Guwahati, April 4 Opposition Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) candidate Kunki Chowdhury filed a police complaint on Saturday, alleging that deepfake defamatory videos about her family had been circulated on social media, following Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's claims about her mother's eating habits.
This development comes two days after Sarma claimed that Kunki's mother, academician Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, had shared posts related to beef consumption, made offensive remarks towards certain groups, and supported Pakistan, thereby hurting the sentiments of "Sanatani" people.
"These videos falsely depict me in a manner intended to damage my character, reputation, and electoral prospects," Kunki, a candidate for Guwahati Central, said in her complaint.
She stated that the perpetrators had even gone to the extent of dragging her mother into the maliciously created fake videos, thereby also causing her severe mental distress and tarnishing her good image in society.
"The content being disseminated has been manipulated and fabricated using AI/deepfake technology... These videos are also being circulated to likely incite public misunderstanding and to try and influence the electoral process," the AJP leader said.
Urging the police to treat the matter as urgent, she demanded immediate action against the culprits, as it not only affects the dignity of women, but also the "fairness of the electoral process due to the misuse of AI, attempts at character assassination, defaming me and my mother, as well as wrongfully swaying public sentiment against me, my family, and my political candidature".
When contacted, a police officer said that they are looking into the complaint and have begun an investigation into the allegations.
Speaking to reporters after filing the complaint, Kunki alleged that some of the social media users who uploaded the fake videos are associated with the ruling BJP and are close to CM Sarma.
"I don't know why the BJP is stooping to such a low level against me. I am just a new entrant in politics, and they are doing this to me," she added.
Kunki, a 27-year-old with a master's degree from University College London, is one of the youngest candidates in the fray, and she is making her electoral debut from the Guwahati Central constituency. She is contesting against senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Gupta.
After CM Sarma's allegations on her mother, Kunki posted a sarcastic video on social media on Thursday in which she thanked Sarma for making her a household name in the country.
"I would like to thank the honourable chief minister. I have learnt that during a media interaction, he made some allegations against my mother, which are completely untrue," she had said.
Kunki had maintained that the allegations prove that "the BJP has accepted defeat in the Guwahati Central seat".
"It has only been 15 days since I have joined politics, and within this short span of time, the love that the people of Guwahati Central and Assam have shown me has worried them. With him (Sarma) uttering my name, the entire country will now know who Kunki Chowdhury is. I thank him again," she had added.
Polling for the 126-member Assam Assembly will be held on April 9. The votes will be counted on May 4.