HYDERABAD: Gachibowli police on Saturday examined senior IAS officer Smita Sabharwal, Principal Secretary of Youth Advancement, Tourism, and Culture, in connection with a case involving the reposting of an alleged AI-generated image of tree-cutting near Kancha Gachibowli, close to University of Hyderabad (UoH), on X. The inquiry pertains to her repost during the recent student protests at HCU last month.
A few days earlier, Cyberabad police had issued a notice to her under Section 179 of the BNSS, summoning her as a witness in the case. Following her examination, Smita Sabharwal took to X, stating, “Have fully cooperated with Gachibowli police authorities and given my detailed statement as a law-abiding citizen under the BNSS Act.”
She also noted that the image she reshared had been reposted by over 2,000 individuals on the platform. “I sought clarification on whether the same action is initiated for all!”, she wrote.
“If not, this raises concern about selective targeting, that in turn compromises the #principles of #natural justice and equality before the Law,” she mentioned.
The image in question, believed to be AI-generated, was originally posted by the social media handle ‘Hi Hyderabad’ on March 31 and was later reshared by Sabharwal.
Cyberabad police have reportedly registered several cases related to the circulation of AI-generated content during last month’s protests at the University of Hyderabad. Some individuals have already been questioned as part of the investigation.
When contacted by TNIE, Gachibowli police did not respond to queries.