A video (here, here and here) featuring Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, the current Deputy Chief of Army Staff, is circulating on social media with claims that he criticised the rising influence of “saffron politics” and “religious polarisation,” alleging that these factors are eroding the core values of the Indian Army. In the video, he is purportedly heard saying that political ideology is weakening the force’s discipline, unity, and constitutional duty. Let’s find out the truth behind this viral video.
Claim: The video shows Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, Deputy Chief of Army Staff, criticising the growing influence of saffron politics and religious polarisation within the Indian Army.
Fact: The video is a deepfake. The original speech, livestreamed by Republic TV on 18 October 2025, shows Lt. Gen. Ghai discussing India’s defence preparedness and strategic doctrines, not politics or religion. AI detection tools such as Hive and Voice Detector Resemble confirmed that the viral video was artificially generated with an altered voice. Hence the claim is FALSE.
To verify the claim, we conducted a reverse image search on Google, which led us to Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai’s original speech, livestreamed on Republic TV’s YouTube channel on 18 October 2025. The attire and background in the livestream match those seen in the viral clip.
During his address at the Republic’s Forces First Conclave, Ghai discussed India’s preparedness for future conflicts, citing Operation Sindoor as a key example of precision and multi-domain warfare while maintaining escalation control. He also emphasised the importance of joint theatre commands, technology-driven warfare, and countering misinformation. Furthermore, he dismissed Pakistan’s “no-war” stance as a bluff, reaffirming India’s doctrine of resolve, proportionality, and strategic sovereignty. Nowhere in his speech did he mention “saffron politics” or make any remarks similar to those heard in the viral video.
When comparing the viral video with the original speech, Rajiv Ghai’s voice appears partially similar; however, the tone, rhythm, and speech pattern differ noticeably from the authentic video. To verify whether the viral clip was a deepfake, we analysed it using AI detection tools such as Hive and Voice Detector Resemble. Both tools indicated a high likelihood that the video was AI-generated and that the voice had been altered using artificial intelligence, confirming that the viral clip is a deepfake.
The PIB fact-check unit also posted, confirming that this is a deepfake.
To sum up, the viral video of Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai criticising saffron politics is a deepfake created using AI to alter his voice and message.
