Fact Check: Dancing Woman Seen In Viral Video Is Not Sambalpur Collector Anaya Das

New Delhi Vishvas News – A 2-minute and 19-second video featuring a woman dancing to the song “Meri Chaukhat Pe Chal Kar Aaj Shri Ram Aaye Hain” is gaining traction on social media. Several social media users are claiming that the dancing woman is Sambalpur Collector Ananya Das.

However, Vishvas News, in its investigation, has determined that the video is circulating with false claims. IAS Ananya Das has confirmed that the claim associating her with the dancing video is false.

What’s Going Viral?

While sharing the video on January 29, Facebook user Bhimsen Gautam wrote, “Dance performance by Sambalpur collector Mrs Ananya Das (IAS) Jai Shri Ram, she is currently the collector of Sambalpur (Rajasthan).”

Investigation:

We started our investigation with a Google reverse image search of keyframes from the video. It was found that the video was uploaded on the YouTube channel of content creator Mridula Mahajan on January 8, 2024. The information provided on the channel identified the dancer as Mridula Mahajan, with numerous other videos featuring her on the same channel.

Further investigation into IAS Ananya Das revealed that she had been appointed as Joint Secretary of the Handloom Textiles and Handicrafts Department, while Mayurbhanj Collector Akshay Sunil Aggarwal had taken over as the Collector of Sambalpur.

IAS Ananya Das, in a tweet dated January 27, 2024, shared the viral video, stating that the dancer in the video was not her. The tweet read, “Truly a good performance – sadly not mine.” Subsequently, direct confirmation was obtained from IAS officer Ananya Das, who affirmed that she was not the woman featured in the video.

A scrutiny of the Facebook profile of Bhimsen Gautam, the user responsible for spreading the video with false claims, revealed that he resides in Kota, Rajasthan, and has around 800 followers.