Fact Check: Sonam Wangchuk dies in Jodhpur Central Jail? No, video is AI-manipulated
A video claiming to show Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, speaking about the alleged custodial death of Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk is going viral.
By - M Ramesh Naik
Claim:The video shows the Army Chief offering condolences as Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk has died in Jodhpur Central Jail.
Fact:The claim is false. The video has been AI-manipulated. There are no reports that Sonam Wangchuk has died in state custody.
Hyderabad: A video is circulating on social media claiming that Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, has issued a formal condolence message following the ‘custodial death’ of Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk in Jodhpur Central Jail.
In the viral clip, General Dwivedi appears to be saying, “I express my deep regret at the passing of Sonam Wangchuk while he was in state custody. I have requested that the Central Government initiate a thorough and transparent inquiry.”
An X user shared the video with the caption, “Following the custodial death of Sonam Wangchuk, Indian Army chief Gen. Upendra Dwivedi offered condolences, now being suppressed by media.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video has been altered using AI.
Source of the video
We found the WION logo at the bottom left of the video. A Google reverse image search of a keyframe led us to the original footage uploaded by WION on November 27.
The video, titled ‘Operation Sindoor: Indian Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi Reveals How India OUTSMARTED Pakistan | Original,’ shows General Dwivedi speaking at the Chanakya Defence Dialogue.
The description of the video news report states that the Army Chief was discussing the outcomes of Operation Sindoor and the impact of military reforms. Nowhere in the full speech does he mention Sonam Wangchuk, custodial deaths or any call for a government inquiry.
In this address, General Dwivedi spoke about the shifting global security landscape, the Prime Minister’s 5S vision, and the need for India’s military to stay strategically prepared. His remarks focused entirely on defence reforms and geopolitical challenges.
None of the lines heard in the viral clip appear in the original video. This confirmed that the video has been tampered with.
Analysis of the video
To further verify authenticity, NewsMeter analysed the viral clip using Deepfake-O-Meter, an AI detection tool. Four of its detectors flagged the video as containing AI-generated content, with confidence scores of 99.9%, 95.2%, 97.7% and 96.3%.
This clearly indicates that the audio in the viral video has been artificially generated and overlaid on visuals from a real speech.
PIB Fact Check also flagged the same video as AI-manipulated on November 27, warning users to stay cautious, do not share or engage with unverified content. Rely only on official and credible sources for accurate information.
#Pakistani propaganda accounts are circulating a digitally altered video of Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, in which he appears to be talking about the custodial death of Sonam Wangchuk.#PIBFactCheck❌ This #fake video has been created using #AI technology.… pic.twitter.com/dGFUR2m1Kd
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) November 27, 2025
There are no reports, official statements or credible sources confirming the death of Sonam Wangchuk in custody.
The video circulating on social media does not show Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi offering condolences for the ‘custodial death’ of Sonam Wangchuk. The clip uses AI-generated audio laid over real footage from a defence event.
Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the claim is false.
