A few days ago, a series of false claims emerged from right-wing news portal, Sudarshan News Editor and its journalists, alleging the kidnapping of their journalist, Mukesh Kumar, in broad daylight from Gurugram Sector 17. However, when dug into the whole story it revealed a different reality. Mukesh Kumar was not kidnapped; he was arrested by the Gurugram cyber police for spreading fake and misleading information regarding recent violence in Nuh and Gurugram in Haryana following the attacks on Hindu Shobha Yatra.
Interestingly, the initial claim of Mukesh Kumar’s alleged kidnapping originated from his own news portal, @SudarshanNewsTV. The editor-in-chief, Suresh Chavhanke, shared this misleading news again via retweet. His retweet followed by a tweet from the news portal claimed that their journalist Mukesh Kumar was kidnapped and was even dragged from the driving seat of the car by goons after a fight or resistance at Gurugram’s Sector 17 when he was on his way to Mewat to help Hindu activists who were struggling by the ongoing violence in Gurugram and Nuh district of Haryana. They went further to add that he was dragged from his car when he was on his way to meet Hindu activists who were struggling in Mewat amidst the violence.
The inaccurate information rapidly spread across social media platforms, fueled by habitual fake news propagators like @INDVivekPandey_. These accounts amplified the false narrative, contributing to its virality. Even a senior reporter from Dainik Bhaskar, Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP), was swept into the misinformation whirlwind. Gupta inaccurately tweeted about Mukesh Kumar’s alleged kidnapping, citing Sudarshan News as the source.
Later, the Gurugram police took to their Twitter account to issue a notice about his arrest, countering the misleading narratives.
The larger intention behind these misinformed narratives was to fuel communal tensions. Sudarshan News and misinformation-propagating accounts leveraged false claims about Mukesh Kumar’s arrest to incite unrest, continuing their pattern of misleading the public. After conducting an extensive and thorough analysis, our team engaged in fact-checking the claim. You can find the results of this investigation in the Twitter thread embedded below for your reference.
CLAIM: Sudarshan News Journalist Mukesh Kumar was arrested in broad daylight.
FACT: Misleading, he was arrested by Gurugram Cyber Cell for spreading fake news.
In our pursuit of accurate and unbiased information, we’ve diligently fact-checked the claims surrounding the incident. Misinformation can sow discord and disrupt communal harmony. Your support matters greatly in our mission to foster an informed and united society. Together, let’s strive to make India and Indians proud, upholding truth and unity. Jai Hind.
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