Riled by fake videos on HCU lands, Revanth asks cops to swing into action

Hyderabad: The Telangana State government has expressed serious concern over the circulation of fabricated videos and images on social media alleging that the government had encroached upon lands belonging to Hyderabad Central University in Gachibowli.

Raising alarm over the misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create and spread misinformation, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed officials to approach the Supreme Court and seek a probe into the creation and dissemination of AI-generated fake content. The Chief Minister also instructed the police department to strengthen the cybercrime wing to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. He emphasized the need for advanced forensic tools—both hardware and software—to enable prompt detection of AI-generated content.

During a review meeting on pending legal cases related to Kancha Gachibowli lands, officials informed the Chief Minister that there were no disputes or objections when key institutions such as the Indian School of Business (ISB), Gachibowli Stadium, IIIT, private developments, and Hyderabad Central University were built in Survey No. 25.

They noted that no concerns about environmental or wildlife issues were raised during those times.

Officials reported that the current controversy was triggered by the viral spread of AI-generated fake videos and images, which circulated on social media even before the government had a chance to present factual information. The misinformation has become a major challenge for the authorities.

Top police officials informed CM Revanth Reddy that certain vested interests created AI-manipulated visuals depicting crying peacocks and injured deer allegedly harmed during land development activities. These videos falsely portrayed wildlife being hit by bulldozers and fleeing the area. The emotional content of the videos led many, including prominent individuals from various sectors—to mistakenly believe and share the fabricated visuals. The meeting also addressed how Union Minister Kishan Reddy, former Minister Jagadish Reddy, social media influencer Dhruv Rathee, and film celebrities including John Abraham, Dia Mirza, and Raveena Tandon shared these AI-generated visuals on their social media accounts, unintentionally spreading misinformation. Noted journalist Sumit Jha, who had initially shared one such fake video, later deleted the post and issued an apology. However, by then, the content had already been widely shared by others, compounding the spread of the false narrative.