Fact-Check: Akshay Kumar Supported Jyoti Singh Publicly? No, Video Is From 2017!

This video shows Akshay Kumar speaking against the New Year Eve molestation incident in Bengaluru in 2017.

Fact-Check: This video dates back to 2017 and is not recent. 

(Source: The Quint) 

Amid news about a marital dispute between actor Pawan Singh and his spouse Jyoti Singh, where she has alleged torture from the actor, a video showing Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar speaking about women’s safety and respect in the country has gone viral on social media with users claiming that he took a stand against Pawan and supported Jyoti.

What did he say?:

Let me say it directly, with all my heart. Today, I feel ashamed to be a human being. I was leaving the airport with my daughter in my arms, when I saw some news on TV. I don't know how you felt when you saw it. By God, it made my blood boil. I am the father of a daughter. And even if I wasn't, I would have said that a society that can't respect its women has no right to call itself a human society.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

• The viral video dates back to 2017 when Kumar spoke against the incidents of molestation, groping and harassment which happened during the New Year Eve celebration in Bengaluru.

What we found: At first, we checked Kumar’s social media and could not find any recent posts that matched the viral video.

• We did not find any statement showing Kumar’s support for Jyoti Singh.

• Team WebQoof, then, divided the viral video into multiple screenshots and ran a Google reverse image search on some of them.

• It led us to a post on X by Kumar, featuring the same video, dating back to 5 January 2017.

• He wrote, "The Bangalore incident makes me feel we r evolving backwards,from humans to animals,rather beasts coz even animals are better!Truly shameful" (sic.)

• In the video, Kumar expressed his anger about the mass molestation and harrasment incidents which happened during the New Year Eve celebrations in Bengaluru in 2017.

About Pawan Singh-Jyoti Singh: The couple's marital feud has come to the public's attention when Jyoti Sharma alleged that her husband would force abortion pills and torture on her.

• However, Pawan Singh, who has recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has denied these claims.

Conclusion: An old video from 2017 of Kumar speaking about women safety and respect has gone viral in connection to Jyoti Singh's allegations against her husband, Pawan Singh on social media.

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