Clip of India’s border soldiers forced to do squats by China’s military is AI-generated
After Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited China and bypassed India in his first overseas trip since assuming office, Bengali-language posts shared an AI-generated video falsely claiming it shows Indian border troops who surrendered to the Chinese army. The circulating clip contains errors that indicate it is an AI creation, and there have been no official reports to back up the posts’ claims of Indian soldiers laying down their arms.
“This time, two Indian soldiers are forced to do squats while holding their ears by the Chinese army,” reads the Bengali -language caption of a Facebook reel posted on July 1, 2026.
The 22-second-long video, which has been shared over 2,000 times, appears to show two Indian soldiers doing squats under the watchful eyes of Chinese troops.
Superimposed Bengali-language text on the video says the two Indian soldiers are Border Security Force (BSF) personnel who surrendered.
Screenshots of the false post captured on July 16, 2026, with AI symbols and red Xs added by AFP
The video surfaced after Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited Malaysia and China on his first trip abroad since assuming office, bypassing neighbouring India as his inaugural destination ( archived link).
Relations between Bangladesh and India have been strained since a 2024 uprising toppled the government of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, an ally of New Delhi.
While ties have improved since Rahman won elections and took over in February from the interim administration that had led the country of 170 million people since Hasina’s ouster, frictions remain.
Hasina has been in hiding in India since fleeing the revolution and Bangladesh has repeatedly sought her extradition. Relations have also deteriorated along the border, with India sending people it deems illegal migrants across the frontier to Bangladesh.
The video was also shared elsewhere on Facebook, with commenters appearing to reference India’s wariness of China’s regional clout and competition for influence in South Asia.
“Long live Bangladesh! I extend my heartfelt congratulations to China,” reads a comment on one of the posts.
Another says: “This is proof that India is a weak country, they just talk a big game.”
A clash along their disputed Himalayan border in June 2020 killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops, but there have been no official reports of fresh confrontations let alone of Indian BSF personnel surrendering ( archived link).
A closer examination of the circulating video shows it contains visual errors indicative of AI-generated content.
The Indian soldiers appear to have the same facial features and hair styles; the Chinese soldiers similarly appear to be copies of one another and move in lockstep. One of the Chinese soldiers also seems to be missing the Chinese flag insignia prominently displayed on all the other soldiers’ uniforms.
Moreover, the video’s audio — which seems to be from a busy city street — does not match its visuals.
Screenshot of the falsely shared video, with visual errors highlighted by AFP
An analysis of the video using the Hive Moderation detection tool concluded it was likely to contain AI-generated content ( archived link).
Screenshot of Hive detection tool result
AFP has previously debunked other misleading claims about tensions on the China-India border.
