Fact Check by Telugu Post: Viral Image of Hisar Police Kicking Woman Is AI-Generated

According to a fact-check report published by Telugu Post Fact Check, an image circulating on social media that allegedly shows a Hisar police officer kicking a female sanitation worker is fake. The investigation found that the image was generated using artificial intelligence and does not depict an actual incident.

The image went viral following a confrontation between police and protesting sanitation workers outside the residence of former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala in Hisar on September 1, 2026. The incident attracted attention amid the ongoing strike by sanitation workers across Haryana.

How the Image Went Viral

On September 2, 2026, an X account identified as @MaheshPahwalASP shared the image, condemning the alleged act of a police officer kicking a female sanitation worker. The post called for an impartial investigation and urged the Haryana government to take action against any officers found guilty of misconduct.

हिसार में महिला सफाई कर्मचारी को लात मारने का वीडियो बेहद शर्मनाक है।

विरोध करने का अधिकार कानून देता है, और कानून तोड़ने पर कार्रवाई भी कानून के तहत होनी चाहिए। लेकिन पुलिस को भी कानून अपने हाथ में लेने का अधिकार नहीं है।

हरियाणा सरकार वायरल वीडियो का संज्ञान लेकर निष्पक्ष जांच और दोषी पुलिसकर्मी पर कार्रवाई करे।

वर्दी जनता की सुरक्षा के लिए है, किसी महिला को लात मारने के लिए नहीं। @cmohry @HimanshuValmi13

— Mahesh Pahwal ASP (@MaheshPahwalASP) September 2, 2026

Another account, Er Guddu Ambedkar, also shared the image on Facebook on the same day. The post questioned police conduct during protests and called for accountability, arguing that law enforcement personnel must protect the public rather than resort to violence against women.

However, the authenticity of the image was not established by these social media posts. A subsequent fact-check investigation found that the image was artificially generated.

Fact Check: What Did the Investigation Reveal?

Telugu Post Fact Check examined the viral image and identified several visual inconsistencies that suggested it had been generated using AI.

One notable irregularity involved a police officer standing beside the officer allegedly kicking the woman. Only the officer’s hand was visible, while the rest of his body appeared to be missing. The image also lacked a natural shadow on the ground. Such visual inconsistencies can occur in AI-generated images.

The investigation then used OpenAI’s image verification tool. According to the fact-check report, the tool detected a SynthID associated with OpenAI technology in the image.

The image was also examined using UncovAI, an AI image detection tool, which identified it as entirely AI-generated.

These findings supported the conclusion that the viral image was not an authentic photograph of the incident.

Hisar Police Warn Against Sharing Fake Images

On September 2, 2026, Hisar Superintendent of Police Siddhant Jain issued a statement through the official Hisar Police X account regarding the circulation of fake images.

According to the statement cited in the fact-check report, police had arrested two individuals accused of creating AI-generated photographs intended to damage the reputation of Hisar Police and circulating them on social media as genuine images.

The SP urged the public not to blindly trust AI-generated images and advised people to verify information before sharing it online. He also warned that deleting a social media post after publishing it would not necessarily protect those responsible from legal action.

Sanitation Workers’ Protest Was Real

Although the viral image is fake, the confrontation between police and sanitation workers in Hisar did take place.

Haryana’s sanitation workers began their strike in August 2026, demanding measures including regularisation of employment and equal pay. Tensions escalated when municipal authorities, accompanied by police personnel, attempted to resume garbage collection in Hisar and Bahadurgarh.

The situation reportedly led to clashes between police and striking workers. Hisar Police stated that several officers were injured, while sanitation workers alleged that force had been used against protesters, including women.

Reports and separate photographs and videos documented the confrontation. However, the existence of the real incident does not establish the authenticity of every image circulated in connection with it.

The specific image showing a police officer kicking a female sanitation worker was found to be AI-generated and should not be treated as genuine evidence of the confrontation.

Subsequent Media Coverage and Impact

Following TeluguPost’s fact-check published on September 5, 2026, identifying the viral image of a policeman kicking a sanitation worker during the Hisar protests as AI-generated, several media organisations, including Lighthouse Journalism, Malayala Manorama and Alt News on September 7, and Jansatta on September 8, published their own fact-checks examining the same image.

TeluguPost’s investigation highlighted the distinction between the real protests and the fabricated visual circulated in their context. Impact tracking also recorded approximately 47,100 views, 4,000 likes and 2,600 additional engagements on one of the cited viral posts before its subsequent withdrawal, illustrating the reach of the misleading content and the importance of timely, evidence-based fact-checking.

Fact Check Verdict

Claim: The viral image shows a Hisar police officer kicking a female sanitation worker during the ongoing strike.

Claimed by: Social media users.

Source of the claim: X and Facebook.

Fact-checking organisation: Telugu Post Fact Check.

Verdict: False.

The viral image is AI-generated and does not depict an actual event. While a confrontation between police and striking sanitation workers did occur in Hisar, the specific image circulating online is not authentic.

Source credit: This article is rewritten based on a fact-check report published by Telugu Post Fact Check.