20-05-2025
Cops probe AI fake pic after LF neta's plaint
Kolkata: An
AI-generated manipulated photograph
linking a Left leader to an alleged Pakistani spy sparked controversy, leading to police complaints.
CPM youth leader
Srijan Bhattacharya
filed a
cybercrime complaint
on Tuesday after an AI-altered image circulated on social media, falsely showing him with recently arrested YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who faces espionage charges.
The original photograph featured Bhattacharya with a Student Federation of India member, taken at a Left Brigade rally on April 20.
"This is a deliberate attempt to spread misinformation," Bhattacharya told reporters. "Our opponents are resorting to fake content when they can't challenge us with logic."
The woman, whose photo was superimposed, accompanied by her mother Seema Das, attempted to file a separate police complaint at Baranagar PS. "The viral image has deeply affected my daughter," said her mother, a former CPM councillor. The manipulated image maintained identical background, clothing and shades in the original photo. - Dwaipayan Ghosh