A video with a morphed image of former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is circulating with a false claim that the former visited Pant after he met with an accident last week.
BOOM found that the image is digitally altered; the original image shows actor Shah Rukh Khan visiting a children's hospital in United Arab Emirates in 2017.
Rishabh Pant survived a car accident on a highway in Uttarakhand on December 30, 2022; he was airlifted later to a private hospital in Mumbai for further treatment. Pant had suffered two tears on his ligaments.
According to reports, the 25-year-old Indian wicketkeeper underwent a knee ailment surgery on January 6, 2023.
In the video narration, it is stated that Dhoni visited Pant after he was operated.
The video has been captioned in Hindi as, "MS Dhoni reached to meet Rishabh Pant in Uttarakhand, Pant became emotional after seeing Mahi Bhai."
Original caption in Hindi: "उत्तराखंड में ऋषभ पंत से मिलने पहुंचे एमएस धोनी, माही भाई को देखकर इमोशनल हुए पंत."
Fact Check
BOOM ran a reverse image search on the image used in the video and found the original photograph which was published by several Qatari media outlets in May, 2017.
The photo shows Shah Rukh Khan interacting with a child in a hospital.
The Peninsula Qatar on May 10, 2017 published the image with the caption, "Shah Rukh Khan visits Dubai hospital; makes it a special day for his young fans".
It further reports, "On May 7, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan went for a surprise visit to Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital, first pediatric hospital of its kind in United Arab Emirates. The original image shows Khan's visit to Al Jalila Children's Specialty Hospital."
Qatar Tribune also reported the same.
The Facebook page of Dubai's Government Media office also posted
a statement on May 9. The
Government of Qatar released a press statement about Khan's visit.
Here is a comparison of both the photographs.
