Republic Day Award Withdrawn After Deepfake Video Incident Targeting MLA
An independent MLA from Bayana constituency alleged that a man accused of creating an obscene deepfake video of her was honoured with a Republic Day award for wildlife conservation work. After the MLA's public complaint, the Barmer district administration withdrew the award the same day and initiated inquiries into how the accused was recommended without verification of pending police cases against him.
What happened
Independent MLA Ritu Banawat from Bayana constituency alleged that Dinesh Manju created and circulated an obscene deepfake video of her shortly after her election victory. Banawat filed a complaint with the Additional Director General of Police Dinesh MN and wrote to the Assembly Speaker, resulting in the arrest of some associates, though Manju remained at large.
Manju was honoured on January 26 at Barmer's district-level Republic Day function for work in wildlife conservation and environmental protection, included in a list of 113 individuals recognised for outstanding contributions. Banawat publicly objected on January 30, questioning how a person accused of creating a defamatory deepfake video of a woman MLA could receive such recognition.
Reported impact
Banawat expressed distress over the recognition granted to the accused and questioned whether women's voices were being suppressed and taken lightly in the country. She stated that if this could happen to an elected woman representative, common women would be even more vulnerable.
Index analysis
The district administration's failure to verify the accused's police record before recommending him for the award represented a systemic oversight. Officials had not placed the police case report before the district-level committee that selected awardees.
Governance controls
Barmer Collector Tina Dabi withdrew the district-level award and certificate of appreciation with immediate effect after learning of the police case. Departmental action was initiated against officials for failing to verify Manju's antecedents with police and against those who recommended him without such verification.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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