AI-Generated Video of Tigers at Barasat Madrasa Causes Panic and Student Absenteeism
An AI-generated video falsely showing tigers on a madrasa campus in West Bengal went viral, causing panic among students and parents and leading to school absenteeism. The video was created by a geography teacher who said it was meant to teach students about misinformation, and the madrasa deleted it after complaints.
What happened
An AI-generated video purporting to show three tigers on the campus of Ula Kalsara Qadria High Madrasa in Barasat, West Bengal went viral on Wednesday. The video was created by Mohammad Yamin Mallik, an assistant geography teacher at the madrasa.
Mallik stated the video was created to raise student awareness that not all content on social media is real and to align learning with modern technological trends. The madrasa headmaster Monirul Mallik confirmed the video was digitally created and said it was deleted immediately after concerned parents called demanding safety assurances.
Reported impact
The video caused panic among students and guardians and led to a sharp drop in attendance on Wednesday and Thursday. Parents decided to stop sending their children to school after viewing the video on Facebook.
The madrasa issued a show-cause notice to the teacher on Thursday, and the headmaster stated that the managing committee would take appropriate steps to prevent similar incidents.
Index analysis
An AI expert noted that the incident highlighted the double-edged nature of AI tools in educational spaces, as they can be innovative but must be used responsibly.
Governance controls
The madrasa headmaster stated the video was deleted immediately after receiving calls from parents. The madrasa managing committee committed to taking appropriate steps to ensure such incidents do not happen again.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.