This viral photo of AAP MLA Gopal Italia with the man accused of attacking Delhi CM Rekha Gupta is digitally altered
On 20 August 2025, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was the target of an attack during a public hearing in Delhi. Initial reports suggest that the assault was carried out by Sakriya Rajeshbhai Khimjibhai, a resident of Rajkot in Gujarat. Following the incident, Delhi Police acted swiftly and arrested the accused (here, here, here).
Following the incident, a social media post featuring a collage of two photos (here, here, and here) is being widely shared with the claim that it shows Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Gopal Italia alongside the man accused of attacking Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta. Let’s verify the claim made in the post in this article.
Claim: The photo shows AAP MLA Gopal Italia with the man who attacked Delhi CM Rekha Gupta.
Fact: The viral photo is digitally altered; the man beside Gopal Italia in the original video from 02 August 2025 was replaced with the accused Sakriya Rajeshbhai Khimjibhai. AI detection tools confirm it as a deepfake. Gopal Italia also denied the photo’s authenticity on 20 August 2025 and called it fake. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A Google Lens search of the viral photo led us to a Facebook post by AAP MLA Gopal Italia dated 02 August 2025, which featured a video. In the video, Italia is seen with a different man, wearing the same clothes and at the same location as in the viral photo.
We compared the screenshot of the video uploaded by Gopal Italia with the viral photo and found that the man standing beside Italia in the video had been replaced with the accused Sakriya Rajeshbhai Khimjibhai. The comparison can be seen below.
We observed that the lighting on Gopal Italia’s face in the viral photo does not match the lighting on the accused Rajesh Khimji’s face. Additionally, the frame on the wall behind them differs in shape; it is rectangular in the original visuals and square in the viral photo. Suspecting that the viral photo might have been manipulated using artificial intelligence, we analysed it with multiple AI detection tools. One such tool, ‘Sight Engine,’ indicated that the image is a deepfake with 99% certainty.
Additionally, we found an X post (archived) by AAP MLA Gopal Italia dated 20 August 2025, in which he denied the authenticity of the viral photo and shared a link to the original video that he had uploaded on 02 August 2025.
To sum up, this viral photo of AAP MLA Gopal Italia with the man accused of attacking Delhi CM Rekha Gupta is digitally altered.