Did Ajit Doval, national security adviser, write to Uttarakhand’s general secretary to appreciate the government’s efforts to organize the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar?
The government has already received levels for allowing the Kumbh Mela during the pandemic. Large crowds were seen at the event and many participants tested positive for coronavirus.
Below, an image of a letter apparently signed by Doval went viral. In the letter to Om Prakash, general secretary of Uttarakhand, the NSA apparently praised government officials for successfully arranging the Kumbh Mela.
Multiple social media users, i
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) found that the NSA did not write such a letter to Om Prakash. The government called it ‘false’. The Uttarakhand CS also confirmed that he had not received such a letter from Doval about Kumbh Mela.
The archived versions of the posts are stored here and here.
Truth behind the viral letter
Several grammatical errors in the viral letter made us suspicious of its authenticity. For example, one of the sentences reads: ‘I also appreciate you using your previous experience of Kumbh Mela officer’, which is grammatically and syntactically incorrect.
Shortly after the letter went viral, the government allegedly called it false. news agency ANI.
India Today reaches out to Om Prakash to whom the viral letter is addressed. The senior IAS officer said: “I have not recently received any such letter from the NSA on Kumbh Mela.”
We found that the language and single sentences in the viral letter are similar to another letter written by Doval to Uttar Pradesh general secretary Rajender Kumar Tiwari in 2019, according to some newspapers. India Today cannot independently verify the authenticity of that letter.
Viral letter of 2021
Viral letter of 2019
Earlier, PIB uncovered another fake letter that went viral in Doval’s name in which he allegedly congratulated the commissioner-secretary, Ladakh, for his role in dealing with the border situation.
It is therefore clear that the viral image of a letter that Doval allegedly wrote to the general secretary of Uttarakhand for a ‘successful’ Kumbh Mela is false.
ClaimThe national security adviser, Ajit Doval, wrote to Uttarakhand, general secretary, Om Prakash, appreciating the government’s efforts to organize the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar. ClosureThe NSA did not write such a letter to Om Prakash. The government called it ‘false’. The Uttarakhand CS also confirmed that he had not received such a letter from Doval about Kumbh Mela.
JHOOTH BOLE KAUVA KAATE
The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie.
- 1 Crow: Half true
- 2 crows: mostly lies
- 3 crows: absolutely false
