The ministry’s fact-checking unit issued a warning against unverified posts circulating on social media platforms
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday dismissed reports claiming that several world leaders fell ill after attending the BRICS Summit in India, calling the reports “fake” and “malicious”.
The ministry’s fact-checking unit issued a warning against unverified posts circulating on social media platforms.
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“Fake Alert!!! We caution against such malicious posts on social media platforms!” the MEA said in a post on X.
South African President unwell
The MEA’s clarification came amid reports about South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s health following his return from the BRICS Summit in India.
The office of the South African President said Ramaphosa had withdrawn from public engagements after returning from the summit on Monday. The 73-year-old president was advised by doctors to rest and recover due to ill health.
“The Presidency wishes to advise that, due to ill health, President Cyril Ramaphosa is currently booked off from public engagements,” the statement said.
The presidency added that Ramaphosa had been resting on medical advice since returning from India and would ask ministers to represent him at scheduled engagements where necessary.
His absence comes as South African Deputy President Paul Mashatile is also recovering from a minor medical procedure, leaving the country’s two top leaders away from public engagements.
“On the advice of my doctors, I will continue resting until advised otherwise while work and delegated responsibilities continue to be underway in the capable team in my office with other stakeholders in government, business and other sectors,” Mashatile said.
Unverified claims about Xi Jinping
Meanwhile, several unverified reports on social media claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had left the BRICS Summit early due to medical reasons and returned to China on a special aircraft.
The MEA, however, did not identify the individual claims in its post but warned against circulating what it described as malicious and fake information following the summit.
The BRICS Summit was held in India with leaders and representatives from member countries attending the meeting.
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Published: 17 Sept 2026, 09:49 am IST
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