Nitish 'Deepfake' Row: JD(U) MLC Files Police Complaint…
JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar filed a police complaint against Prashant Kishor after Kishor labeled a video appeal by former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as an…
- Incident date
- Nov 2024
- Target
- Nitish Kumar
In November 2024, a political dispute emerged in Patna after Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor publicly characterized a video appeal featuring former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as an AI-generated deepfake. The conflict prompted JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar to file a formal police complaint at the Shastri Nagar police station, alleging that Kishor disrespected the former chief minister by questioning the authenticity of the recording.
What happened
The controversy began on Monday when a video was released in which Nitish Kumar appealed to voters in Bankipur to support BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar Sinha. The video highlighted the achievements of the NDA government over the previous two decades, ahead of a by-election scheduled for Thursday.
On Tuesday, Prashant Kishor, who is contesting the same bypoll, claimed the video was artificial and suggested that Nitish Kumar was too ill to have made the appeal personally. Kishor further stated he would withdraw his own candidature if Nitish Kumar were to repeat the appeal in the presence of journalists.
In response, JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar denounced the claim, questioning who would have the audacity to create an artificial representation of the former chief minister. The MLC filed a complaint against Kishor, urging police to investigate the matter and apply relevant legal provisions. The bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of BJP leader Nitin Nabin following his election to the Rajya Sabha, with final vote counting scheduled for the following Monday.