India MEA spokesperson deepfake video debunked

A viral video claiming to show Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), responding to media questions about eating snacks during the BRICS Summit has been identified as an AI-generated deepfake.

The manipulated clip depicts Jaiswal at a podium addressing a reporter’s inquiry regarding social media backlash over him consuming nuts and dry fruits during a speech by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. In the fake video, Jaiswal is heard stating, “Well, you see, the nuts were not the biggest issue in the room. Some people were more interested in my snack than the facts I was sharing.”

Fact-checking investigations confirmed the video is fraudulent. Analysis of the original press conference footage from September 15, 2026, shows no such interaction occurred. AI detection tools, including Deepfake-o-Meter, also flagged the video as manipulated. The fake content had previously triggered online trolling and political commentary regarding the spokesperson’s conduct during the summit.