Bhopal, Jan 4, 2026 – Madhya Pradesh YouTuber Amit Kilhor is pushing back against what he calls an "invalid" defamation threat from IAS officer Dr. Nagarjun B. Gowda, stemming from a viral video exposing alleged AI fakery in a national water conservation award. The spat underscores growing scrutiny of digital ethics in government projects—and the perils of DMs as legal tools.
Kilhor's Dec 31 YouTube Short reads aloud the Instagram message from Gowda, the Khandwa District Panchayat CEO, accusing him of criminal defamation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and IT Act for spotlighting "fake AI photos" uploaded to a government portal. Gowda also claimed misuse of his wife Srushti Jayant Deshmukh's (UPSC Rank-5, 2018) photo.
Need help from @yadavakhilesh , @SupriyaShrinate , @priyankagandhi , @priyanka2bharti against the intimidation by an IAS to silence me. pic.twitter.com/OzJS2G8LBy
Kilhor's original video, he says, drew from news reports and public buzz, including shares by figures like Akhilesh Yadav (unverified on his X feed). He denies malice, noting Deshmukh's photo was public on Gowda's Instagram and relevant given Gowda's past book promotions name-dropping her fame—though no ethics title details surfaced in checks.
Kilhor's Defense & Next Steps
"This isn't a legal notice—it's intimidation," Kilhor states, vowing a police General Diary for harassment if threats persist. Indian law demands formal service like registered post; social media misses the mark and risks IT Act backlash for cyberbullying. He nearly apologized via DM but backed off, urging support from lawyers or groups like Bajrang Dal.
