Fact Check: A viral video showing a reporter Harsh Rajput slapping DM in Maha Kumbh is misleading
Siddharth Urmil 
Claim
A viral video shows a news reporter Harsh Rajput slapping a District Magistrate in the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj.
The user who shared the video wrote: “well treatment for VIP. DM got slapped in Ram Rajya!”
Fact Check
To check the veracity of the video, DFRAC did a reverse image search of the keyframe from the video.
This led us to more such short-form videos.
Following this, a keyword search using “masked reporter” on YouTube directed us to a four-year-old video by Harsh Rajput. We then explored his YouTube channel for more related content.
On his YouTube channel, the video of Maha Kumbh is uploaded on 12 February 2025. A disclaimer pops up at the beginning of the video which says, “This is a scripted sketch, made for entertainment only. It contains some bad words which may not be suitable for everyone.”
A section starting at 4:05 on the timestamp shows a spoof on VIP culture. This reporter slaps the DM in this section.
We checked the ‘About’ section on Harsh Rajput’s YouTube Channel. ‘Just here to make you smile [with emoji]. Harsh Rajput.’ A hashtag with harshrajputcomedy is also incorporated in the ‘About’ section of his YouTube Channel.
This video is a comedy/spoof video and has no relation to reality. Harsh Rajput makes comedy videos and is not a real reporter or journalist.
Conclusion
The fact check reveals that the viral claim about the video is false. The viral video is a short clip from a comedy video from Harsh Rajput’s YouTube Channel and doesn’t show any real incident.
Analysis: Misleading
Megha Bajaj