Fact Check: Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk dies in extrajudicial killing? No, journalists’ videos are AI-manipulated
Three videos featuring journalists Palki Sharma, Shiv Aroor and Jessica Goel have been circulating online, claiming to report about the death of Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk in an extrajudicial killing.
By - Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The videos show Firstpost, NDTV and India Today reporting that Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk has died in an extrajudicial killing.
Fact:The claim is false. The videos featuring journalists Palki Sharma, Shiv Aroor and Jessica Goel are manipulated by merging AI-generated audio.
Hyderabad: The Supreme Court has postponed to December 8 the hearing on a plea challenging the detention of climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA). The plea, filed by his wife, calls his incarceration illegal and an arbitrary exercise violating his fundamental rights.
Meanwhile, videos purportedly showing Firstpost journalist Palki Sharma, NDTV’s Shiv Aroor and India Today’s Jessica Goel reporting Sonam Wangchuk’s death have been circulating on social media, with users claiming he was killed in an extrajudicial killing.
Here’s an analysis of the videos.
1. Palki Sharma’s video
Sharma could be heard allegedly saying in the video, “India is facing a major and sensitive development. Sonam Wangchuk, the well-known Ladakh activist arrested after violent Leh protests, has reportedly died while in detention at Jodhpur Central Jail. Officials call it a sudden medical collapse. His supporters call it a custodial death. Both claims are now under scrutiny.
Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act after September’s protests turned violent with arson, police firing and casualties. The NSA allowed authorities to keep him without trial for up to a year, and he was transferred from Ladakh to a high-security Rajasthan jail. Now that detention has ended in tragedy.
Jail officials say he complained of severe chest pain and died at the hospital. His family says they were informed late and are demanding an independent post-mortem. The Supreme Court was already hearing his detention case. Now it has taken a far more serious turn.
Three big questions emerge. One: What caused his death, natural or due to negligence? Two: Why was he kept so far away under strict conditions without trial? Three: What happens to the Ladakh movement he led?
The Union Home Ministry has ordered an internal inquiry. Ladakh authorities are also seeking reports. International media and rights groups are raising concerns about the treatment of activists in sensitive border regions. His supporters call it a political killing. The government denies wrongdoing, saying investigations will reveal the truth.
One fact is undeniable: Wangchuk died in state custody. His body, medical records and the timeline of events are now under examination. What follows will have serious political and legal consequences, and the Supreme Court's final decision now carries even greater weight. This story is not closing. It is entering its most explosive phase.”
A South Asia-based X account, Baba Thoka (currently withheld in India, accessible by VPN), which has been sharing propaganda videos, shared this video with the caption, “Ladakh is on the brink. Massive panic after unverified reports claim Sonam Wangchuk has been gravely harmed in state custody. A video exposing this allegedly went live on YouTube minutes ago, now been deleted everywhere. Why is India wiping evidence?” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video has been manipulated using AI.
Original video
We searched for the Palki Sharma video on Firstpost’s YouTube channel and found the original report, published on November 25 and running over an hour, titled ‘China Denies Harassing Indian Traveller From Arunachal Pradesh.’
In the report, Sharma discusses China’s alleged harassment of an Indian traveller who claimed she was held in Shanghai because she was born in Arunachal Pradesh. She also examines an unexpected phone call between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump concerning Taiwan and Japan, as well as the continued deterioration of India-Canada relations following a recent Khalistan referendum held in Ottawa.
However, nowhere in the report could we find Sharma discussing Sonam Wangchuk.
Discrepancies in the video
The video has been produced with sophisticated use of technology, with voice cloning and lip-syncing. However, the graphics and text used in the clip do not match the standard format of Firstpost.
Has the video been manipulated using AI?
After extracting the video’s audio, we subjected it to analysis on the AI detection tool Deepfake-O-Meter. Two of its detectors concluded that the audio is likely AI-generated, with the confidence scores of 100 and 98 per cent, respectively.
2. Shiv Aroor’s video
He could be heard allegedly saying in the video, “We are tracking a major development from Rajasthan. Sonam Wangchuk, the Ladakh-based activist held under the National Security Act, has reportedly died inside Jodhpur Central Jail. Officials cite medical reasons while his supporters allege custodial death. A full-scale inquiry is now underway.”
Sharing the video, an X account based in Pakistan wrote, “Shame on you @ShivAroor. Laughing while the Indian government allegedly mercilessly killed Sonam Wangchuk is beyond disgusting. This is cold-blooded murder, and your casual reaction is appalling. Boycott NDTV.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as this video has also been manipulated using AI.
Visible discrepancies in the video
The video carries the NDTV logo in the foreground but shows the Aaj Tak newsroom, with two Aaj Tak logos visible in the background.
Original video
A reverse image search of the keyframes led us to the original video published by India Today on February 28. The report does not carry any news story; rather, it shows Aroor delivering a farewell monologue after working 18 years at India Today.
Is this video also AI-manipulated?
Three detectors of Deepfake-O-Meter flagged that the video’s audio is likely AI-generated, with confidence scores of 91.1, 100 and 82.2 per cent, respectively.
3. Jessica Goel’s video
Goel could also be allegedly heard saying in the video, “India is in shock tonight. The activist known as Sonam Wangchuk, jailed under the National Security Act, has died in custody. Officials call it a medical collapse. His supporters call it custodial killing.”
The X user from Pakistan, who shared Aroor’s video, also shared this video with the caption, “The extrajudicial killing of Sonam Wangchuk sparks suspicion as central agencies attempt to suppress the news. Things are grim for Ladakh; this Modi regime has crossed all limits of sanity.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as this video has also been manipulated using AI.
Original video
A reverse image search of the keyframes traced the viral clip to an India Today report by Jessica Goel covering political developments in Karnataka. The video was shared on the news outlet’s X account on November 26.
The report focused on an alleged power struggle for the Chief Minister’s position between DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, occurring two and a half years after the Congress government took office.
Red flags in the viral clip
Goel’s voice matches in the viral and original video. However, the graphics and text used in the viral clip do not match the standard format of India Today.
What does Deepfake-O-Meter conclude?
Three of its detectors found that the video’s audio is AI-generated, with the confidence scores of 73.6, 99.9, and 99.7 per cent, respectively.
Since we have found the original version of all three videos, we conclude that viral clips have been manipulated by merging AI-generated audio.
