Hyderabad: A video of famous journalist Ravish Kumar, who resigned from NDTV after Indian billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani’s takeover of the channel, is doing rounds on social media. In the video, Kumar is seemingly reporting about a widow winning Rs 90 million on a mobile gaming app.
A Facebook page named Teen Patti King Casino online mobile app published this video along with the URL link of the mobile application. The video also has the phrase ‘Ravish Kumar Official’ on the video.
(Courtesy: Facebook)
Another Facebook user, taking a dig at Ravish Kumar, shared the video with the caption, “The fearless, honest and Ramon Magsaysay award-winning people’s journalist is these days advocating the benefits of gambling. (Translated from Hindi)”
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the video is doctored, and the claim that Ravish is promoting a gambling application is false.
We ran relevant keyword searches on YouTube but could find any video — whether on his official channel or elsewhere — promoting gambling applications. We also could not find the report of a widow from Mumbai winning Rs 90 million through a mobile gaming app.
However, we found the original video with the same visuals as seen in the viral clip published on Kumar’s official channel ‘Ravish Kumar Official’ on June 27, 2023. In the video, Ravish is seen talking about the BJP leaders attacking former US president Barack Obama.
Finally, we came across a Facebook post from August 4 on Ravish’s official page, rebuking the viral doctored video. He asked people not to fall prey to fraudulent gaming apps using his name or photo.
Hence, we conclude that the viral video featuring journalist Ravish Kumar is doctored. Any claim of Ravish promoting a gambling mobile application is false.