'Made Me Uneasy': How Powerlifter Keyaa Banerji is Fighting Back Against Deepfakes, Harassment After Viral International Success
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Indian powerlifter Keyaa Banerji has spoken out against online abuse, identity theft, and AI-generated fake images following her silver-medal performance at the IPF World Junior Championships in Sun City, South Africa.
The 21-year-old athlete hit an extraordinary 140kg deadlift in the Junior Women's 47kg category lifting more than three times her bodyweight of 45.70kg. Along with a 90kg squat and 50kg bench press, Banerji secured a 280kg total to finish fifth overall. However, her sudden international recognition quickly took a dark turn.
Invasive online abuse and deepfake images
Viral footage of her landmark lift triggered widespread online harassment. Banerji faced account impersonation, loss of privacy, and invasive commentary regarding her ethnicity, ancestry, and caste. Thousands of morphed, AI-generated images of her were circulated without consent, reaching her personal social network and close contacts as per reports.
The situation escalated when Instagram suspended her private account, which had roughly 300 followers and minimal posts. In response, Banerji launched a public profile to control her own narrative and counter ongoing misuse of her identity.
"I was always a very private person and did my sport purely for a sense of personal fulfilment," Banerji reportedly said. "When I saw that clip of me going around after IPF Worlds, it initially made me uneasy because I had a private Instagram account and didn't have much of a social media presence."
Reclaiming the story and keeping focus on Indian sport
"Initially, I just wanted to share this accomplishment with my close friends and family," she added. "It still makes me uneasy to have a public account all of a sudden, but I'd rather take shaky steps towards standing up for myself and having some kind of say in a story about me than reading different versions of it everyday."
Banerji clarified on her platform that she has no desire to become a content creator or monetise her presence. Instead, she plans to use public platforms to direct attention back to her performance, her personal growth, and the broader development of powerlifting in India.
A recent BSc Psychology graduate from Ashoka University who is currently considering an MBA, Banerji remains focused on building her athletic career despite the off-platform distractions.
