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New Delhi: Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju has come under intense criticism for promoting fake news based on an AI-generated video that falsely portrays a Pakistani politician as saying, “Our people are sitting in India’s Parliament.” The video was first circulated by BJP IT cell member Rishi Bagree and later amplified by Rijiju on X (formerly Twitter), triggering widespread backlash.

Rijiju’s post, which implicitly targeted the Indian opposition, was quickly flagged as fake by fact-checker Mohammed Zubair of Alt News. “Minister for Minority Affairs @KirenRijiju peddles fake news (based on an AI-generated video by BJP IT cell member @rishibagree) of Pakistani Minister to target Indian opposition leaders,” Zubair wrote on X, sharing evidence confirming the video’s AI origins.

Despite overwhelming evidence of manipulation, Republic TV ran a report echoing Rijiju’s baseless claims without conducting independent verification. Their headline, “Why Did Pakistani Politicians Say ‘Our People Are Sitting In Indian Parliament?’ Asks Kiren Rijiju”, failed to acknowledge the doctored nature of the video or mention that it had been debunked by fact-checkers.

At a time when Parliament is dealing with sensitive matters such as national security and the ‘Operation Sindoor’, the spread of such misinformation from a sitting Cabinet minister has sparked concerns about the credibility of official communication and the growing use of AI-generated content in political propaganda.

TMC MP Saket Gokhale reacted sharply to Rijiju’s post, sarcastically remarking, “For Modi’s minister, a Pakistani politician is more credible than the US President,” referring to Donald Trump’s recent claim of brokering a ceasefire in the subcontinent. Gokhale added, “Perhaps that’s what he meant by ‘our people in India’s Parliament.’”

Congress leader Pawan Khera also lashed out, saying, “Looks like Kiren Rijiju is auditioning for Amit Malviya’s job. Since yesterday, he has been parroting claims based on an AI-morphed video pushed by a low-IQ BJP IT cell member.”

Khera went further, connecting the controversy to recent revelations about Operation Sindoor. He alleged that Rijiju’s eagerness to highlight the fake video stemmed from an attempt to divert attention from the fact that “S. Jaishankar informed Pakistan before Operation Sindoor, and Rajnath Singh admitted to calling them for a ceasefire 30 minutes after it began.”

He also criticised Rijiju for reposting the same fake video after deleting his original tweet, calling it “pathetic” and questioning the Minister’s ability to distinguish between real and doctored content. “Such sub-zero IQ is only appropriate for the IT cell, and now perhaps for Modi's cabinet too,” Khera remarked.

As of now, neither Rijiju nor Republic TV has issued a retraction or clarification, even as the fabricated nature of the video continues to be widely reported and condemned.

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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of an executive engineer for the Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital wall collapse that claimed the lives of seven people, during a high-level review meeting at Vidhana Soudha.

A compensation of Rs 5 lakh, as announced by the CM Siddaramaiah, was distributed to the families of seven victims who lost their lives in the tragedy on Wednesday evening, which occurred due to heavy downpour with gusty winds and hailstorm.

The meeting of municipal commissioners of the five corporations, chaired by the chief minister and attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, focused on fixing accountability and examining lapses that led to the tragedy.

"Why was soil dumped in a way that damaged the wall? Why did you not monitor this?" Siddaramaiah asked, pulling up hospital authorities during the meeting.

A statement from the chief minister's office said that the CM ordered the immediate suspension of the executive engineer of the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project (KHSDP).

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He also questioned the hospital authorities, asking why they failed to monitor the dumping of soil that weakened the structure.

The chief minister directed that a notice be issued to the head of the Hospital.

During the meeting, Siddaramaiah said the rains had caused extensive damage in the city, with over 250 trees uprooted.

The Chief Minister instructed officials to take necessary measures before the onset of the monsoon to avoid untoward incidents.

Commissioners of all five municipal zones in Bengaluru have been asked to take precautionary steps, including trimming dry and dangerous tree branches, the CMO said.

Siddaramaiah also directed them to get the silt cleared from stormwater drains to prevent flooding, and that immediate action be taken to remove debris and fallen branches from roads.

Further, he instructed that barricades be placed at underpasses where water stagnates and restricts public movement.

The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao said in a statement that Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad distributed compensation cheques of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased on Thursday.

Seven people, including a six-year-old girl, were killed and seven others injured when the compound wall collapsed amid heavy rain, strong winds and a hailstorm on Wednesday evening.

Police said the victims, comprising three from Bengaluru, two from Kerala on a study tour and one each from Uttar Pradesh and Assam, had taken shelter near the wall when it suddenly gave way, trapping them under the debris.

The chief minister questioned officials over the dumping of soil near the wall despite knowing it could weaken the structure, and directed that a notice be issued to the head of Bowring Hospital.

Siddaramaiah, who had visited the spot soon after the incident along with senior officials, reviewed the situation and ordered a detailed probe into the collapse.

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