cVeteran Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan tweeted on July 11 that he has tested positive for COVID-19. He was admitted in the isolation unit at Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital, Mumbai. His son, actor Abhishek Bachchan was admitted the next day.
T 3590 -I have tested CoviD positive .. shifted to Hospital .. hospital informing authorities .. family and staff undergone tests , results awaited ..All that have been in close proximity to me in the last 10 days are requested to please get themselves tested !
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) July 11, 2020
Earlier today both my father and I tested positive for COVID 19. Both of us having mild symptoms have been admitted to hospital. We have informed all the required authorities and our family and staff are all being tested. I request all to stay calm and not panic. Thank you.
— Abhishek Bachchan (@juniorbachchan) July 11, 2020
Amid this, a string of misinformation started doing the rounds.
A two-minute video is being shared with the claim that it shows Amitabh Bachchan thanking the staff of Nanavati Hospital. Social media users further claim that it is a recent video.
Lokmat, a local news portal based in Maharashtra shared the viral video on their YouTube channel.
Hindi news channel, Aaj Tak too shared the 2-minute clip.
The video clip was picked up by other media outlets:
Amitabh Bachchan released a video message thanking Doctors and Heath staff. Currently He is undergoing treatment for COVID in Mumbai’s Nanavati Hospital pic.twitter.com/iWhEq7XYJH
— Mojo Story (@themojo_in) July 12, 2020
अमिताभ बच्चन को कोरोना वायरस,नानावटी अस्पताल के बाहर पुलिस ने बढ़ाई सुरक्षा #AmitabhBachchan #AmitabhBachchanCorona https://t.co/FDeB1Dx8Lc
— Oneindia Hindi (@oneindiaHindi) July 12, 2020
Further, a WhatsApp forward is doing the round which says that ‘Bachchan is the Investor and Board member of Radiant Group’ which owns Nanavati Hospital’
The message also claims that Bachchan could have easily stayed in ‘Home quarantine’ due to the facilities available in his home.
Below is the viral WhatsApp Forward:
Claim:
(1) Amitabh Bachchan is on the Board of Director of Radiant Life Care Private Limited
(2) Amitabh Bachchan is asymptomatic
(3) Amitabh Bachchan in a video praised Nanavati hospital
Fact Check:
The claims are false.
Claim 1: Amitabh Bachchan is on the Board of Director of Radiant Life Care Private Limited
Amitabh Bachchan is not on the Board of Director of Radiant Life Care Private Limited.
The official website which clearly mentions the board member of the organization does not have Bachchan’s name listed.
Below is a list of the entire leadership team of the company:
Name
Designation
Abhay Soi
Chairman and Managing Director
Dilip Bidani
Group Chief Financial Officer
Pritipal Singh
Director – Infrastructure
Prachi Singh
Company Secretary & Head – Legal & Secretarial
Dr. Sanjay Mehta
Unit Head & Vice President
Sandeep Verma
Head – Finance & Accounts
Amit Kumar
GM – Sales & Marketing
Parul Chhabra
AGM (Head)- Corporate Communications and Marketing
Manpreet Sohal
Director and Chief Operating Officer
Dr. Deepak Patkar
Director Medical Services, Head, Department of Imaging
Deepak Samant
Chief Financial Officer
Prashant Pikle
Vice President: Materials & Supply Chain Management
Further, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) website which regulates corporate affairs in India through the Companies Act, 1956, 2013 and other allied Acts, Bills and Rules clearly shows that Bachchan is not a director with the Radiant Life Care Private Limited.
Below is a screenshot from the website:
What is the Director Identification Number (DIN)?
It is a unique Identification Number allotted to an individual who is an existing director of a company or intends to be appointed as the director of a company pursuant to section 266A & 266B of the Companies Act, 1956 (as amended vide Act No 23 of 2006).
Claim 2: Amitabh Bachchan is asymptomatic.
The messages also claim that Amitabh Bachchan is asymptomatic and therefore should have stayed at home.
According to sources, at the Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital, Bachchan continues to show Mild symptoms and is admitted in the isolation ward.
The ‘Revised guidelines for Home Isolation of very mild/pre-symptomatic/asymptomatic COVID-19 case’ issued on July 2 by the Health Ministry says that ‘Elderly patients aged more than 60 years and those with co-morbid conditions such as Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart disease, Chronic lung/liver/ kidney disease, Cerebro-vascular disease etc shall only be allowed home isolation after proper evaluation by the treating medical officer.
Sources have said that Bachchan has been hospitalised under medical advice.
Claim 3: Amitabh Bachchan in a video praised Nanavati hospital
The two-minute video clip that has gone viral does not show Bachchan praising Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital staff and it dates back to April and has no connection to his recent hospitalisation there.
.@SrBachchan inspiring message to all the doctors and nurses who are working tirelessly and fearlessly t…
