#FactCheck: Digitally Altered Video Falsely Attributes Cow Urine Remark to Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth
Executive Summary
A video of Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth is being shared on social media, allegedly showing him referring to an incident in which Major Rajendra Pratap Singh survived for 40 days by drinking cow urine during the 1965 India-Pakistan war and saying that Indian Army personnel should keep such a practice alive. The video is being shared with the claim that General Dhiraj Seth said that Major Rajendra Pratap Singh had consumed cow urine for 40 days to quench his thirst during the 1965 war and that serving Army personnel should also continue the practice. However, CyberPeace Research Wing found the claim to be false. The viral video has been digitally manipulated, with fabricated audio/remarks added to it. In the original video, General Dhiraj Seth did not make any such statement.
Claim:
Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth allegedly referred to an incident in which Major Rajendra Pratap Singh survived for 40 days by drinking cow urine during the 1965 India-Pakistan war and urged serving Army personnel to keep the practice alive.
https://x.com/InsiderWB/status/2104242428647727428
Fact Check
To verify the truth behind the viral claim, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords. During the search, we did not find any credible media reports supporting the claim. As part of the next step in our research, we extracted keyframes from the video and conducted a reverse image search. During the research, we found the original video on Gulistan News, which was published on September 25, 2026.
https://x.com/GulistanNewsTV/status/2103461004374061389
According to Gulistan News, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Dhiraj Seth, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, visited Karnah in Kupwara and interacted with ex-servicemen and veterans in the forward area. During the visit, the Army Chief also took stock of the ongoing ‘Operation Drishti’ Mega Eye and Cataract Surgical Camp at FSC Tangdhar. The initiative highlights the Indian Army’s commitment to the welfare of veterans and local communities in remote border areas. Further research led us to a video posted by the Press Trust of India (PTI) on X. According to its caption, Army Chief (COAS) General Dhiraj Seth visited the mega cataract surgery camp organised by the Indian Army at Tangdhar in Kupwara district and interacted with patients and army veterans.
https://x.com/PTI_News/status/2103404022279598579?s=20
After verifying the viral video, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords. During the search, we found a report by the news agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO). According to the report, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Dhiraj Seth visited Karnah in Kupwara district on Friday and interacted with ex-servicemen and veterans in the forward area. During the visit, the Army Chief took stock of the ongoing ‘Operation Drishti’ Mega Cataract Surgery Camp at the Forward Surgical Centre (FSC), Tangdhar.The COAS also interacted with veterans and ex-servicemen and took note of their welfare and healthcare-related concerns.The seven-day initiative, being conducted under the aegis of Chinar Corps in coordination with the Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS), aims to provide advanced ophthalmic care to civilians and veterans residing in remote border areas.
We scanned the video using the AI detection tool Detect Video AI. According to the results, the viral video is 75 per cent AI-generated.
At the end of our research, we also scanned the video using HumanMeter. According to the results, the viral video is 80 per cent AI-generated.
Conclusion:
The video being circulated on social media in the name of Indian Army Chief General Dhiraj Seth is misleading. The viral video purportedly shows him referring to an incident in which Major Rajendra Pratap Singh allegedly survived for 40 days by drinking cow urine during the 1965 India-Pakistan war and saying that Army personnel should keep the practice alive. However, the original video available does not contain any such statement by General Dhiraj Seth. The viral video has been digitally manipulated, with fabricated remarks attributed to him.
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Executive Summary
A video is being widely shared on social media, allegedly showing Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Raja Subramani referring to the resignation of more than 30,000 Indian soldiers. The video is being circulated with the claim that CDS Raja Subramani confirmed that over 30,000 personnel resigned in protest following the demonstration held at Jantar Mantar. CyberPeace Research Wing’s research found that the viral claim is false. The research revealed that the video featuring CDS Raja Subramani has been digitally manipulated and created using Artificial Intelligence (AI). The original video does not contain any statement related to soldiers’ resignations or the Jantar Mantar protest.
Claim
A Facebook user shared the video with a claim stating: “After the protests at Jantar Mantar, India’s Chief of Defence Staff Raja Subramani has issued an emergency alert, saying that more than 30,000 soldiers have resigned in protest because their children were brutally beaten at Jantar Mantar.”
The post link, archive link and screenshot are provided below:
Fact Check
To verify the authenticity of the viral video, we extracted a key frame and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. During the search, we found the same video uploaded by the Eastern Command of the Indian Army (@easterncomd) on its official X account on July 21, 2026. The original video shows CDS Raja Subramani extending his best wishes to all participating teams of the 135th Indian Oil Durand Cup Football Tournament. There is no mention of any soldier resignations or the Jantar Mantar protest in the original footage.
https://x.com/easterncomd/status/2079485496988967225
Further research led us to the same video posted by the Instagram account myyouthindia, where CDS Raja Subramani can again be seen wishing teams participating in the 135th Indian Oil Durand Cup Football Tournament.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DbEGRGBsKv8/
Conclusion
The research established that the viral video of CDS Raja Subramani has been manipulated using AI-generated content. The original video is related to the 135th Indian Oil Durand Cup Football Tournament and does not contain any statement about the resignation of 30,000 Indian soldiers or the Jantar Mantar protest. The digitally altered video is being shared with a false claim.
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Introduction
Cybersecurity remains a crucial component in the modern digital era, considering the growing threat landscape caused by our increased reliance on technology and the internet. The Karnataka Government introduced a new ‘Cyber Security Policy 2024’ to address increasing cybercrimes and enhance protection measures for the State's digital infrastructure through awareness, skill development, public-private collaborations, and technology integration. Officials stated that the policy highlights various important aspects including raising awareness and providing education, developing skills, supporting the industry and start-ups, as well as forming partnerships and collaborations for enhancing capacity.
Key Highlights
- The policy consists of two components. The initial segment emphasizes creating a robust cyber security environment involving various sectors such as the public, academia, industry, start-ups, and government. The second aspect of the policy aims to enhance the cybersecurity status of the State's IT resources. Although the initial section will be accessible to the public, the second portion will be restricted to the state's IT teams and departments for their IT implementation.
- The Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (e-Governance),and the Home Department, in collaboration with stakeholders from government and private sectors, have collectively formulated this policy. The Indian Institute of Science, the main institute for the state's K-tech Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security (CySecK), also examined the policy.
- The Department of Electronics, IT, BT and S&T, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (e-Governance),and the Home Department, in collaboration with stakeholders from government and private sectors, have collectively formulated this policy. The Indian Institute of Science, the main institute for the state's K-tech Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security (CySecK), also examined the policy.
- Approximately ₹103.87 crore will be spent over five years to implement the policy, which would be fulfilled from the budget allocated to the Department of Information Technology and Biotechnology and Science & Technology. A total of ₹23.74 crore would be allocated for offering incentives and concessions.
- The policy focuses on key pillars of building awareness and skills, promoting research and innovation, promoting industry and start-ups, partnerships and collaborations for capacity building.
- Karnataka-based undergraduate and postgraduate interns will receive a monthly stipend of INR 10,000- Rs15,000 fora maximum duration of three months under the internship program. The goal is to support 600 interns at the undergraduate level and 120 interns at the post-graduate level within the policy timeframe.
- Karnataka-based start-ups collaborating with academic institutes can receive matching grants of up to 50% of the total R&D cost for cybersecurity projects, or a maximum of ₹50 lakh.
- Reimbursement will be provided for expenses up to a maximum of INR 1 Lakh for start-ups registered with Karnataka Start-up Cell who engage CERT-In empanelled service providers from Karnataka for cyber security audit.
- The Karnataka government has partnered with Meta to raise awareness on cyber security. By reaching out to educational institutions, schools and colleges, it is piloted to provide training to 1 lakh teachers and educate 1 million children on online safety.
CyberPeace Policy Wing Outlook
The Cyber Security Policy, 2024 launched by the Karnataka government is a testament to the state government's commitment to strengthening the cyber security posture and establishing cyber resilience. By promoting and supporting research and development projects, supporting startups, and providing skill training internships, and capacity building at a larger scale, the policy will serve asa positive step in countering the growing cyber threats and establishing a peaceful digital environment for all. The partnership and collaboration with tech companies will be instrumental in implementing the capacity-building initiatives aimed at building cognitive and skill defenses while navigating the digital world. The policy will inspire other state governments in their policy initiatives for building safe and secure cyber-infrastructure in the states by implementing strategies tailored to the specific needs and demands of each state in building safe digital infrastructure and environment.
References:
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bengaluru-news/karnataka-govt-launches-new-cyber-security-policy-amid-frequent-scams-101722598078117.html
- https://ciso.economictimes.indiatimes.com/amp/news/grc/karnataka-govt-launches-new-cyber-security-policy/112214121
- https://cybermithra.in/2024/08/09/karnataka-cyber-security-policy/
Executive Summary
A photograph circulating widely on social media has been falsely linked to the reported hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship in May 2026. The image is being shared with claims that it shows a cameraman filming evacuation operations without wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), suggesting that the global health scare was staged. However, the claim is misleading. The viral image has no connection to the hantavirus outbreak or any real evacuation related to the incident. research found that the photograph actually originates from a Spanish military exercise conducted a year earlier.
Claim
A post on X dated May 13, 2026, shared the image with the caption, “Don’t be fooled! The #Hantavirus HOAX,” alleging that the evacuations were staged events filmed from a movie set. The image shows several individuals in full personal protective equipment (PPE) carrying a patient on a biocontainment stretcher across a dock in front of a large vessel. A cameraman, dressed in plain clothes, is seen descending a ramp connected to the ship while apparently recording the scene.
Fact Check
The image went viral across X, Threads and Instagram in multiple languages, with users claiming the hantavirus outbreak was a “hoax” or that evacuation operations were staged. These posts emerged as authorities were monitoring passengers aboard the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius and others potentially exposed to the virus following reports of an outbreak during its Atlantic voyage.
Health officials have repeatedly stressed that the overall public health risk from the Andes strain of hantavirus remains low. It is a rare rodent-borne virus and the only variant known to transmit between humans.
Reverse image search traced the photograph to the official website of the Port of Almería in Spain, where it was published in a May 7, 2025 article documenting an international maritime exercise involving the Spanish Navy and the health ministry.
The exercise simulated the arrival of a vessel carrying suspected Ebola cases. Ebola is a rare but highly lethal disease that can cause fever, bleeding and organ failure.
Conclusion
The viral claim is false. The photograph has no connection to the reported hantavirus outbreak. It is from a Spanish military exercise conducted in 2025 and is being falsely shared out of context.
