Hyderabad: After the deadly blast near Red Fort in Delhi on November 10, a video is going viral on social media with the claim that it shows National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s reaction to the explosion.
In the video, Ajit Doval can be heard talking about false narratives that spread on social media after major incidents in the country. He said it is important to counter false narratives on social media by using social media itself.
Sharing the video X, a user wrote, “After the Delhi blasts, NSA Ajit Doval said something very important. ‘Be the first to react on social media. False narratives appear within four hours; suppress them with the truth. There is no shortage of patriots in India.’ Ajit Doval” (Archive)
South Check found that the viral claim is misleading. The video is old.
Using reverse image search of the keyframes, we found an extended version of the footage shared on X by ANI on October 25, 2024.
The caption of the post also contained the same remarks from Ajit Doval. It reads, “You should become the first respondents on social media when any incident happens. It has been seen that when any incident occurs, the trash that starts comes within 4 hours of the incident dominates the narrative... If a correct perspective comes on social media within a few hours then it is useful... There is no lack of patriots and nationalists in the country.”
Using keyword searches, we found a report published by the Republic World on the same day with similar details. The title reads, ‘NSA Ajit Doval Says “Social Media Needs To Be Countered Using Social Media”’
The report stated that NSA Ajit Doval said that social media needs to be countered using the platform itself, adding that the first few posts which are posted in the initial few hours of an event dominate the narrative. The report stated that Aijt Doval was speaking at the book launch event of Major General (Retired) GD Bakshi in Delhi.
On YouTube, ANI uploaded Ajit Doval’s speech from the book launch with the title, “‘From History to Social Media...’ NSA Doval opens up at a Book launch in Delhi”
In the YouTube video, Ajit Doval makes the remarks at the 16:41-minute mark.
Therefore, it is clear that the viral remarks about social media by Ajit Doval are from October 2024. They are not related to the recent blast in Delhi. South Check concludes that the viral claim is misleading.