Claim: Viral video shows celebrities from all around the world taking a dip in the holy water at Mahakumbh Mela.
If K L Rahul has already been approached by new teams, it is against BCCI guidelines: Punjab Kings
Vartha Bharati | 01-12-2021 | 20:59:00 IST
New Delhi, Dec 1: IPL franchise Punjab Kings is unhappy about K L Rahul leaving the team despite getting "all the freedom" as captain over the past two seasons and says it would be unethical if he has already been approached by a new franchise.
Rahul had replaced R Ashwin as captain ahead of the 2020 season and though he did excel with the bat, he failed to take the team to play-offs. He is now linked to new franchise Lucknow and it has been reported that he is set to lead the team owned by the RPSG Group.
"We wanted to retain Rahul but he wanted to go back into the auction. If he has been approached by another franchise before that, it would be unethical," Punjab Kings co-owner Ness Wadia told PTI.
When asked about reports on Rahul being lured by Lucknow, Wadia said: "I hope not because that is against the guidelines set by the BCCI."
In 2010, Ravindra Jadeja had copped a one-year suspension for trying to negotiate a deal with other teams even before he had been released by his then team Rajasthan Royals.
New teams Lucknow and Ahmedabad have time till December 25 to pick three available players who were released on Tuesday. Rahul was among the big names to be released alongside Ashwin, Hardik Pandya, Rashid Khan and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Punjab are keen to bring back Ashwin if he is not picked by a new team before the mega auction next month.
Punjab go into the auction having retained only Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh and with the highest purse available at Rs 72 crore.
"We are really happy about retaining Mayank and Arshdeep. Mayank has been a phenomenal player for us, really loyal to the franchise. Arshdeep also has been with us for a while and I can only see him improving. I see him playing for India in the near future," said Wadia.
Mohammad Shami and uncapped Ravi Bishnoi, who has done well for the team, have also been released. The team wanted to retain Bishnoi but he was convinced by a senior teammate to make himself available to other teams.
"He is a great player. We negotiated with him and at least there was engagement from him. We would look to buy him back in the auction if he is available," said Wadia on Shami.
On retaining only two players, Wadia hinted at building a team full of youngsters.
"At Punjab Kings, I don't think we have done as well as we should have and could have. We could have definitely done better. The most important thing is we strive to ensure the players and staff get the freedom they deserve and there is unity among them.
"One has to now look at continuing that spirit. Hopefully we will get the right combination at the auction and we go forward from there."
Talking about the 2022 season, Wadia said the goal remains to win the elusive title.
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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)
