Sandeshkhali
'AI-generated': BJP leader claims after 'sting video' shows him claiming no rapes in Sandeshkhali
Kolkata/IBNS: The political scenario in West Bengal has been thrown into major turmoil with a purported video showing a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader admitting that no rapes or sexual harassment had taken place in Sandeshkhali and women were convinced to file such complaints at the directions of Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.
The 'sting video' has sparked heated debates with accusations being levelled by both the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the BJP on each other.
The controversy emerged when the Trinamool Congress asserted that a 'sting video' had brought to light the BJP's strategy to discredit them regarding the Sandeshkhali incident.
BJP leader Gangadhar Kayl, who appeared in the said video making such claims, responded swiftly by filing a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), claiming manipulation through Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Kayl, in his complaint, claimed that his facial features and voice were manipulated using AI technology to fabricate the video.
"I have come across a video... where it can be seen that the same has been made using my face and the voice has been modulated using Artificial Intelligence," he said.
Kayl also accused TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee of orchestrating the conspiracy to protect the actual perpetrators of the Sandeshkhali incident.
He highlighted discrepancies in the video, citing desynchronization between audio and video, obscured facial features, and poor audio quality, alluding to deliberate manipulation.
"The face of the speaker, cannot be seen properly and has been edited in such a way so that the face remains in the dark. Audio quality is not clear and to suffice that subtitles have been used and the same has been couched in such a way that can disturb the ongoing investigation," the complaint alleged.
The BJP leader has also urged the CBI to investigate the said video footage.
The video surfaced at a time when West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, who had also hit out at the state government over the Sandeskhali issues, was accused of sexually harassing a temporary employee of the Raj Bhavan.
A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had alleged that they were raped and sexually harassed by now-arrested TMC strongman Shahjahan and his aides. The issue triggered massive protests by the Bengal BJP and snowballed into a major national political issue ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also attacked the Trinamool Congress and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accusing them of shielding the leader, who was eventually arrested in February after being on the run for over 50 days.
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