Fake Screenshot Viral Claimimg Virat Kohli Criticised Govt Over Women's Safety

A viral screenshot claiming Indian cricketer Virat Kohli posted an Instagram story criticising the government over rising rape cases in India is fake.

BOOM found that the former Indian men's cricket team skipper did not post any such story on Instagram. We also found that Kohli has not made such a comment on any public forum.

The viral screenshot shows an Instagram story posted by Kolhi in Hinglish which roughly translates in English to, "If this much attention was paid towards the government, India would not be the rape capital today".

This was posted by the X handle @mohitlaws.

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FACT-CHECK

BOOM checked Virat Kohli's official Instagram handle and did not find any story posted by the cricketer criticising the government over rape cases. Additionally, we did not find any credible news reports that supported the claim.

The X handle @mohitlaws who shared the fake screenshot, in a reply to a user admitted that it was fake saying, “No, it’s a meme. Fake but fact.”

The viral screenshot carries the logo of an Instagram handle @indians. The Instagram handle posted a series of fake screenshots with the caption, "What if that same intense scrutiny and energy were directed towards the issues that truly impact our lives here in India?"

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The handle had posted at least six similar fake Instagram story screenshots, falsely attributed to Virat Kohli, all featuring variations of the tagline, “Itna attention government pe diya hota toh” (If so much attention had been paid to the government).

BOOM has previously fact-checked several fake Instagram story screenshots falsely attributing them to Kohli.

Kohli's Instagram account recently sparked a flood of offensive memes after the cricketer is said to have 'liked' a post by actor Avneet Kaur. Many speculative posts dragged in actor Anushka Sharma, Kohli's wife, forcing the actor to issue a clarification and asking people to not make an issue out of an insignificant act.