The Bengaluru police on Friday registered a case of provocation to cause riot, forgery, and public mischief against the user of an Instagram account by the name Kannada Chitraranga which posted an alleged AI-generated video showing Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar pushing down Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The case was registered by the Sadashivanagar police on the basis of a complaint filed by an advocate, Deepu C R, who reported coming across the video on Instagram while he was browsing social media on his mobile phone.
According to the police complaint by the lawyer, he came across the alleged AI-generated video while browsing on his mobile phone at the Sadashivanagar residence of the deputy chief minister on Friday morning.
The complainant saw an Instagram account called Kannada Chitraranga, which claimed that Shivakumar had pushed Siddaramaiah down during a meeting. It also stated, “DKS should not have done this,” along with the AI-generated clip. The complaint alleged that the video was shown on some Kannada news channels and shared on social media.
According to the police complaint, the video was created “with the intention of damaging the personality of the Honourable Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, spreading false information in society to damage the dignity of the Honourable Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, and also embarrass the honourable government.” The police complaint said the video had the potential to create “unrest in society.”
The Bengaluru police have registered a case under sections 192, 336 (4), and 353 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and are investigating the identity of the users of the Instagram account named in the First Information Report (FIR).
The controversy comes in the wake of an ongoing political tussle in Karnataka for the post of the chief minister as the Congress government approaches the halfway mark of its tenure on November 20. While Siddaramaiah has hinted at a possible Cabinet reshuffle, Shivakumar –who is seen to be keen on taking over as the chief minister – has indicated that there would be no changes.
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Siddaramaiah’s supporters have indicated that he will complete a full term as the chief minister and will be in power till 2028.