Fact check: Viral video calling for removal of Sikhs from Indian Army is morphed [truth here]

As Punjab elections approach, some anti-India elements sponsored by Pakistan are hard at work, spreading misinformation with the intention to destabilise the country. A video claiming to be from a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting is widely in circulation, which is creating waves across the country, especially in the border state of Punjab.

Several propaganda handles are sharing the video, provoking a strong response from unsuspecting individuals who haven't been able to identify the fake content.

The claim

A video, claiming to be of a security meeting, is being circulated with the caption: "Cabinet Committee on Security Meeting Minister Anurag Thakur, S Jaishankar calls for removal of Sikhs from the Indian army." In the video, someone can be heard calling for the removal of all Punjabis from the Indian Army. "All generals, all soldiers, remove all of them from top to bottom," a background voice is heard saying, while showing visuals from a Union Cabinet meeting.

In the video, PM Narendra Modi, HM Amit Shah, MEA S Jaishankar, FM Nirmala Sitharaman and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval appear to be in attendance.

Many social media handles have circulated the video with the same content, and demanding action and retaliation. The video source is credited to one Anjali Kaur (@heyanjaliii), which was created last year and has nearly 1,000 followers, and Esha Kaur.

Fact check

International Business Times reviewed the video in question. At first glance, it becomes clear that it has been morphed. Upon further research, it is evident how the video came into being. Check out the facts here.

The video is doctored as the source of the audio doesn't match that of the video. This alone dismisses the claims that the Indian government is considering removing all Punjabis from the Indian Army.

Upon research, the audio traces to a Clubhouse discussion. The voice is of one Vikas Dubey, it was he who had made the suggestion of removal of Punjabis from the Army. The recorded audio had already been circulated on various platforms, which had received strong criticism. But then, the audio was superimposed on the video of a cabinet meeting to create unrest.

The original video is also a month old. It was when PM Modi called for a high-level Cabinet Committee meeting after the death of CDS General Bipin Rawat.

The origin of the doctored video is traced back to ISI information war rooms, creating provocative content in India. This is a serious disinformation attempt against India to destabilise the country at the time of vital elections in the border state of Punjab.

Many verified handles were able to quickly flag the video as manipulated. Taking cognisance of the nature of the video, the official handle of Press Information Bureau (PIB) debunked the claims.

As for the Twitter handle @heyanjaliii that shared the video, the timeline is clear evidence that it is being run by anti-India elements. Other handles like @diyaaaakhan, @SeejalKaur, @eshalkaur1, @keerat506 all of them clearly belong to ISI war rooms.

After reviewing the evidence, IBTimes has arrived at the conclusion that the viral video is doctored. Hence, the government did not hold any meeting, where it called for the removal of Punjabis from the Indian Army.