RSS Chief Asked PM To "Saffronise" Army? Centre Calls Out Fake Video

A video of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, in which he is purportedly heard saying that he has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "saffronise" the Indian Army, is fake and has been digitally altered to mislead the public, the government's Press Information Bureau (PIB) has said.

"We have informed (Prime Minister) Modi about our decision that if the Army has to be kept pure, then it has to be saffronised. Untouchables who are hollowing out our Army from the inside have to be thrown out," the RSS chief is heard saying in the fake video.

The audio then says that the Prime Minister had told the RSS chief that he was under pressure. "But I told him clearly that if he did not throw out over 50 per cent non-caste Hindus in the Army by 2028, then he must understand that Modi will go and Yogi will come," the digitally altered voice says.

🚨 Deepfake Video Alert

A digitally manipulated video of Mohan Bhagwat is circulating online with the false claim that he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to saffronize the Indian Army and remove 50% of non-caste Hindus from the force.#PIBFactCheck

✅ This video is #fake &… pic.twitter.com/zoChnar585

— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) February 19, 2026

"A digitally manipulated video of Mohan Bhagwat is circulating online with the false claim that he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to saffronize the Indian Army and remove 50% of non-caste Hindus from the force. This video is fake and has been digitally altered," PIB's fact-check wing said in a post on X.

The post also shared a link to the actual remarks. In the actual video, Bhagwat explains why it is a mistake to try to understand the RSS through the BJP. "If you want to understand Sangh, look only at the Sangh. And you cannot understand just from appearance. It has to be felt," he says.

The PIB post added, "Beware! Such manipulated videos are being deliberately shared to mislead the public. Help stop misinformation. If you come across such misleading or manipulated content, report it immediately."