Amid the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests and the surrounding uproar over police brutality against student and youth demonstrators, a video of Union Minister Piyush Goyal has gone viral on social media over this past week. In the clip, Goyal can purportedly be heard saying, (translated from Hindi), “I believe that we should hang a 2-3 of these ‘cockroaches’ so that this Cockroach Janta Party can understand the reality of our power and the extent till which we can go…”
Several X users shared the video criticising Goyal for his alleged remarks. (Archive)
कैसी बात कर रहे हैं पीयूष गोयल जी साफ-साफ बोल रहे हैं कि दो-तीन कॉकरोच को लटका देना चाहिए और यह जब अपने दो-तीन कॉकरोच को लटका हुआ देखेंगे तो सारा प्रदर्शन खत्म हो जाएगा.
और सीधा-सीधा आप कह रहे कि हमको अपनी ताकत दिखानी पड़ेगी यह कैसी धमकी है?
उधर रीलबाजी चल रही और इधर धमकी!…
— Puneet Kumar Singh (@puneetsinghlive) July 24, 2026
Another X user @SureshC85120965 also shared the same video, condemning Goyal’s alleged statements. (Archive)
“People of this country, listen carefully. This statement by Union Minister Piyush Goyal reflects a hangman’s mindset and intent. Intoxicated by the power they have gained through your votes, BJP leaders have become so arrogant that they now want to display that power against you. The ‘cockroach’ they talk about hanging at a public square could be any one of your children, even the children of their own blind supporters,” reads the tweet (translated from Hindi).
देशवासियों सुन लीजिए, केंद्रीय मंत्री पियूष गोयल का जल्लादी पृवत्ति का भाव और मंशा वाला बयान, आपके वोट से सत्ता की ताकत पाकर अहंकारी हो चुके भाजपा नेता आपको ही अपनी ताक़त दिखाना चाहते हैं।
चौराहे पर लटकाएं जाना वाला काक्रोच आप में से किसी के भी बच्चे हो सकते हैं– अंधभक्त्तों के… pic.twitter.com/vyYv2IttDG
— Raja Tiwari 🇮🇳 (@SureshC85120965) July 25, 2026
Samajwadi Party leader IP Singh had also shared the video through his X account, in which he strongly condemned Goyal’s alleged remarks, claiming that the latter is “issuing Hitler-style threats to hang the nation’s children and students”. However, the post has now been deleted. (Archive)
Several other X users amplified the same viral clip with similar claims.
Click to view slideshow.Fact Check
A closer examination of the video reveals that the movements of Goyal’s mouth while speaking appears unnatural and are out of sync with the purported audio, suggesting that the clip has been manipulated using AI. Using this as a lead, we performed a reverse image search on several keyframes from the video and traced the original footage to a video uploaded by PTI on July 23.
In the PTI video, Goyal was seen referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of setting up fast-track courts for paper leak cases. He can be heard speaking about how the government aims to take several additional measures to ensure that the hopes and aspirations of the country’s youth are fulfilled.
“We appeal to the Congress party and the Opposition to not politicise this issue. Do not shy away from a discussion. The Opposition is avoiding a debate and politicising the matter. We strongly condemn this. We urge everyone to maintain peace and fulfil our collective responsibility to resolve this issue through discussion…” he had said.
VIDEO | On PM Modi’s X post, Union Minister Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) says, “Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it clear that the strictest possible action will be taken against those responsible. Fast-track courts will be set up to ensure swift and stringent punishment… pic.twitter.com/WBn6qYMArz
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 23, 2026
After the AI video went viral, Goyal himself released a statement on X on July 25, clarifying: “My remarks to the media outside Parliament have been maliciously doctored using AI to create and circulate a deepfake video in an attempt to spread misinformation.” A police complaint at the Chanakyapuri Police Station had been registered on Saturday, he said, adding that “strict legal action will be taken against everyone involved in creating, circulating, or amplifying this fake video”.
⚠️ IMPORTANT
My remarks to the media outside Parliament have been maliciously doctored using AI to create and circulate a deepfake video in an attempt to spread misinformation.
I have filed a police complaint, and an FIR (No. 123/26) has been registered at Chanakyapuri Police…
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) July 25, 2026
The Press Information Bureau also published a fact check on X post, claiming that the fake AI video of Goyal was being circulated by Pakistani propaganda handles.
⚠️ Fake Video Alert!
Pakistani propaganda accounts are circulating a video of Union Minister Piyush Goyal claiming that he made threatening remarks about the protesting students. #PIBFactCheck:
❌This video is #Fake and AI-generated.
✅ Union Minister @piyushgoyal did… pic.twitter.com/lowN3RxaHl
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) July 24, 2026
To sum up, the video of Goyal calling for the hanging of CJP protesters to send a message to the Cockroach Janata Party is an AI-generated deepfake. The original footage, posted by PTI on July 23, contains no such claims, instead Goyal is actually speaking about setting up fast-track courts and additional measures for the youth of the country.
This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Shinjinee Majumder.