Fact Check: Hungarian PM Viktor Orban attends Maha Kumbh Mela 2025, travels in auto? No, viral claim is false
An image of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban with auto drivers has gone viral as proof of the foreign leader’s visit to Maha Kumbh Mela 2025.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 16 Jan 2025 7:49 PM IST
Claim: The image shows Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban taking an autorickshaw ride during his visit to Maha Kumbh Mela in 2025.
Fact: The claim is false. The photo was taken during Viktor Orban’s vacation in Kerala this year. There was no report of him visiting the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Hyderabad: The vibrant and historic Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh, a massive religious gathering being held in India, has attracted millions of devotees and global attention. Amid this spiritual fervour, an image has gone viral, suggesting that Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban attended the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela and was seen exploring the event in an autorickshaw.
A Facebook user shared the image with the caption, “Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reached India to attend the Kumbh Mela. He explored the sights by travelling in an autorickshaw.” (Translated from Malayalam)
A similar post can be seen here.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The image shows Viktor Orban during a private vacation he took this year in Kerala, not at the Maha Kumbh Mela in UP.
A closer look at the image showed that the registration number on one of the autorickshaws started with ‘KL’, indicating that the vehicle belongs to Kerala. Autorickshaws registered in Kerala are not permitted to operate outside the State, strongly suggesting that the photo was taken in Kerala.
A keyword search led to a report from Hungary Today from January 1, 2025, titled ‘Viktor Orbán Travels to an Exotic Country during Annual Holidays.’
The report stated that Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, during a two-week private visit to Kerala, travelled in an autorickshaw in Fort Kochi after security checks. The same image was featured in the report.
Additionally, we also found a report by The Print titled ‘Following Vasco da Gama’s footsteps, says Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán on India vacation’ dated January 9, 2025.
The viral image was in this report too with the caption “Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán with locals in Kochi, Kerala. | Saleem Ibn Majeed/ Facebook.”
The report mentioned the interview Viktor Orban gave to the Hungarian media outlet Blikk during the trip: “My wife and two daughters and I are in southern India. We chose this country for two reasons: the past and the future. In Kochi, where I am now, Vasco da Gama had died, whom I admired from the novels of my youth. I ‘followed’ in his footsteps. My favourite explorer, as important as Columbus. So much for the past. The other reason we are here is the future. India’s economy is poised for explosive growth.”
We also found a report from Manorama Online titled ‘Hungarian Prime Minister and Family at Kochi’ dated January 4, 2025.
The report said that Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, along with his wife Aniko Livai, two daughters, and a five-member official delegation, arrived in Kochi on a private visit. After staying in Fort Kochi, the group were scheduled for Munnar. Their itinerary included visits to Thekkady, Kumarakom, Alappuzha, Athirappilly and Vazhachal, with their return planned for January 16.
The reports did not mention Viktor Orban’s trip including a stopover at Uttar Pradesh to attend the mela.
Therefore, the claim that Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban attended the Maha Kumbh Mela in 2025 is false. The photo and news reports confirmed that Orban was on a private visit to Kerala in 2025 with his family. There were no mentions of him visiting the Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh.
