Fact-Check: Ajit Doval did say ISI recruited more Hindus than Muslims, deepfake claim false
New Delhi: Days after the November 10 terrorist attack near Delhi’s Red Fort that killed at least 13 people and injured many others, a video of National Security Adviser Ajit Doval resurfaced on social media, sparking widespread debate. In the 35-second clip, Doval is heard saying that “more Hindus than Muslims have been recruited for ISI tasks in India.” The video was shared by several users attempting to counter communal narratives that emerged following the blast.
Shortly after the clip went viral, Doval told CNN-News18 that the video was a “deepfake” and insisted he had never made such a statement.
He said the clip was likely created to distort public opinion and target India’s counter-terrorism narrative. Moneycontrol later also published a report echoing his claim.
However, a detailed fact-check by Alt News showed that the viral video was not fake. The organisation conducted a reverse image search of keyframes from the clip and traced it to a 1 hour 17 minute lecture uploaded on YouTube by the Australia India Institute on March 20, 2014. The original lecture was delivered on March 11, 2014 — long before deepfake tools became commonly known or widely used.
At around the 1:04:00 mark of the authentic video, Doval can be heard clearly stating that the number of individuals recruited by Pakistan’s ISI for intelligence tasks in India included “more Hindus than Muslims,” adding that out of more than 4,000 cases since 1947, “probably not even 20 percent would be Muslims.” The fact-check confirms that these remarks were indeed made by Doval over a decade ago.
Alt News also noted that the viral clip circulating now is a short excerpt from a much longer lecture in which Doval repeatedly warns against viewing terrorism through a communal lens. In his full address, he stressed that national security is not a Hindu versus Muslim issue, and pointed out that Indian Muslims have historically opposed terrorism. He referenced the 2012 Ramleela Maidan gathering where 50,000 Maulanas issued a fatwa against global terrorism, and said that casualties of Islamic terrorism globally have overwhelmingly been Muslims themselves. He also noted that top Islamic leaders in India had been on the target list of the Indian Mujahideen.
In the lecture, Doval added that a small violent fringe is often mistaken for the voice of Islam, whereas the majority of Indian Muslims reject violence. He also recalled that Indian Muslims made significant contributions to the freedom movement.
Alt News concluded that the viral video is genuine and not AI-generated, and that NSA Doval’s recent claim calling it a deepfake is incorrect. The fact-check, while confirming the authenticity of the clip, also points out that selective circulation of a short excerpt strips away the broader context of Doval’s full remarks on terrorism, national security and communal harmony.
Fake News by @CNNnews18 claiming Ajit Doval's video is a Deep-Fake. In 2014, NSA Ajit Doval did say ISI recruited more Hindus than Muslims in India. Here is a Fact Check: https://t.co/kuTD1MN8f2 https://t.co/GaF1kMRPnO pic.twitter.com/dVFvChLxy6
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) November 17, 2025
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Gurugram: Four college students held for night-time thefts of car tyres, rims
Gurugram (PTI): The Gurugram Police has busted an alleged tyre-theft gang that was active in the city for the past two months, police said on Saturday.
Four students from different colleges were arrested for allegedly stealing tyres and rims of vehicles parked outside houses and hotels during the night, police said, adding that the accused squandered the proceeds of theft on lavish escapades at clubs.
According to an official, the accused have confessed to 14 cases of tyre and rim thefts, and all four have been taken on a two-day police remand after being produced in court.
The accused were identified as Rishikesh (23), a chartered accountancy student from sector-39 Jharsa; Arjun (22), a native of Siwana village in Jhajjar studying BA (LLB) at Baba Mastnath University, Rohtak; Piyush Rana (23), resident of Jodhpur village in Palwal and a student of B Com in Gurugram University; and Tushar Kumar (22), a native of Bihar's Munger and a B Com student of DSD college, Gurugram.
According to the police, a crime branch team nabbed the gang on Friday.
A senior investigating officer said, during interrogation, the accused revealed that they would go out at night in a blue Maruti Suzuki Fronx car belonging to Arjun.
They would park the car near the target vehicle and, using a jack and other tools, removed the tyres, including the rims. Then, they would leave the vehicle on bricks and load the stolen tyres on to the Fronx before fleeing, the officer added.
The vehicle used in the crimes will be impounded soon, a Gurugram Police spokesperson said.
"During interrogation, the accused revealed that they are childhood friends and have studied together. All of them are fond of parties and clubs, and began stealing when they couldn't get pocket money from home. They had been actively involved in thefts for the past two months," he added.
