Fact Check: Fabricated Instagram Story Falsely Attributes Remarks on Protests to Mr Raghav Chadha

A fabricated image presented as an Instagram story is being circulated in the name of Mr Raghav Chadha, falsely attributing remarks about protests, public inconvenience and political responsibility to him.

Mr Raghav Chadha did not post the story or issue the statement attributed to him.

The circulating video places the purported story alongside his photograph. The graphic displays the username “raghavchadha88”, a blue verification badge and a relative posting time, creating the appearance of a screenshot from his Instagram account.

The text claims that protests should not disturb the public or damage public property. It also attributes comments about democratic responsibilities and maintaining peace to Mr Chadha. These words are being presented as his personal statement through the fabricated story.

The distinction matters: a screenshot displaying someone’s name, photograph and account details does not establish that they published its contents. Those visual elements can be reproduced in an edited graphic. Placing that graphic in a video does not authenticate it.

The supplied clip shows the purported story and a photograph. It contains no spoken statement from Mr Chadha and does not show the story being accessed through his account. The clip itself therefore provides no independent authentication of the attribution.

Readers should not treat the circulating image as evidence of Mr Chadha’s position on any particular protest. Accounts that have shared it as genuine should remove the false attribution and publish a visible correction so that people who encountered the original claim also receive the clarification.

Political debate depends on accurately representing what people have said. Circulating a fabricated statement under a public figure’s name misleads readers and puts words in that person’s mouth.