Claim: Viral video shows celebrities from all around the world taking a dip in the holy water at Mahakumbh Mela.
7-8 attendees of Maharashtra Bhushan award event in Navi Mumbai die; case of sunstroke, says CM
Vartha Bharati | 16-04-2023 | 23:49:00 IST
Mumbai, Apr 16: The 'Maharashtra Bhushan' award event in Navi Mumbai on Sunday turned tragic with the death of at least 7-8 people apparently due to sunstroke as the function, attended by lakhs, was held in an open ground.
At least 24 people are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Navi Mumbai, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said.
Earlier in the day, Union home minister Amit Shah conferred the award on Appasaheb Dharmadhikari at the ceremony held in Kharghar area in Raigad district neighbouring Mumbai.
Shinde told reporters outside a hospital in Navi Mumbai on Sunday night that at least 7-8 people have died while at least 24 others are hospitalised.
"As per the briefing received from doctors, 7-8 people died today, while some 24 are being treated. This is a case of sunstroke.
"Some 50 people were admitted to a Navi Mumbai-based hospital of which 24 are still admitted while the rest have been discharged after primary treatment," he said, and termed the deaths "very unfortunate".
The nearest weather station to the spot of the event recorded a maximum temperature of 38 degrees Celsius.
Shinde said the kin of the deceased will be given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh.
"Medical treatment of the people under treatment due to sunstroke will be free. The state will pay from its coffers for their treatment," he said.
Lakhs of people had come for the event.
The Chief Minister also directed officials to shift patients to specialised hospitals if they needed additional treatment.
Replying to a question, Shinde said he would not comment on political allegations of the Opposition and his priority is to ensure that the affected people get proper treatment.
He said a Deputy Municipal Commissioner-rank official of the Panvel Municipal Corporation has been deputed to coordinate with relatives of patients and medical teams and to give timely updates.
"Lakhs of people had come for the event and it went well. It is painful to see some of them suffer. It is a very unfortunate situation which is very painful for me," he said.
Dharmadhikari has a massive following in the state due to his tree plantation drives, blood donation and medical camps as well as de-addiction work in tribal areas.
The 306-acre ground, where the function was held, was packed with people and equipped with audio/video facilities for followers of Shree Sadasya (Dharmadhikari's organisation) to witness the function.
Amit Shah conferred the award to Dharmadhikari and presented him a shawl, a citation and memento and a cheque of Rs 25 lakh, besides a 10-feet garland of roses.
The Maharashtra Bhushan Award is given to personalities working in the fields of literature, sports, science, social work, journalism, public administration and health services.
Chief Minister Shinde, his deputy Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Kapil Patil among MLAs, MLCs, and ministers were present on the occasion.
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Viral video showing celebrities, world leaders taking dip in Sangam at Mahakumbh is AI generated
telugupost, Vartha
Bharathi,
¦
18-01-2025 ¦
18-01-2025 IST
Fact: The viral video is AI generated, these celebrities have not visited Mahakumbh Mela.
The Maha Kumbh Mela is a major Hindu festival held every 12 years at Prayagraj, India. It began on January 13, 2025, and will continue till February 26, 2025. This event is expected to attract around 40 crore visitors, making it the world's largest religious gathering. The festival's origins are rooted in Hindu mythology, symbolising the victory of gods over demons. Devotees believe that bathing at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers cleanses sins and leads to salvation.
To accommodate the massive inflow of pilgrims, the authorities have established a temporary city spanning 4,000 hectares. This includes 150,000 tents, enhanced sanitation facilities, and improved transportation services. Security measures involve deploying 40,000 police officers and surveillance systems to ensure safety. Many foreign enthusiasts from countries like Brazil, Germany, South Africa are visiting the Mahakumbh Mela. Philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, the billionaire widow of Steve Jobs, co-founder and former CEO of Apple also visited the Kumbh Mela and received spiritual initiation from her guru and head seer of Panchayati Akhada Shri Niranjani Swami Kailasanand Giri.
Meanwhile, a video showing many celebrities like Elon Musk, Putin, USA President Donald Trump, football players Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, actors Will Smith, John Cena, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others and taking a dip in the holy water at the Maha Kumbh Mela. We can see the celebrities taking the holy dip with other devotees in the background. The video is in circulation with the captions like ‘Is elon musk in Kumbh mela 2025?’
Is @elonmusk in #KumbhMela2025 ? pic.twitter.com/lpDbY0wfaP
— MANOGYA LOIWAL मनोज्ञा लोईवाल (@manogyaloiwal) January 15, 2025
Others shared it with caption ‘Haters will say its edited’
Hater will Say Its Edited pic.twitter.com/5w0gIYxPEN
— Prof cheems ॐ (@Prof_Cheems) January 15, 2025
मस्क, पुतिन, मैसी, रोनाल्डो सब ने कुंभ में डुबकी लगा दी है। सौजन्य ए आई।#MahaKumbh2025 pic.twitter.com/tGlH9L0Df1
— Mukesh Mathur (@mukesh1275) January 16, 2025
Here is the archived link of the claim.
Fact Check:
The claim is False. The video is an AI generated.
When we extracted the keyframes from the viral video, and searched using Google reverse image search, we found that the video was shared by several social media users with the captions like “Elon Musk, Putin, Donald Trump and Other Celebs at Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 - AI Version *Wait For End* #MahaKumbh2025 #
Elon Musk, Putin, Donald Trump and Other Celebs at Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 - AI Version ❤️😍 *Wait For End* 😂 #MahaKumbh2025 #MahaKumbhMela2025 pic.twitter.com/Aeq2r9SFo9
— Rosy (@rose_k01) January 15, 2025
Some users shared the video with captions “और बनाओ AI…. भारत वाले हैं, तु
और बनाओ AI…. भारत वाले हैं, तुम्हारा ही कबाड़ कर देंगे 😜
— Ram Gopal Jat (@Ramgjat) January 15, 2025
pic.twitter.com/fhXca4QKPV
When we used Deepfake detector by Invid tool to check whether the video is an AI generated one, it detected the video to be having moderate evidence of being AI generated. Most of the faces in the video were found to be AI-generated. When checked the faces in the video, we found that the faces of Indian PM Modi, US president Trump and Russian President Putin to be more than 90% deepfake.
According to an article publsihed in Hindustan Times, an AI video of international celebrities at the Mahakumbh Mela is creating waves online. The AI video shows top athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi taking a dip in the Sangam, which is the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
World leaders like Donald Trump, Rishi Sunak, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin were seen in the AI video. The use of generative AI also brought Hollywood stars like Will Smith, Zendaya and Tom Holland to Mahakumbh. Meanwhile, the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, was seen taking a dip in the Sangam in the AI video. The video was shared on the Instagram page ‘Artificial Budhi’ and has gone viral with 5.7 million views in a matter of a few days. People in the comments section praised how realistic it looked, but also raised concerns about ethicality.
Hence, the viral video is not an original video, it is AI generated. The claim that several celebrities from various countries are seen taking holy dip in the Sangam at the Mahakumbh Mela is False.
(This story was originally published by telugupost.com, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)
