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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday debunked reports claiming that multiple world leaders had fallen ill after attending the BRICS Summit
in India, calling the reports "fake" and warning against "malicious" posts circulating on social media. The MEA's Fact Check Unit on X flagged a post by US-based prediction market platform Polymarket, which shared a picture of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and claimed that "multiple world leaders have reportedly fallen ill after attending BRICS summit in India."
The fact-checking unit also debunked another social media post claiming that several world leaders, including Ramaphosa, had fallen sick following the summit. The post further claimed that reports about the health of Chinese President Xi Jinping remained unconfirmed.
The MEA's clarification came after the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he had withdrawn from public engagements after returning from the BRICS Summit in India. The office said the 73-year-old president had been advised by doctors to rest and recover due to ill health.
His absence comes as Deputy President Paul Mashatile continues recovering from a minor medical procedure, leaving both of South Africa’s top leaders away from public duties.
An unverified claim also emerged about Chinese President Xi Jinping's health following his visit to New Delhi, with Wanjun Xie, chairman of the China Democracy Party, alleging that Xi fainted during the summit and was subsequently flown back to China for emergency medical treatment.
India successfully hosts BRICS
India hosted the BRICS Summit on September 12-13, and it was attended by the leaders of the 11 member countries and 10 partner countries of the grouping, besides some international organisations.
The BRICS grouping on Saturday adopted a joint declaration with consensus, overcoming sharp divisions between Iran and the UAE over the West Asia conflict following a series of back-channel negotiations. P
PM Modi announced the adoption of the declaration at the end of the opening day's deliberations, saying, "No member has raised any objection. The New Delhi Declaration 2026 is adopted unanimously."
The Prime Minister held 15 sit-down bilateral meetings with heads of states or heads of governments on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. Alongside these 15 bilateral meetings, the Prime Minister also had pull-aside meetings with various world leaders and leaders of international institutions.
