Ritu Rathaur has long been a key player in the digital ecosystem of Hindutva disinformation. She uses her platform to push false communal narratives, incite hatred, and distort facts to fit a right-wing agenda.

In 2015, police in Uttar Pradesh registered a case against her for attempting to disturb communal harmony by spreading false claims on social media. She had falsely alleged that a police officer was killed by Muslims transporting beef—when, in reality, he had died while stopping a truck carrying river stones. The Saharanpur police debunked her claims, but by then, her post had already gone viral on WhatsApp, Twitter, and Facebook.

This was not an isolated incident. She has repeatedly used social media to manufacture outrage, twist facts, and amplify hate speech. During the Delhi riots, Rathaur was among those who shared a selectively edited video of activist Harsh Mander, falsely accusing him of inciting violence, a claim that was later debunked. The video was amplified by BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, right-wing influencers, and others with direct links to the party.

In 2023, Rathaur actively participated in the “food jihad” conspiracy, a false claim that Muslim vendors were contaminating food to target Hindus. She shared a widely circulated video of a man allegedly urinating into a tub of sweets, which was later debunked. The timing of her tweet was deliberate—it coincided with orders from the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments requiring Muslim-run eateries to display owner identities along Kanwar Yatra routes.

She has been part of coordinated misinformation campaigns aimed at labeling Muslims as a threat—whether it was through fabricated stories about “Corona Jihad” during the pandemic, doctored videos of protests, or false claims of communal violence.

Despite her long track record of spreading fake news, Rathaur enjoys legitimacy and influence within BJP circles. She is followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with several BJP leaders and right-wing influencers known for pushing Islamophobic narratives. This pattern is not unique to her—multiple right-wing figures, including those who have openly called for mass killings of Muslims, have been amplified and followed by Modi’s official handle.

One such case was Amitesh Singh, a self-proclaimed BJP youth leader who tweeted a call to “kill 3,000 Muslims.” After his arrest, BJP distanced itself from him. Rathaur has played a similar role, using her platform to spread incendiary content while shielding herself with political proximity.