Viral footage sparks criticism over police allegedly watching and recording women dancers.
Varanasi Police call the video AI-generated, alleging attempts to tarnish their image.
Local reports say an FIR was registered against unidentified persons over circulation.
A video of a dance performance during Varanasi’s Baba Lat Bhairav Barat celebrations has sparked controversy, with police personnel allegedly seen watching and recording the dancers on their phones.
The clip prompted criticism from political and civil society groups over the conduct of officers deployed at the venue. Varanasi Police subsequently called the footage AI-generated and said it was being circulated to tarnish the department’s image.
Alt News, however, traced several recordings of the same performance from different angles and reported that police personnel were visible around the dancers.
Criticism Over Police Conduct
The viral clip purportedly showed two women dancing on a raised platform to Bhojpuri songs. Some police personnel appeared to be watching the performance, while others allegedly recorded it.
The Samajwadi Party’s media cell criticised the BJP government on X, alleging that obscene songs and performances were taking place at temple premises and religious events.
Advocate Vikas Singh, a former general secretary of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, questioned the alleged conduct of the officers. He called for an impartial investigation if any personnel were found to have neglected their duties.
Police Say Video Was AI-Generated
Varanasi Police rejected the footage on Tuesday. DCP Kashi Zone Gaurav Banswal said the entire video was AI-generated.
Police said recordings made by spectators had been examined and zoomed in on, but officers allegedly visible in the viral clip could not be seen on the mobile phone screens captured in those recordings.
“The above video is AI-generated and is being circulated with the intention of tarnishing the image of police. In the mobile videos being made by the crowd, police standing in the background is not visible on any screen,” the police said.
The video’s authenticity had not been independently verified before the department issued its clarification. According to local reports, an FIR was subsequently registered at Adampur police station against unidentified persons over its circulation.
Fact Checkers Say Video Is Not Altered
Alt News traced several videos of the event to the Instagram account @queen__juhi_002__, claiming that the account belonged to one of the dancers seen in the viral clip.
At least four recordings showed the dancers in the same attire as in the video shared on X. According to Alt News, police personnel were visible nearby, with some watching and others filming the performance.
Closer examination showed officers both on and below the stage. Alt News also identified police personnel on spectators’ mobile phone screens. One frame showed an audience member on a video call.
Another Instagram user, @aman_bhu_2427, posted footage of the same performance from a different angle. Text on the video identified the venue as Lat Bhairav Mandir.
That recording also showed several officers gathered around the dancers on stage, with some filming on their phones, Alt News reported. The dancer’s Instagram account had been taken down by the time its report was written.
The performance was linked to the five-day Baba Lat Bhairav Barat celebrations, held from September 23 to 27. The festival marks the divine wedding of Baba Lat Bhairav, also known as Kapal Bhairav, with Goddess Bhairavi.
Devotees carry wedding offerings from the main shrine in Kazzakpura to Visheshwarganj Sabzi Mandi for the Tilak ceremony. The procession stops at the Kaal Bhairav temple for rituals and aarti before concluding at the Lat Bhairav temple.
People associated with the temple maintained that performances by nagar vadhus, or courtesans, were part of a longstanding tradition. Sanatan Rakshak Dal president Ajay Sharma disputed that account, saying such performances had been introduced only in recent years.
