Fact Check: Viral Indira Gandhi Photo With Brahmachari Is AI-Generated

A viral photograph purportedly showing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi drinking champagne with yoga instructor Dhirendra Brahmachari is fake, according to an India Today Fact Check investigation. The image was circulated on social media as a rare photograph of the former prime minister with Brahmachari, alongside claims that the two shared a romantic relationship. However, investigators found that the photograph was created using artificial intelligence.

A closer examination of the image revealed several visual inconsistencies commonly associated with AI-generated pictures. These included anatomical distortions in Brahmachari's body as well as a missing arm and armrest. Such irregularities raised doubts about the authenticity of the photograph and prompted further verification using AI-detection tools.

The investigation also used OpenAI's Verify tool, which identified the image as having been generated using OpenAI tools. A separate assessment by Hive Moderation, a third-party AI detection service, gave the image a 98.1 per cent probability of being AI-generated. These findings led the fact-checking team to conclude that the photograph was not an authentic historical image.

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The claims surrounding the alleged relationship between Indira Gandhi and Dhirendra Brahmachari are also not supported by conclusive evidence. Brahmachari became Indira Gandhi's yoga teacher in the late 1950s and subsequently developed a close relationship with her. During the 1970s and 1980s, his proximity to the prime minister gave him considerable access and influence despite not holding an official government position.

Brahmachari's association with Indira Gandhi has attracted historical interest because of his unusual access to the prime minister and his involvement during the Emergency. According to biographer Katharine Frank, he was permitted to use a four-seater M-5 private aircraft during the Emergency in 1976, contributing to his nickname, "Flying Swami". Brahmachari later died in a plane crash in 1994.

While historical accounts have documented Brahmachari's closeness to Indira Gandhi, allegations of a romantic relationship between them remain unsubstantiated. The viral photograph therefore cannot be used as evidence for such claims. The fact-check concludes that the image circulating online is AI-generated and does not depict a genuine historical moment involving the former prime minister.

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