Gujarat cops register FIR over deepfake video of Nirmala Sitharaman

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Police have registered an FIR against a person for sharing a deepfake video of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on GST, state minister Harsh Sanghavi said on Tuesday.

The video clip shows Sitharaman purportedly giving a byte to the media and terming Goods and Services Tax as the Gopaniya Suchna Tax. It was shared by one Chirag Patel on his X handle.

As per his X (formerly Twitter) profile, Patel is based in the USA.

Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said the "deceptive act of spreading deep fake videos to mislead citizens is abhorrent".

"Gujarat Police have registered an FIR against this person for spreading this deep fake video. Trying to mislead citizens. Let's not fall prey to such manipulative tactics and prioritise truth and accountability in our digital spaces," he tweeted.