Amid the ongoing protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) at Jantar Mantar, a video of Union Minister Piyush Goyal has gone viral on social media. In the viral clip, Goyal is purportedly heard saying: “I firmly believe that we should publicly hang two or three cockroaches so that this Janata Party realizes what our strength is and how far we can go. Once they see two or three of their cockroaches hanging like this, all their hooliganism will stop, and they will end their protest and run away with their tails between their legs. My direct advice to Modi ji is that he should do exactly what he did in Gujarat without any hesitation. This is now the only way to deal with these troublemakers.”
However, DFRAC’s investigation found the viral video to be misleading. Union Minister Piyush Goyal never made any statement about “hanging cockroaches.” In reality, he stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made it clear that strict action would be taken against those responsible for the paper leak cases, fast-track courts would be established to ensure swift justice, and the government would take additional steps to fulfill the aspirations of the country’s youth.
A verified X (formerly Twitter) user, The Whistle Blower, shared the viral clip with the caption: “Breaking: Union Minister Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) issues a stern warning to the Cockroach Janata Party — ‘We will hang two or three cockroaches to teach the rest a lesson they will never forget. Just wait and watch.'”
Another verified X user, Dayananda Saraswati, also shared the same video, claiming that Union Minister Piyush Goyal had issued threats against the Cockroach Janata Party. The clip has also been widely circulated on WhatsApp groups.
#Jantar #CJPMovement
Fact check:
To verify the authenticity of the viral clip, DFRAC extracted keyframes from the video and performed a reverse image search. This led us to an original version of the same video uploaded by the Press Trust of India (PTI) on X on 23 July 2026. According to PTI’s caption, Piyush Goyal said: “Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that the strictest possible action will be taken against those responsible for the paper leak cases. Fast-track courts will be established to ensure speedy justice and strict punishment for the guilty. The government will also take several additional measures to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the country’s youth. We appeal to the Congress Party and the Opposition not to politicize this issue. They should not shy away from discussion. The Opposition is avoiding debate and trying to give the issue a political colour. We strongly condemn this. We urge everyone to maintain peace and fulfill our collective responsibility by resolving this issue through dialogue.”
We also found another version of the same video shared by DD News on 23 July 2026. In the video, Piyush Goyal reiterates that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced strict action against those involved in paper leak cases, including the establishment of fast-track courts to ensure swift justice. He also appealed to the Opposition not to politicize the issue and called for constructive discussion in Parliament, while reaffirming the government’s commitment to protecting students’ interests and strengthening the credibility of the examination system.
DFRAC further examined the viral clip using multiple AI forensic tools. Detect Video AI identified several indicators of manipulation, suggesting a 56% probability that the video had been altered using AI or other editing techniques.
- Hive Detect reported a 14.7% probability that the video itself was AI-generated, while indicating a 59.3% probability that the speech had been AI-generated or manipulated.
- Deep Fake Detection estimated an 85% probability that the viral video had been generated or significantly manipulated using AI.
To further verify the clip, DFRAC consulted IT expert Aasim Sheikh, Director of Syncsas Technology. According to Sheikh, the viral clip shows clear inconsistencies between the audio and video. He stated that the original audio appears to have been replaced or overlaid with a different voice, making audio manipulation highly likely.
DFRAC also contacted Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s social media team, which confirmed that the viral video is misleading and that the original audio had been replaced with fabricated speech.
Conclusion:
DFRAC’s investigation found the viral claim to be misleading. Union Minister Piyush Goyal never threatened to “hang cockroaches.” The original videos clearly show that he was speaking about strict legal action against those responsible for paper leak cases. The viral clip was created by manipulating the original audio and replacing it with fabricated speech to spread misinformation.
| Claim Review | Did Union Minister Piyush Goyal threaten to hang “cockroaches”? |
| Claimed By | X user The Whistle Blower |
| Fact Check | Misleading |
Sources:
- X post by Press Trust of India (PTI), published on 23 July 2026.
- X post by DD News, published on 23 July 2026.
- Technical assessment by Aasim Sheikh, Director, Syncsas Technology.
- Detect Video AI forensic analysis.
- Hive Detect AI analysis of the viral video’s audio.
- Deep Fake Detection AI forensic analysis.
- Statement from Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s social media team.
