A video (here, here and here) allegedly showing General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), announcing a new policy to reduce non-Hindu soldiers by over 50% by 2028 has gone viral on social media. Let’s find out the truth behind this video.
Claim: The video shows Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi announcing a new policy to reduce non-Hindu soldiers by over 50% by 2028.
Fact: The video is a deepfake. In the original ANI footage, General Upendra Dwivedi was speaking about his visit to TRS College in Rewa, not about any religious or military policy. An AI deepfake detector confirmed that the audio was artificially generated, and PIB also verified the video as fake. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
To verify the claim, we conducted a keyword search on Google to check if any such announcement had been made or reported by media outlets. However, no relevant results were found. We also reviewed the official social media handles of the Indian Army, but there were no posts or statements supporting this claim (here, here and here).
On closely examining the viral video, we noticed several inconsistencies. The lip movements appeared unnatural and out of sync with the audio, which also lacked natural tone and pauses. Additionally, the front side of the ANI microphone, particularly the round section after the logo, was distorted, an unusual detail for genuine media coverage. These discrepancies suggest that the video has been digitally manipulated, likely using AI.
Further, a reverse image search of frames from the video led us to an ANI post dated 01 November 2025, showing the same backdrop. In the original video, General Dwivedi is seen discussing his visit to TRS College in Rewa, not any religious or military policy. The Indian Army had also shared posts about his visits to educational institutions in Satna and Rewa, confirming that his remarks were related to those events.
To further verify, we analysed the full audio of the viral video using an AI-based detection tool called Hiya Deepfake Detector. The tool flagged the voice as AI-generated, confirming that the audio was fabricated.
Additionally, PIB, the government’s fact-check unit, also clarified that the video is fake and that General Upendra Dwivedi has not made any such statement.
Taken together, these findings make it clear that the viral video is a deepfake. General Upendra Dwivedi did not make any statement about reducing non-Hindu soldiers.
To sum up, a video of General Upendra Dwivedi allegedly announcing a policy to reduce non-Hindu soldiers is a deepfake.
