 10 Kuki-Zo MLAs, who in July 2023 demanded a separate administration for the Kuki-dominated hill areas, has been a vocal critic of the chief minister.

He had previously accused the state government of being complicit in the violence, arguing that what began as ethnic-communal clashes was later portrayed by Biren as a fight against "narcoterrorists" .

In another instance in July 2023, a viral photo on X and Facebook falsely claimed that a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) member and his son were involved in the case where two Kuki women were paraded naked.

The political leader shown in the post filed a police complaint against the unknown individuals who spread the misinformation.

Even former Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey was not spared.

In August 2023, some X users posted a video claiming she had attended an RSS-hosted event to discuss narco-terrorism.

The Raj Bhavan, through its official X handle, denied the claims, clarified that the woman in the video was not the Governor, and ordered an investigation into the sources of the false information.

These cases are only a few among numerous instances of digital disinformation that continue to circulate nearly two years after the outbreak of violence in Manipur.

Despite the government's claims that the situation on the ground has stabilised, online misinformation remains rampant, fuelling tensions and shaping perceptions in the deeply divided state, the report said.

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