FACT CHECK: Did Virat Kohli Advocate for Justice for the RG Kar Hospital Rape-Murder Victim? Here’s the Truth Behind the Viral Video

New Delhi: In the wake of the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Hospital, many top Indian cricketers including Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, and Harbhajan Singh have spoken out for societal change. However, former India captain Virat Kohli and current India skipper Rohit Sharma have remained silent on the issue, prompting questions from fans and the public.

The heinous crime on the Kolkata doctor has shaken the entire nation with nationwide protests demanding capital punishment for the accused. While Kohli hasn’t spoken a word on the issue, a video of him condemning violence against women went viral on social media on Sunday.

Here is the misleading video

A post shared by Kedarnath_AJ (@24h_aj)

In the viral clip, Kohli urged everyone to treat women with compassion and called men treating women in a violent way as cowards. “It’s disturbing, and it’s shocking, and I am ashamed to be a part of that society. I think we need to change our thinking and we need to treat men and women in the same way. Be respectful and treat women with some compassion.

“Something like this happens and for people to watch it and not do anything about it, I think it’s a cowardly act. Those people have no right to call themselves men. I have only one question: If something like this happened, god forbid, to someone in your family, would you stand and watch or would you help?” said the Indian cricketer.

The answer is NO. Virat Kohli hasn’t spoken a single word on the trainee Kolkata doctor’s alleged rape and murder. Upon thorough research, it was found out that Kohli’s video was from 2017 when he raised voice about a mass molestation incident that took place during New Year’s eve celebrations in Bengaluru’s MG Road and Brigade Road.

Here is the original video

This country should be safe & equal for all. Women shouldn’t be treated differently. Let’s stand together & put an end to such pathetic acts pic.twitter.com/bD0vOV2I2P

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) January 6, 2017

Kohli had himself posted the video on his ‘X’ account on January 6, 2017 at 10:16 AM. The viral clip on Sunday was posted from an account that goes by the name of 24h_aj. The user also edited the part mentioning Bengaluru in the viral clip.