Fact Check: Did Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi Say India Engages With the Taliban?

ByFactcheck India

June 2, 2026 #disinformation, #Fact Check India, #Fake news, #India, #Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, #misinformation,#Upendra Dwivedi

Fact Check: Viral Video of Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi on Taliban Is AI-Generated Deepfake

Claim

A video circulating on social media allegedly shows Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi making remarks about India’s engagement with the Taliban and claiming that India funds or maintains links with the group.

Verdict

The claim is false.

What Is Being Shared?

Several social media accounts, including those identified by Indian authorities as Pakistani propaganda handles, circulated a video purportedly showing General Upendra Dwivedi discussing India’s relationship with the Taliban.

The clip was shared with captions suggesting that the Indian Army Chief had publicly acknowledged Indian involvement with the Taliban.

Investigation

PIB Flags Video as Fake

On June 1, 2026, the government’s fact-checking arm, the Press Information Bureau Fact Check unit, issued a public clarification regarding the viral video.

According to PIB, the video was digitally manipulated and falsely attributed remarks to the Army Chief regarding India’s alleged engagement with the Taliban.

PIB stated that:

“Pakistani propaganda accounts are circulating a digitally manipulated video falsely claiming that Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi made remarks regarding India’s engagement with the Taliban.”

Pakistani propaganda accounts are circulating a digitally manipulated video falsely claiming that Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi made remarks regarding India's engagement with the Taliban.#PIBFactCheck

❌ This claim is #FAKE

✅ Indian Army Chief General Upendra… pic.twitter.com/8sej0bowYM
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) June 1, 2026

The agency categorically described the claim as fake and warned users against sharing the misleading content.

Where Did the Original Video Come From?

Authorities clarified that the original footage was taken from General Dwivedi’s media interaction following the Passing Out Parade of the 150th Course at the National Defence Academy in Pune. During that interaction, the Army Chief discussed India’s military preparedness and the continued readiness of the armed forces under Operation Sindoor.

His comments focused on:

Operational preparedness of the Indian Armed Forces
Current security conditions
Readiness of the Army, Navy, and Air Force
Future contingency planning

At no point did he make any remarks about India funding, supporting, or engaging with the Taliban.

Evidence of Manipulation

According to the PIB Fact Check unit, the viral clip was altered using AI-based tools that modified the original audio and context of the Army Chief’s statements. The manipulated content appears to be part of a broader misinformation campaign designed to create a false narrative and mislead audiences on social media.

Why This Matters

The incident highlights the growing use of AI-generated deepfakes in information warfare and propaganda campaigns. Digitally altered videos can falsely portray public figures making statements they never made, making verification from official sources increasingly important. Government agencies have urged citizens to verify sensitive claims through official channels before sharing them online.

Verdict

The viral video claiming that Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi admitted that India engages with or funds the Taliban is fake. The Press Information Bureau has confirmed that the video was digitally manipulated. The original footage was taken from a press interaction concerning Operation Sindoor and military preparedness, and it contains no such remarks about the Taliban. The viral video has been digitally manipulated using artificial intelligence. The Indian government and the Press Information Bureau (PIB) have confirmed that General Dwivedi never made the statements attributed to him in the clip.