Sudhir Chaudhary airs misleading footage on Doordarshan debut show ‘decode’
New Delhi: On his debut show for state-run broadcaster Doordarshan, senior anchor Sudhir Chaudhary aired unrelated and outdated videos, falsely claiming they showed Indian air defence systems thwarting Pakistani attacks. The show, titled Decode, premiered on DD News at 9 PM on 15 May 2025.
Around the 15:25-minute mark of the episode, Chaudhary presented visuals of missile strikes, stating that India’s armed forces had cornered Pakistan. However, Alt News found that the footage was from an Iranian missile strike on Israel’s Nevatim airbase in October 2024. The same video was uploaded by DD India on YouTube on 2 October 2024, captioned as an Iranian attack on the Negev Desert airbase.
Later in the show, at the 26:48-minute mark, Chaudhary claimed that Pakistan had attacked Indian cities and airbases, but these attacks were foiled by Indian air defence systems, including the indigenous “Akashteer.” During this narration, visuals of an aerial combat over a night sky were shown. This video, too, has no connection to the India-Pakistan conflict. It had previously gone viral during the conflict and was fact-checked by Alt News as a 2021 video of Israel’s Iron Dome system.
Interestingly, the version of the Decode episode now available on YouTube has this portion edited out. The clip now starts with Chaudhary saying, “जैसे-जैसे समय बढ़ रहा है, इस युद्ध की नई-नई डिटेल्स सामने आ रहा है… मेड इन इंडिया है, और इसका नाम है आकाशतीर,” indicating that the previous claims and visuals were removed. However, a social media user who recorded the original telecast on her TV shared the unedited clip, confirming the misleading segment.
Sudhir Chaudhary’s debut on DD News comes after Prasar Bharati signed a reported ₹15-crore annual contract with him for the weekday show. His previous stint with Aaj Tak had also begun with a misquote falsely attributed to Mark Twain, which Alt News debunked.
Over the years, Chaudhary has faced several fact-checks by Alt News, including for falsely accusing MP Mahua Moitra of plagiarism, misreporting on the Kathua case, spreading communal narratives like “jihad” charts, and misrepresenting farmers' protest leaders. In February 2025, the NBDSA had also asked Aaj Tak to remove an entire episode of Black & White anchored by Chaudhary over content that violated LGBTQIA+ dignity.
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If you have a conscience, apologize to the people: R Ashoka slams Yathindra over Nalwadi comparison
Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka launched a scathing attack on MLC Dr. Yathindra, demanding that he retract his controversial statement comparing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to the late Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar. Ashoka urged Yathindra to apologize to the people of Karnataka if he had even a shred of conscience and any respect for the Mysuru royal lineage.
In a strongly worded social media post on Sunday, Ashoka stated, “Comparing Siddaramaiah to Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar is nothing short of absurd. Where is Nalwadi, who was bestowed the title of ‘Rajarshi’ by Mahatma Gandhi himself, and where is Siddaramaiah, who has stooped to being a puppet in the hands of fake Gandhis for the sake of power?”
He continued his critique by contrasting the enduring legacy of Nalwadi, remembered fondly by Kannadigas for his people-centric development, with what he termed as Siddaramaiah’s failure to manage Karnataka’s economy, burdening every household with debt.
Ashoka highlighted several stark differences, while Nalwadi built Mysore University over a century ago, Siddaramaiah is shutting down nine universities due to lack of funds. Nalwadi famously sold his family’s gold to build the KRS dam, whereas Siddaramaiah is accused of grabbing 14 sites meant for the public. Nalwadi established Bhadravati Iron & Steel Plant, Sandalwood Soap Factory, and Mysore Paper Mills. In contrast, Ashoka claimed Siddaramaiah's governance drove away industries, investors, and entrepreneurs. Nalwadi pioneered reservations for the backward classes long before it became mainstream. Siddaramaiah, Ashoka alleged, is reducing social justice to a gimmick by sticking labels on doors in the name of surveys.
While acknowledging Yathindra’s emotional attachment to his father, Ashoka emphasized that comparing Siddaramaiah to a visionary like Nalwadi was “laughable, baseless, and a gross insult” to the late king.
In his concluding remarks, Ashoka slammed the government for ignoring farmers’ needs despite an early monsoon. He accused the administration of being caught up in internal power struggles and negligence, forcing farmers into despair. “This government will not be spared from the curse of the farmers,” he warned.
