Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
New Delhi: Fake claims, alleging that NDTV India prime time anchor and Magsaysay award winner Ravish Kumar questioned the presence of Madhulika Rawat, wife of CDS Gen Bipin Rawat, who was also killed in the fatal chopper crash in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor is being widely shared on social media platforms. On checking the veracity of the claim, Newschecker has found it to be false.
The post has been shared several times on both Facebook and Twitter. Among the many who shared the claim on Twitter was @anandagarwal554 whose post claiming Ravish Kumar raised questions on Madhulika Rawat’s presence in the chopper, has gained 38 likes and over 40 retweets.
In addition to several other similar claims on Twitter and Facebook, Newschecker also received a request to fact check this claim on our WhatsApp helpline number (+91 9999499044).
While the viral forward claims that Ravish has said this, there is no mention of where he has said this, whether on his social media platform or his daily show.
Fact Check/Verification
To check the veracity of the claim, Newschecker began by checking the archive history of Ravish Kumar’s page and found that the last archived copy of the page was on October 27.
Newschecker also conducted a keyword search of the claim and found no evidence of any screenshot or archived tweet by Ravish Kumar questioning Madhulika Rawat’s presence in the chopper.
Ravish Kumar’s Facebook page has a post in which he is referring to the tragic accident, but it doesn’t have any reference to Madhulika Rawat’s presence in the chopper.
Furthermore, Newschecker also referred to the YouTube feed of NDTV India to check for Ravish Kumar’s prime time show from December 8 and found no such reference.
Newschecker also reached out to Ravish Kumar himself who denied having raised any questions over Madhulika Rawat’s presence in the chopper. “I have not written such a thing anywhere. Whoever spread this rumour is instigating the crowd, and all this puts my life in constant danger. This rumor has spread a lot. People should ask where I have written this. People are forwarding it without thinking. I just wrote on Facebook yesterday. Even today I have written on my official page @RavishKaPage.”
Conclusion
By corroborating Ravish Kumar’s social media pages and his prime time show, we find that there are no traces of comments attributed to him, and hence the claims are fabricated.
Result: False/Fabricated
Our Sources
Ravish Kumar’s Facebook page
Direct confirmation from Kumar
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Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
