2012 Speech, 2026 Misinformation
A decade-old video of BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad questioning the government’s silence during the 2012 Delhi protests is being circulated as evidence of his support for recent student protests. OBC found that the footage has been taken out of context.
A dramatic video claiming to show senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad supporting protesting students in Delhi and questioning the government’s response has gone viral online.
OBC identified these viral posts as misleading.
The Viral Video
The X user Siyasat Samvad (@SiyasatSamvad) posted this video on X on 19 October, with a Hindi caption that translates to, ‘Prime Minister, say something at least!!’
As of 21 October, the video had amassed over 75.3k views, 626 likes and 305 reposts.
Several other social media accounts in India have also circulated similar videos. The Facebook page ‘Hindu Virodhi BJP’ shared the same video.
The post carries the caption, “Angry devotees Phoon-Pha @ravishankarprasad.”
Many users flooded the comments with sarcasm and mockery. One user commented, “What’s happened to this man? Finally found his spine or preparing to scoot .”
Another user commented, “It is precisely because of these statements of yours that Modi ji has ousted you from your position; what he wants is Yasmin.”
How did we verify?
We analysed keyframes from the viral video and conducted a reverse image search, which confirmed that the visuals matched a video uploaded by Aaj Tak on 13 December 2012.
BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad appears at the 21:15 timestamp, matching the viral claim shared across social media.
In December 2012, large-scale protests broke out in Delhi following the gang rape and murder of a young woman on a moving bus in the capital. The Congress-led UPA-II government was in power at the Centre at the time. Ravi Shankar Prasad, then a member of the Opposition, was addressing the UPA government during the protests.
Speaking at a media conference, he said: “We did not come here at the behest of any party or organisation. They are our children, they are grieving, and there is anger within them. The government must understand this. Why is the Prime Minister silent?” This video snippet was taken out of context and shared by numerous accounts, falsely alleging that he supported recent student protests and questioned the current government’s stance.
Additionally, the background poster and Ravi Shankar Prasad’s clothing in the viral video match the YouTube footage. In both versions of the video, a black-and-white portrait of a person is visible behind him, and part of it is also visible in the YouTube footage as well.
OBC’s analysis reveals that the viral claims surrounding BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad are misleading. The circulating video does not show him criticising the current government or supporting recent student protests. The footage is from an Aaj Tak news broadcast dated 23 December 2012. An unrelated, decade-old clip has been stripped of its original context and falsely shared to spread misinformation.
