Two digitally altered videos are being shared on social media with the false claim that they show Upendra Dwivedi, former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and General Dhiraj Seth, current COAS, criticising the Centre’s decision to withhold casualty figures from Operation Sindoor.
BOOM found that both videos have been digitally altered using AI-generated voiceovers. In the original videos, neither of them is commenting on Operation Sindoor.
Dwivedi retired from the post of COAS on June 30, 2026, following which Seth took charge.
The Claim:
The two videos are being shared on social media with false claims that one shows Dwivedi and the other shows Seth, purportedly criticising the Centre’s decision to withhold the Operation Sindoor casualties. They also claim that this concealment led to Dwivedi's resignation as the COAS.
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BOOM has previously fact-checked misinformation and AI-generated deepfake videos targeting Indian Army officials shared by the “The Whistle Blower” (@InsiderWB) handle on X.
What We Found:
1) Original Video from COAS Dwivedi's Farewell Speech
A reverse image search on the keyframes of the first video showed the original video posted by ANI on June 30, 2026.
In the original video, Dwivedi is concluding his tenure as the COAS and talks about his four-decade-long service in the Indian Army.
2) Original Video from COAS Seth's First Address
A reverse image search on the keyframes of the second video showed the original video posted by ANI on July 1, 2026.
In the original video, Seth takes charge as the 31st COAS, succeeding Dwivedi. He expresses gratitude for the appointment and promises to discharge his responsibilities.
3) AI Deepfake Voice Detection Tool Results
We ran both videos through Hiya's Deepfake voice detector, which showed results that both audio clips are likely AI-generated. We also spotted unnatural jaw movements and lip sync mismatches in the videos, which is common in deepfakes.
