Published 20:39 IST, June 15th 2020
Fact Check: Did Rahul Gandhi refer to Sushant Singh Rajput as a 'cricketer' on Twitter?
There has been a claim that former Congress president Rahul Gandhi referred to actor Sushant Singh Rajput as a 'cricketer' in his Twitter post.
Origin
In a shocking development on June 14, Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found hanging from his ceiling at his Bandra residence. Thereafter, renowned personalities from various walks of life expressed their shock and sorrow at Rajput's demise. This included politicians ranging from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi. On Twitter, some social media users lambasted and mocked Gandhi claiming that he had referred to the 34-year-old actor as a cricketer. To buttress their point, they attached a screenshot of his alleged tweet.
There was also a sharp rise in queries about Rahul Gandhi on Google since the post became viral on social media.
Here's the truth
After conducting a fact check of the alleged tweet, it is found that Gandhi did not refer to Rajput as a cricketer. One common pattern in the social media users' posts is that none of them have attached the actual link to Gandhi's tweet. After examining the former Congress president's Twitter account, it is clear that he did write a condolence message. At 7.30 pm, he wrote, "I am sorry to hear about the passing of #SushantSinghRajput. A young & talented actor, gone too soon. My condolences to his family, friends & fans across the world." This makes it evident that Gandhi described as a "young and talented actor".
Updated 20:39 IST, June 15th 2020