Fact Check: Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest – Ladakh DGP admits to false arrest? No, video is manipulated

Hyderabad: Violent protests in Leh on September 24, demanding statehood for Ladakh and Sixth Schedule status, left four people dead and over 60 injured.

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act on September 26 and shifted to Jodhpur jail, with the Indian government accusing him of inciting violence through provocative statements

In this context, a video allegedly showing Ladakh Director General of Police (DGP) SD Singh Jamwal, admitting that Wangchuk was arrested without evidence, has been circulating on social media.

In the video, he is purportedly heard saying, “We know that the people of Ladakh were not given their rights. We did not find any evidence against Sonam Wangchuk, and this whole incident had to be carried out by us because of the Indian Defence Minister. For which we apologise to the residents of Ladakh.”

An X user shared the video with the caption, “Breaking News: ADGP Ladakh Dr SD Singh admits that he arrested Sonam Wangchuk on the directions of the Indian Defence Minister without any evidence.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the video has been manipulated using AI. Ladakh DGP has made no such admission.

We noticed the logo of The New Indian Express in the viral clip. Taking this cue, we ran a keyword search and found the press conference of Ladakh DGP SD Singh Jamwal published on the YouTube channel of the media outlet on September 27. It was titled, ‘Ladakh DGP explains reason for Wangchuk's arrest, defends police firing at protestors.’

In the nine-minute video, Jamwal stated that Wangchuk was detained under the NSA for allegedly instigating violence and derailing ongoing talks between local bodies and the Central Government regarding Sixth Schedule status or statehood for Ladakh. He accused Wangchuk of having a questionable agenda, citing his references to movements like the Arab Spring, foreign funding violations under FCRA, and connections with Pakistani individuals and events.

He also spoke on violence on September 24, stating that a mob of 5,000-6,000 people violently attacked government buildings, political party offices and security forces, resulting in four deaths during self-defence firing and over 70 injuries on both sides, including serious spinal injuries to a CRPF jawan.

However, we did not find him admitting that Wangchuk was arrested without evidence or apologising to the residents of Ladakh.

Discrepancies in the video

The voice of the DGP matched in both videos. However, the tonality, pacing and pauses differed significantly between the two. We also observed unnatural lip movements in the viral video, indicating an attempt at forced lip-synchronisation.

We ran the audio and video through AI-detection tools, but the results were inconclusive about the involvement of AI in manipulating the video. However, after locating the source of the video, we confirmed that the viral video has been manipulated.

Government clarification

The official X handle of PIB Fact Check issued a clarification stating that the Ladakh DGP made no such statement. The post identified the video as digitally altered and labelled it a deepfake.

The post also cautioned the public about AI-generated videos that are deliberately shared to mislead people and create confusion and panic.

Therefore, we conclude that the Ladakh DGP has not said that Wangchuk was arrested without evidence. The viral video is manipulated.