Guwahati | Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has accused the Congress high command of approving the circulation of a doctored video allegedly aimed at discrediting the Indian Army and gaining political mileage. He has called for legal action against those responsible for spreading the clip.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Sarma described the alleged circulation of the video as a “classic Congress playbook”. He accused the party of using fabricated content to damage the reputation of the armed forces and bring disrepute to the country.

“This wasn’t a slip. It was sanctioned by their High Command. Those behind it must face the full force of the law,” Sarma wrote. However, he did not provide detailed evidence in the post to substantiate his allegation that the Congress leadership had authorised the circulation of the video.

The controversy erupted after Congress leader Ritu Choudhary shared a post containing claims about Lieutenant General Girish Kalia, General Officer Commanding of the Army’s Spear Corps, and the security situation along the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.

In the viral clip, the senior Army officer appeared to claim that China had taken control of Asaphila, Longju and Taksing Circle in Arunachal Pradesh. The video also alleged that the Centre was prioritising the deployment of paramilitary forces against Gen Z protesters in the state instead of using them to counter China.

The clip further claimed that 25 soldiers had been arrested and that their whereabouts remained unknown. It also questioned the Centre’s commitment to protecting India’s territorial integrity.

However, the Indian Army’s official fact-checking handle, Indian Army Fact Check (@MythbusterXX), rejected the video as fabricated. According to the Army, the clip used artificial intelligence-generated lip-syncing and voice cloning to falsely attribute the statements to the senior officer.

The Army’s clarification challenged the authenticity of the claims circulating in the video, which had triggered a political controversy over national security and the alleged use of manipulated digital content. Sarma subsequently targeted the Congress leadership, alleging that the circulation of the video was part of a deliberate attempt to malign the armed forces for political gain.

While the Army has identified the clip as fabricated, the allegation that the Congress high command sanctioned its circulation remains a claim made by the Assam Chief Minister. No independently verified evidence establishing the leadership’s involvement was cited in the report.