A 6-minute 53-second video, claiming to show a Lucknow-based IPS officer Shailajakant Mishra talking in detail about how many Indian politicians are facing criminal charges and the flaws of the Indian political system that enables the participation of such criminals, has gone viral on social media, with users hailing his “courage” and “fearless” dedication towards speaking the truth.
The archived version of the post can be seen here. We also received this video on our Whatsapp tipline (+91 9999499044), too, with users requesting us to fact-check it.
Fact Check
Upon closer inspection of the viral video, Newschecker noticed a watermark reading, “Nitish Rajput”, following which a relevant keyword search led us to this Youtube video uploaded by a YouTube channel with handle the @Nitish Rajput, on July 26, 2020, headlined, “Why Criminals Win Elections.”
“Nitish Rajput firmly believes that there are adequate tools available online through which people can be brought together, informed, and educated collectively… Nitish Rajput wants to empower and facilitate people to challenge atrocities and become more vocal about the issues plaguing Indian society,” read his bio on Youtube.
We also found a DNA India news report, dated June 2, 2022, about Rajput, stating that he is an Indian YouTuber and digital activist.
Newschecker had also contacted Rajput, who told us, “The viral claim is false. It is me in the video. You can also watch it on my YouTube channel.” We ran a keyword search for “Shailajakant Mishra IPS”, whom we learnt is a retired IPS officer and is currently the vice-president of the UP Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad. News reports can be seen here and here, confirming that the man in the viral video is not Mishra.
Also Read: ‘No’ Hindu Festivals, Only Iftar Celebrated At Kolkata’s Jadavpur University? Here’s The Truth
Conclusion
An old video of YouTuber Nitish Rajput speaking about a large number of MPs and MLAs facing criminal charges is being shared with false claims misidentifying Rajput as IPS officer Shailajakant Mishra.
Source
Youtube video, Nitish Rajput, July 26, 2020
Conversation with Nitish Rajput