Police summon BRS leader for using AI-generated videos on Kancha Gachibowli land row

Hyderabad, April 7 (IANS) Police have issued notices to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Manne Krishank for allegedly posting Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated videos on social media in connection with the row over 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli near Hyderabad Central University.

Officers from Gachibowli Police Station on Monday handed over notices to Krishank, directing him to appear before them for questioning on April 9, 10 and 11.

BRS IT cell in-charges Krishank, Konatham Dileep and other have been booked for using AI technology to create videos and post them on social media platforms.

According to police, the video in question could potentially mislead public or cause unrest.

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 353 (1) (b), 353 (1) (c), 352 (2), 192, 196 (1), 61 (1) (a).

Krishank, however, claimed that all images and videos posted on the BRS’ social media platforms on the University of Hyderabad campaign were sent by students/journalists.

“Government in damage control mode is filing Police Cases. Received notices for 4 FIRs. Will cooperate for the investigation by appearing on 9th April and 10th April at Gachibowli Police Station,” Krishank posted on ‘X’.

“Will anybody File a Case on CM Revanth for making False Claims that there are no Deer in University of Hyderabad,” asked Krishank.

The Telangana government has taken serious note of fabricated videos and photos on Kancha Gachibowli lands. It will appeal to the court to order a probe into fake content using AI.

The government has expressed serious concern over creation of controversy through fabricated videos and photos on social media networks that the state government had seized the lands of Hyderabad Central University.

At a review meeting on Saturday, officials informed Chief Minister Reddy that some people had created fake videos and photos using AI and circulated them widely on social media.

Top police officials explained to CM Reddy that some vested interests made fake videos and AI photos of crying peacocks and injured deer running away after they were hit by bulldozers.

In fact, some famous persons in various fields presumed the fake videos and photos circulating on social media to be true, and this added fuel to the lies.

The meeting noted that Union Minister Kishan Reddy, former Minister Jagadish Reddy, social media influencer Dhruv Rathi, film celebrities John Abraham, Dia Mirza, and Raveena Tandon uploaded the fake posts (videos and photos) on social media believing them to be true.

Dia Mirza, through a post on ‘X’, denied that she used fake AI generated images/videos in support of the protest by students to protect biodiversity on the 400 acres of land the government wanted to auction.

“This is an absolutely false statement. I have not posted a single image or video that is AI generated. The media and the Telangana government should verify their facts before making such claims,” she wrote.

--IANS

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