Malicious propaganda: Another deepfake targets Ladakh officials, falsely claims arrest of Sonam Wangchuk

Within hours of the Leh Police filing an FIR over a deepfake video of the DGP Ladakh, another fabricated clip went viral on social media, this time falsely showing ADC Leh Ghulam Mohammad claiming climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested on the orders of the Union Home Ministry.

Within hours of Leh Police registering an FIR against unknown persons for circulating a deepfake video of the Director General of Police (DGP) Ladakh, another manipulated video has gone viral on social media—this time claiming the arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk.

The 49-second video, widely shared online, shows Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Leh, Ghulam Mohammad, allegedly stating that Sonam Wangchuk was arrested on the directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 26.

In the digitally altered video, the ADC is heard saying: "As you know, an unfortunate incident took place in Leh town. A total of 90 people were injured, and four lost their lives. Out of these, seven people are in critical condition, while 20 are admitted to the trauma centre. I appeal to the people of Ladakh to understand that Sonam Wangchuk was arrested at the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs. We received instructions from the office of Amit Shah to label him as a Pakistani agent. Please do not attack local police personnel. If you want to take revenge, attack BJP workers or BJP offices. We are only government servants."

The fake video further claims that ADC Ghulam Mohammad admitted Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered Wangchuk's arrest and called on the public to target BJP offices rather than the police.

Reacting to the clip, a social media user posted, "This is a very serious matter. The ADC has admitted that it was Amit Shah who ordered the arrest of Sonam Wangchuk. He appealed to the public to attack the BJP offices instead of the police. The BJP has caused more damage than India's enemies."

However, the Press Information Bureau's (PIB) Fact Check team has categorically dismissed the claims, stating that the video is a deepfake designed to mislead people. "A digitally altered video of ADC Leh, Ghulam Mohammad, is circulating on social media in which he is falsely shown as saying that Sonam Wangchuk was arrested on the directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs," the PIB clarified.

According to officials, Pakistan-based propaganda handles are circulating manipulated videos of Indian government officials with fabricated statements to push their narrative. The video falsely suggests that the ADC urged the public to attack BJP offices instead of the police—claims that are entirely baseless. In the original video, ADC Ghulam Mohammad made no such remarks.

This comes just days after another deepfake video surfaced showing the DGP of Ladakh, S. S. Jamwal, allegedly admitting that Wangchuk had been arrested under government pressure. On September 30, PIB's Fact Check Unit confirmed that the clip was digitally fabricated with malicious intent.

In that manipulated video, Jamwal is heard saying, "We know that the people of Ladakh were not granted their rights. We have found no evidence against Sonam Wangchuk. We had to take this action under pressure from the Indian Defence Minister. For this, we apologise to the people of Kashmir."

Both incidents highlight the growing misuse of deepfake technology to spread disinformation and create unrest in sensitive regions like Ladakh.