Dia refutes Telangana CM's claim on AI clip of tree-felling

Actor and environmentalist Dia Mirza has strongly denied allegations made by

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy

that she shared fake,

AI-generated videos

to support protests against tree-felling at Kancha Gachibowli in Hyderabad. Taking to social media on Sunday, Dia clarified that she had not posted any manipulated visuals and urged the government and media to fact-check before making such accusations.

“This is an absolutely false statement”
"The CM of Telangana posted a tweet yesterday. He made certain claims about the situation at Kancha Gachibowli," Dia wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "One of them was that I had used FAKE AI-generated images/videos in support of the protest by students to protect biodiversity on the 400 acres of land the government wanted to auction. This is an absolutely false statement."

The actor emphasized that all content she shared was genuine and not artificially created. "I have not posted a single image or video that is AI generated. The media and the Telangana government should verify their facts before making such claims," she added.

Netizens react
The tweet was soon flooded with comments from netizens. One comment read, “A strong and clear response. Truth must always prevail against misinformation and political spin. Stay steadfast.” Another comment read, “Clarifications and verifications are both necessary in this age of AI.”
What’s the issue
The controversy stems from ongoing protests led by students of the University of Hyderabad, who are opposing the state government’s proposal to auction a 400-acre parcel of ecologically sensitive land bordering the university. The land is being considered for the development of an IT park and urban infrastructure, a move that has drawn criticism from environmentalists and students concerned about

biodiversity loss

.
The matter has reached both the Telangana High Court and the Supreme Court, where petitions have been filed to halt the proposed development.