Fact Check: Did Ex-Army Chief VK Singh Seek Hospital Bed For COVID-Infected Brother?

New Delhi: Amid the renewed surge in COVID-19 cases coupled with reports of unavailability of hospital beds, a tweet attributed to Ghaziabad BJP MP and former Army chief VK Singh has gone viral for the wrong reason.

Several Twitter users have posted the screenshot of a tweet by the Union minister seeking a hospital bed for a COVID-infected person.

In the tweet, Singh tagged the Ghaziabad district magistrate and wrote, “Please check this out”. The subsequent text in Hindi translates to, “Please help us. My COVID-infected brother needs a hospital bed. But we can’t find a bed in Ghaziabad.”

Social media users were prompt to point out that such is the pathetic condition of Ghaziabad that a Union minister and former Army chief has to seek help on Twitter to get his COVID-infected brother a hospital bed.

Singh had posted the tweet on April 18, but later deleted it as it led to confusion among netizens and sparked a controversy.

Following this, India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that Singh had not tweeted for his own brother. The MP clarified to India Today and on Twitter that he had tagged the Ghaziabad DM for another person who was looking for a hospital bed for his brother.

The former Army chief also posted a fresh tweet to clear the air. He posted, “Tweet was forward of a tweet to DM and says “please look into this”. The forwarded tweet is in Hindi.”

He also castigated those spreading the false news and creating a misunderstanding.

Am amazed at IQ level of trawls and fastest finger channels. Tweet was forward of a tweet to DM and says “please look into this”. Forwarded tweet is in hindi. Bed needs have been sorted out by DM & CMO , hence to DM. Suggest correct your understanding. https://t.co/BVZyZgQoDG

— Vijay Kumar Singh (@Gen_VKSingh) April 18, 2021

For further clarification, AFWA reached out to the minister on WhatsApp, who replied, “Now you will be able to see the mischief. Read the tweet; it does not concern my own brother.”

India Today found that the MP was actually looking for a bed for the brother of one Chandra Prakash Rai, who hails from Gorakhpur.

When contacted over phone, Rai said the plea was for his brother Nilesh who lives in Sahibabad and is suspected to have been infected by the coronavirus.

Rai said the family has been desperately looking for a hospital bed, and hence, he sought the Ghaziabad MP’s help by tagging him in a tweet.

Singh, instead of retweeting Rai’s post, copied the text, which led to confusion.

Later, after the fiasco on social media, he posted the original tweet seeking help for the person concerned.