The Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Commissionerate Police on Tuesday, 7 July arrested a 19-year-old youth from Angul district for allegedly creating and circulating AI-generated, morphed and defamatory content on social media targeting high constitutional dignitaries, including Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The case marks the second such arrest by the Commissionerate Police within days over allegedly objectionable digital content directed at senior constitutional figures.

Who Was Arrested and What He Allegedly Did

The accused has been identified as Manoranjan Pradhan, a resident of Patakumunda village under the Bagedia police station limits in Angul district. According to police, Pradhan operated an Instagram account under the handle 'funny_boy_manoranjan' and a Facebook account in his own name, through which he allegedly uploaded and circulated AI-generated or digitally altered images and video reels.

The content reportedly featured obscene language, vulgar gestures, and defamatory remarks targeting Chief Minister Majhi and other constitutional dignitaries. Police allege that Pradhan intentionally created and distributed this material through digital means to damage the chief minister's reputation and mislead the youth.

How the Case Came to Light

The case was registered at the Bhubaneswar Cyber Crime and Economic Offences Police Station on 4 July, after officers detected the allegedly objectionable content during routine social media patrolling. The account was flagged for uploading reels that allegedly contained digitally altered photos of the Chief Minister in an objectionable manner, along with derogatory comments describing various events.

Pradhan was subsequently arrested under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Second Arrest in Days — A Pattern Emerging

Notably, this is the second arrest of its kind within a short span. On the preceding Sunday, the Commissionerate Police had arrested a 22-year-old youth on similar charges — allegedly circulating objectionable reels containing morphed obscene photos and videos of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Majhi on his social media accounts. The back-to-back arrests signal an intensified cyber surveillance posture by the Odisha police, particularly around content targeting constitutional office-holders.

Opposition Hits Back: BJD Alleges Suppression of Dissent

The arrests have triggered a sharp political response. The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the state government is misusing its authority to suppress public voices. The BJD argued that the crackdown amounts to an attempt to silence democratic expression, though the party did not defend the specific content that led to the arrests.

The controversy places the Odisha government in the middle of a broader national debate over the boundaries between legitimate criticism of public figures and the spread of AI-manipulated, obscene, or defamatory digital content — a challenge that law enforcement agencies across India are increasingly grappling with.

What Happens Next

Pradhan is currently in custody, and the case is under active investigation by the Bhubaneswar Cyber Crime and Economic Offences Police Station. Legal proceedings under the BNS and IT Act are expected to proceed. The twin arrests are likely to intensify scrutiny of the state's approach to policing social media content, particularly as the BJD escalates its political pushback ahead of upcoming legislative sessions.