#FactCheck -Viral Post Falsely Attributes Communal NEET Remark to Kangana Ranaut; Fact Check Debunks Claim
Executive Summary
A post claiming to be a statement by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut regarding the NEET paper leak is going viral on social media. The post allegedly quotes her as saying:“Hindus are in danger here and you are worried about the NEET exam. If Hindus do not exist, who will take the NEET exam?” The CyberPeace Research Wing research found this claim to be fake. Kangana Ranaut herself has also denied the viral post through her official X (formerly Twitter) account.
Claim
A user on X shared the viral graphic and wrote that Hindus are in danger and questioned the relevance of the NEET exam, further linking it to political criticism of the BJP government.
Fact Check
During the research, keyword-based searches revealed no credible reports linking Kangana Ranaut to any such statement regarding NEET paper leaks or Hindus. We also reviewed Kangana Ranaut’s official social media accounts. On May 20, 2026, she tagged Congress leader Surendra Singh Rajput in an X post and clearly termed the viral statement as fake. She also criticized Rajput and the Congress party over the spread of misinformation. Notably, Surendra Rajput later deleted his original post.
On May 21, Rajput reposted Kangana’s clarification, stating that after her denial it was clear that the poster and statement were not hers. He also said he had deleted his post. Under his post, a user shared screenshots of the deleted content.
Conclusion
Our research confirms that Kangana Ranaut has not made any such statement related to the NEET paper leak or Hindus. The viral claim is fake.
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Introduction
YouTube is testing a new feature called ‘Notes,’ which allows users to add community-sourced context to videos. The feature allows users to clarify if a video is a parody or if it is misrepresenting information. The feature builds on existing features to provide helpful content alongside videos. Currently under testing, the feature will be available to a limited number of eligible contributors who will be invited to write notes on videos. These notes will appear publicly under a video if they are found to be broadly helpful. Viewers will be able to rate notes into three categories: ‘Helpful,’ ‘Somewhat helpful,’ or ‘Unhelpful’. Based on the ratings, YouTube will determine which notes are published. The feature will first be rolled out on mobile devices in the U.S. in English. The Google-owned platform will look at ways to improve the feature over time, including whether it makes sense to expand it to other markets.
YouTube To Roll Out The New ‘Notes’ Feature
YouTube is testing an experimental feature that allows users to add notes to provide relevant, timely, and easy-to-understand context for videos. This initiative builds on previous products that display helpful information alongside videos, such as information panels and disclosure requirements when content is altered or synthetic. YouTube in its blog clarified that the pilot will be available on mobiles in the U.S. and in the English language, to start with. During this test phase, viewers, participants, and creators are invited to give feedback on the quality of the notes.
YouTube further stated in its blog that a limited number of eligible contributors will be invited via email or Creator Studio notifications to write notes so that they can test the feature and add value to the system before the organisation decides on next steps and whether or not to expand the feature. Eligibility criteria include having an active YouTube channel in good standing with Yotube’s Community Guidelines.
Viewers in the U.S. will start seeing notes on videos in the coming weeks and months. In this initial pilot, third-party evaluators will rate the helpfulness of notes, which will help train the platform’s systems. As the pilot moves forward, contributors themselves will rate notes as well.
Notes will appear publicly under a video if they are found to be broadly helpful. People will be asked whether they think a note is helpful, somewhat helpful, or unhelpful and the reasons for the same. For example, if a note is marked as ‘Helpful,’ the evaluator will have the opportunity to specify if it is so because it cites high-quality sources or is written clearly and neutrally. A bridging-based algorithm will be used to consider these ratings and determine what notes are published. YouTube is excited to explore new ways to make context-setting even more relevant, dynamic, and unique to the videos we are watching, at scale, across the huge variety of content on YouTube.
CyberPeace Analysis: How Can Notes Help Counter Misinformation
The potential effectiveness of countering misinformation on YouTube using the proposed ‘Notes’ feature is significant. Enabling contributors to include notes on videos can offer relevant and accurate context to clarify any misleading or false information in the video. These notes can aid in enhancing viewers' comprehension of the content and detecting misinformation. The participation from users to rate the added notes as helpful, somewhat helpful, and unhelpful adds a heightened layer of transparency and public participation in identifying the accuracy of the content.
As YouTube intends to gather feedback from its various stakeholders to improve the feature over time, one can look forward to improved policy and practical over time: the feedback mechanism will allow for continuous refinement of the feature, ensuring it effectively addresses misinformation. The platform employs algorithms to identify helpful notes that cater to a broad audience across different perspectives. This helps showcase accurate information and combat misinformation.
Furthermore, along with the Notes feature, YouTube should explore and implement prebunking and debunking strategies on the platform by promoting educational content and empowering users to discern between fact and any misleading information.
Conclusion
The new feature, currently in the testing phase, aims to counter misinformation by providing context, enabling user feedback, leveraging algorithms, promoting transparency, and continuously improving information quality. Considering the diverse audience on the platform and high volumes of daily content consumption, it is important for both the platform operators and users to engage with factual, verifiable information. The fallout of misinformation on such a popular platform can be immense, and so, any mechanism or feature that can help counter the same must be developed to its full potential. Apart from this new Notes feature, YouTube has also implemented certain measures in the past to counter misinformation, such as providing authenticated sources to counter any election misinformation during the recent 2024 elections in India. These efforts are a welcome contribution to our shared responsibility as netizens to create a trustworthy, factual and truly-informational digital ecosystem.
References:
- https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/new-ways-to-offer-viewers-more-context/
- https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/internet/youtube-tests-feature-that-will-let-users-add-context-to-videos/article68302933.ece
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Introduction
India's broadcasting sector has undergone significant changes in recent years with technological advancements such as the introduction of new platforms like Direct-to-Home (DTH), Internet Protocol television (IPTV), Over-The-Top (OTT), and integrated models. Platform changes, emerging technologies and advancements in the advertising space have all necessitated the need for new governing laws that take these developments into account.
The Union Government and concerned ministry have realised there is a pressing need to develop a robust regulatory framework for the Indian broadcasting sector in the country and consequently, a draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023, was released in November 2023 and the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) had invited feedback and comments from different stakeholders. The draft Bill aims to establish a unified framework for regulating broadcasting services in the country, replacing the current Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and other policy guidelines governing broadcasting.
Recently a new draft of an updated ‘Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024,’ was shared with selected broadcasters, associations, streaming services, and tech firms, each marked with their identifier to prevent leaks.
Key Highlights of the Updated Broadcasting Bill
As per the recent draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024, social media accounts could be identified as ‘Digital News Broadcasters’ and can be classified within the ambit of the regulation. Some of the major aspects of the new bill were first reported by Hindustan Times.
The new draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024, proposes that individuals who regularly upload videos to social media, make podcasts, or write about current affairs online could be classified as Digital News Broadcasters. This entails that YouTubers and Instagrammers who receive a share of advertising revenue or monetize their social media presence through affiliate activities will be regulated as Digital News Broadcasters. This includes channels, podcasts, and blogs that cover news and utilise Google AdSense. They must comply with a Programme Code and Advertising Code.
Online content creators who do not provide news or current affairs but provide programming and curated programs beyond a certain threshold will be treated as OTT broadcasters in case they provide content licensed or live through a website or social media platform.
The new version also introduces new obligations for intermediaries and social media intermediaries related to streaming services and digital news broadcasters, and, in contrast to the last version circulated in 2023, the latest also carries provisions targeting online advertising. In the context of streaming services, OTT broadcasting services are no longer a part of the definition of "internet broadcasting services." The definition of OTT broadcasting service has also been revised, allowing content creators who regularly upload their content to social media to be considered as OTT broadcasting services.
The new definition of an 'intermediary' includes social media intermediaries, advertisement intermediaries, internet service providers, online search engines, and online marketplaces.
The new Bill allows the government to prescribe different due diligence guidelines for social media platforms and online advertisement intermediaries and requires all intermediaries to provide appropriate information, including information pertaining to the OTT broadcasters and Digital News Broadcasters on their platform, to the central government to ensure compliance with the act. This entails the liability provisions for social media intermediaries which do not provide information “pertaining to OTT Broadcasters and Digital News Broadcasters” on its platforms for compliance. This suggests that when information is sought about a YouTube, Instagram or X/Twitter user, the platform will need to provide this information to the Indian government.
A new draft bill contains specific provisions governing ‘Online Advertising’ and to do so it creates the category of 'advertising intermediaries'. These intermediaries enable the buying or selling of advertisement space on the internet or placing advertisements on online platforms without endorsing the advertisement.
Final Words
The Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) is making efforts to propose robust regulatory changes to the country's new-age broadcast sector, which would cover the specific provisions for Digital News Broadcasters, OTT Broadcasters and Intermediaries. The proposed bill defining the scope and obligation of each.
However, these changes will have significant implications for press and creative freedom. The changes in the new version of the updated bill from its previous draft expanded the applicability of the bill to a larger number of key actors, this move brought ‘content creators’ under the definition of OTT or digital news broadcasters, which raises concerns about overly rigid provisions and might face criticism from media representative perspectives.
According to recent media reports, the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024 version has been withdrawn by the I&B ministry facing criticism from relevant stakeholders.
The ministry must take due consideration and feedback from concerned stakeholders and place reliance on balancing individual rights while promoting a healthy regulated landscape considering the needs of the new-age broadcasting sector.
References:
- https://www.medianama.com/2024/07/223-india-broadcast-bill-online-creators/#:~:text=Online%20content%20creators%20that%20do,or%20a%20social%20media%20platform.
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/new-draft-of-broadcasting-bill-news-influencers-may-be-classified-as-broadcasters-101721961764666.html
- https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/broadcasting-bill-still-in-drafting-stage-mib-tells-rs-101722058753083.html
- https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/07/29/indias-new-broadcast-bill-now-has-compliance-requirements-for-youtubers-and-instagrammers
- https://m.thewire.in/article/media/social-media-videos-text-digital-news-broadcasting-bill
- https://mib.gov.in/sites/default/files/Public%20Notice_07.12.2023.pdf
- https://news.abplive.com/news/india/centre-withdraws-draft-of-broadcasting-services-regulation-bill-1709770
Executive Summary
Last September, protests were held in Ladakh over several demands, including full statehood, extension of Sixth Schedule protections, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil, and reservation in jobs. During that period, some demonstrations turned violent. Since then, talks between stakeholders and the government have continued regarding these demands. Amid this backdrop, Pakistani propaganda handles on social media are sharing a video of a protest and claiming that violent demonstrations have erupted in Ladakh following the arrest of education reformer Sonam Wangchuk. CyberPeace Research Wing research found the claim to be misleading. The claim regarding Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest is false, while the viral video is actually from protests that took place in September last year.
Claim:
Sharing the video, a user wrote: “Massive protests in Ladakh. Violent demonstrations have erupted after reports of the arrest of Ladakh’s revolutionary leader Sonam Wangchuk. The people of Ladakh seek justice and freedom from the Indian Army, which is attacking civilians.”
https://x.com/ZardSi/status/2064204063248695393?s=20
Fact Check:
Our research found the claim to be misleading. The viral video is from protests held in September last year, and the claim that Sonam Wangchuk has been arrested is also false. We first converted the video into keyframes and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. This led us to several videos and news reports covering the same incident. The viral footage was found in a news report uploaded on September 24, 2025, by Asianet News English on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/@asianetnewsenglish
According to the information provided with the video, large-scale protests took place in Leh in support of demands for Sixth Schedule status and full statehood for Ladakh. The movement turned violent following clashes with police, and protesters allegedly set fire to a BJP office in Leh. CRPF personnel and local police later detained several protesters, bringing the situation under control. We also found a report published by Arunachal24, which stated that at least four people were killed and more than 70 injured in violent clashes between protesters demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh and security forces. The report further mentioned that protesters set fire to a local BJP office and a CRPF vehicle, following which authorities imposed a strict curfew across Leh.
Our team also found that the claim about Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest is entirely false. Wangchuk remains active on social media and had posted an update on June 10, indicating that he had not been detained.
Conclusion:
The fact-check clearly shows that the viral claim is misleading. There is no evidence that Sonam Wangchuk has been arrested. The viral video is not recent and actually shows protests that took place in Ladakh in September 2025.
