RAIPUR: A controversy erupted in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur following the circulation of dozens of objectionable and misleading artificial intelligence (AI)-generated videos on social media. The videos, uploaded to a Facebook page titled "From Heaven to Earth," have sparked intense outrage among various right-wing Hindu organisations, leading to a police investigation.
Over 50 AI-generated apparently deep-fake videos have gone viral, amassing lakhs of views. The content claimed that Jesus Christ is the "father" of the Hindu deities, including Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. In some clips, Lord Ram is depicted receiving sermons from Jesus, while another claim asserts that Jesus is more powerful than Lord Hanuman.
Representatives from various Hindu outfits—including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, and Dharmasena—staged massive protests in Raipur. Leaders like Bajrang Dal president Ravi Wadhwani alleged that the videos intentionally demeaned Hindu deities by rendering them as "cartoon-like characters" to hurt religious sentiments. The organisations further alleged that specific individuals from another community were intentionally making the content viral.
Following a complaint by those associated with the Dharmasena, the Raipur Civil Lines Police station registered a First Information Report (FIR) against unidentified individuals. The case has been filed under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for intentionally hurting religious sentiments.
"Whether and from where the videos were uploaded will be made clear through the cyber probe," stated Ramakant Sahu, ACP Civil Lines Raipur, who further added that the videos are AI-generated and could have been uploaded from any corner of the country. “A case has been registered against unknown perpetrators, and investigations are underway,” the police officer said.
Cyber crime experts suspected that AI tools and deep-fake technologies were leveraged to manufacture this content. The law enforcement must utilise specialised AI forensic software to trace the digital footprints of such creators, they suggested.