Congress Leader N Subrahmanyan Taken Into Custody for Circulating AI Image of Chief Minister With Unnikrishnan Potty

Thiruvananthapuram: KPCC Political Affairs Committee member N Subrahmanyan has been taken into custody for circulating an AI-generated image on social media showing Unnikrishnan Potty, accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, alongside the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, allegedly to defame him. The Chevayur police registered a case for incitement to riot before taking him into custody. The AI image was posted on Christmas Day at noon with the caption questioning, “Why would there be a deep connection between Pinarayi and Unnikrishnan Potty?”

The fake image and accompanying narrative, intended to smear the Chief Minister, were exposed when the real video of the official event surfaced. The footage had been edited and manipulated using AI. Once the authentic video circulated on social media, the attempt to defame failed.

The original event, held on August 20 at the Secretariat North Block, involved the handing over of an ambulance by Bhima Gold to Kerala Police, following a request from Mattannur Shankarankutty Marar. The event was attended by State Police Chief Ravad A Chandrashekhar, Bhima Gold Director Vishnusharan K Bhatt, Mattannur Shankarankutty Marar, and the sponsors. Unnikrishnan Potty was present at the ceremony, but the Chief Minister did not interact with him.

The circulated fake story falsely claimed that the Chief Minister and Unnikrishnan Potty held a secret meeting, created by manipulating the real footage and altering it with AI to mislead viewers.