Viral video of Indian Colonel Sofia Qureshi criticising tri-military exercises as political gimmick for Bihar elections is doctored

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted an AI deepfake detection analysis to assess the authenticity of the video and performed a keyword and reverse image search to identify the original source.

Several people on social media platform X shared a video on November 3, 2025, claiming to show Indian army spokesperson Colonel Sofia Qureshi criticising recent tri-military exercises as a “political gimmick” to manipulate the Bihar elections. However, the video is doctored.

India kicked off large-scale combined military exercises named ‘Trishul 2025’ near its western border on October 30 amid heightened regional tensions. The war games, involving armoured divisions, fighter aircraft and advanced drone systems, are being held across Rajasthan and Punjab to test rapid deployment capabilities. Indian defence officials have described the drills as routine preparedness measures. Meanwhile, upcoming elections are scheduled in Bihar, India, for the state’s legislative assembly from November 6 to 11.

HOW IT STARTED

On November 3, an Indian account that appears to be anti-BJP, based upon its previous posts, shared a video of Col Sofia at a press briefing with the caption: “These Trishul exercises are nothing but a political gimmick to sway the Bihar elections. I’m done being used as a prop for Muslim support. I can’t stand the saffronisation of the Indian Army.”

In the video, which had a watermark of Indian news agency ANI, the Indian military officer could be heard saying: “Today, I stand here not as a political pawn but as a soldier of the Indian army. For two and a half years, I have served my country with pride, until I realised we were being used as props to divide our own citizens.

“The saffronisation of our ranks is a betrayal of every oath we took. Our job is to defend India, not the ideology of the BJP or RSS. These so-called Trishul exercises before the Bihar elections are nothing but a theatre to fool the nation. Uniforms are being printed in ideology, not honour.

“This must stop now. If speaking the truth costs my uniform, so be it. I still stand with India, not with hate.”

The post gained 47,000 views.

The video and claim were also shared by a Pakistani propaganda account, based on its previous posts, with the caption: “Breaking News: Col Sofya Qureshi explodes on live TV, ‘These Trishul exercises are nothing but a political gimmick aimed at manipulating the Bihar Elections. I am sick and tired of being used as a prop for Muslim support. I can’t stand with saffronisation of the Indian army’.”

The post racked up 29,400 views.

Others on X also shared the video along with the claim, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here, collectively garnering over 20,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the purported statement attributed to the Indian army spokesperson amid regional tensions.

Analysing the video using the forensic tool AI Video Detector shows that the clip was flagged as “suspicious” with a 60 per cent deepfake probability score. Deepware, another tool, also detected it as suspicious with an 84pc deepfake score.

Additionally, a reverse image search conducted to trace the original footage yielded an X video uploaded on October 31, 2025, by Indian news outlet ANI. It stated that Col Sofia spoke at the Young Leaders Forum in Delhi.

“Colonel Sofiya Qureshi says … responsibilities for defending a nation are not just the military’s game; civilians also play a role in addressing external and internal threats … Over the years, the Indian army has trained officers and troops in ‘Saashtra’ and ‘Shashtra’,” the caption of the post read.

It added: “‘Saashtra’ means knowledge, strategy, and wisdom, while ‘Shashtra’ means weaponry and warfare, representing a blend of intellect and strength … Every generation has carried the flame of patriotism, from baby boomers to Gen Z … Be it seven decades ago or Operation Sindoor, you all have witnessed it … You, the ‘Yuva Shakti of Bharat,’ you are the force of multipliers. You are not only trained in firepower, but also in the firewalls. You are ready to face kinetic and non-kinetic domains … War is not only fought in bunkers or with bullets, but also with bites and bandwidths.”

The reverse image search also yielded the full video of Col Sofia’s speech uploaded on YouTube by ANI. In the clip, Col Sofia spoke about the Indian youth and the role they play in national security.

However, at no point did she discuss Indian domestic politics or make any remarks about the politicisation of the Trishul exercises.

Her speech was covered by multiple Indian media outlets such as WION News, Indian Economic Observer and Hindustan Times. None of the reports mentioned any criticism of the alleged politicisation of the Indian army or of the tri-military exercises as a political gimmick.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows Indian military spokesperson Colonel Sofia Qureshi criticising the recent Trishul exercises as a political gimmick to manipulate the Bihar elections is false.

The clip is doctored and has been dubbed over through AI-generated audio.