Arunachal On Edge: India-China Face-Off Fuel A Flood Of Misinformation

Days after the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief confirmed reports of fresh face-offs between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh on October 22, deepfakes of senior Indian Army officers purportedly admitting that China had occupied parts of the state began circulating on social media.

The officers had made no such statements. Their voices had been manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI).

The deepfakes were part of a wider wave of misinformation surrounding the border tensions. BOOM found that old military footage, unrelated protests and videos from other countries were being falsely linked to the reported India-China confrontations.

BOOM has published seven fact-checks, tracing some of the viral videos to earlier incidents in Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, and others to unrelated events in Nepal and Kazakhstan.

Deepfakes Made Indian Army Officers Appear To Admit Chinese Incursions

BOOM found that footage of senior military officers and government officials was being manipulated using AI-generated audio to falsely attribute statements about Chinese incursions and India’s response to the border tensions.

A deepfake of Lieutenant General Girish Kalia was shared with the claim that he admitted China had occupied Asaphila, Longju and Taksing Circle in Arunachal Pradesh. BOOM traced the original footage to October 2023, when Kalia was speaking about infiltration attempts in Jammu and Kashmir.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had criticised the Congress after party spokesperson Ritu Choudhary shared the deepfake video and accused the party of spreading AI-manipulated content to tarnish the Indian Army’s image

Another deepfake purported to show Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar warning that Arunachal Pradesh could become the next India-China flashpoint. BOOM found that the original footage was from his retirement speech in March 2026, during which he made no such remarks.

A deepfake video of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was also being shared falsely claiming that he was dismissing the India-China standoff as a minor issue, accusing Army personnel of mutiny and prioritising trade relations with China over the border tensions.

Old Military Footage And Unrelated Videos Falsely Linked To Border Clashes

BOOM found that old military confrontations and unrelated footage had surfaced and were being presented as evidence of recent India-China clashes. Some posts shared the videos claiming it showed Indian military setbacks, while others falsely shared it claiming it showed Chinese incursions and resistance by local residents.

A video claiming that Chinese troops had pushed back 70 Indian soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh was traced to an earlier confrontation in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley, with footage circulating since September 2020. Another clip showing soldiers clashing near the Chumi Gyatse waterfalls in Tawang had been online since 2021, while a separate assault video dated back to November 2024.

Another video purportedly showing injured Indian and Chinese soldiers actually is from a military training exercise in Kazakhstan in July 2026. Another video, falsely claimed to show Chinese military vehicles entering India, was traced to Nathu La Pass in Sikkim. Footage of Chinese troops allegedly apprehending an Indian soldier near Pangong Lake had also been circulating since 2025.

Two other videos, shared as evidence of Arunachal Pradesh residents resisting Chinese troops, were traced to a religious fair in Nepal’s Doti district and Amarnath Yatra registration in Baltal, Jammu and Kashmir, respectively.

Anti-Dam Protests In Arunachal Falsely Linked To The Border Conflict

Footage of a local protests against the proposed Siang dam project in Arunachal Pradesh was also given a misleading border conflict narrative, claiming that security forces were being deployed against civilians amid Chinese incursions.

A video showing security personnel confronting villagers was shared with the claim that Indian forces were being deployed against civilians while China occupied parts of Arunachal Pradesh.

BOOM found that the footage was unrelated to the reported India-China face-offs. The video showed a September 29 protest against the proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Begging village, Arunachal Pradesh. Local residents had gathered to oppose the dam project.