Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh AI image incident — Nov 2026

A police complaint was filed in Bengaluru against Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge following his social media posts that allegedly linked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to an interstate ammunition-smuggling network. The complaint, lodged by resident Tejas A Gowda at the Banashankari police station on November 10, 2026, centers on the use of potentially synthetic media to influence public perception.

What happened

The controversy originated from social media posts made by Kharge regarding the seizure of approximately 44,250 live cartridges across Bihar and Haryana. Specifically, 19,250 cartridges were recovered in Bihar's Bhojpur district, while another 25,000 were found in Haryana's Jhajjar district. In his posts, Kharge shared images purportedly showing suspects wearing attire resembling the traditional RSS uniform and questioned the organization's potential involvement in the illegal distribution of ammunition marked by the Khadki Ordnance Factory in Pune.

The complainant, Tejas A Gowda, alleged that Kharge circulated a manipulated or AI-generated image to falsely associate the RSS with the arms trade. The complaint argues that the dissemination of such content could disturb social harmony and requested that the police conduct an independent investigation into the creation and circulation of the image. Additionally, Kharge had used the incident to reiterate his demand for the formal registration of the RSS to ensure institutional accountability. As of November 11, 2026, police confirmed that no FIR had been registered in connection with the complaint.