Alleged journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, who claims to have built a reputation as a crusader against disinformation, has been caught doing exactly what he accuses everyone else, especially the BJP and its supporters of doing for years – circulating an unverified WhatsApp forward as fact.
On 22 September 2026, Guha Thakurta posted to his social media handles a lengthy message claiming to expose the “many associations” of Tata Group Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekharan, known as “Chandra.” The post alleged a network of familial connections within the Tata group, including Chandra’s brother as the current TCS COO, a cousin as head of APAC HR, and a college roommate as head of TCS Small & Medium Business.
“Came as a WhatsApp message from a pro- Noel Tata person,” Guha Thakurta wrote. “This is quite an eye-opener.”
It was not an eye-opener. It was unverified gossip. And by his own admission, he never checked it before publishing it to a large following.
Hours later, the post was deleted. In an apology issued at 12:38 PM, Guha Thakurta admitted: “To whom it may concern: I sincerely apologise for putting out a post on Shri N Chandrasekharan of the Tata group based on a WhatsApp message that I believed was factually correct. The post had several inaccuracies and errors. As soon as these were brought to my notice, I deleted the posts from my social media handles on Facebook and Twitter (X). I am sorry but I should not have blindly believed what was sent to me and I should have done my due diligence more carefully. Once again, I unconditionally apologise to Shri Natarajan, his relatives and his associates for the error I made and I hope he will forgive me for the mistake I made.”
The irony would be almost comical if it were not so routine.
The Man Who Accused Everyone Else of Getting News from WhatsApp
Guha Thakurta has spent years positioning himself as the gatekeeper of truth in Indian journalism. He has authored books on media ethics, taught at IIM Ahmedabad for nearly two decades, and produced documentaries on disinformation. His video, “The Great Indian WhatsApp University & the Hacking of Democracy,” warns explicitly about the dangers of forward-based propaganda spreading unchecked through Indian society.
He has repeatedly blamed the BJP and its supporters for polluting the information ecosystem with WhatsApp forwards.
In September 2023, he mocked the government’s G20 booklet for delegates, calling it 
In May 2024, he shared a Pulitzer Center piece titled “Inside the BJP’s WhatsApp Machine,” amplifying the narrative that the BJP’s IT cell operates through coordinated forward-based disinformation.
He has made a career out of this accusation.
Yet here he is, caught red-handed doing precisely what he lectures others against — sharing a forward without verification, from an anonymous source, with no evidentiary basis.
This is not the first time.
In April 2024, Guha Thakurta posted a fake Dainik Bhaskar clipping purporting to show an INDIA alliance victory in ten states. The national editor of Dainik Bhaskar, LP Pant, publicly corrected him and threatened legal action. Guha Thakurta later issued another apology, admitting he had posted “a picture of a front-page of the Bhaskar with a fake election survey” and was “sorry I took time to delete the post.”
A pattern emerges. The man who accuses the BJP of running a WhatsApp disinformation machine cannot resist forwarding WhatsApp messages himself.
He even copy pasted some forward he received about former Supreme Court Chief Justice DY Chandrachud.
During the Iran war, he once again shared a joke he received via WhatsApp on his X handle.
In what looks like a pathetic attempt at taking a swipe at PM Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s speeches where they spoke on the number 8.
The Convenient Villain
Guha Thakurta’s career has been defined by targeting corporations and the Modi government. He is the only Indian journalist named in the Hindenburg Research report on the Adani Group. He has faced six defamation cases filed by Adani entities. He was questioned by Delhi Police in the NewsClick raids.
To his admirers, these facts may show him as a fearless journalist being punished for telling the truth. But in reality, they suggest a man whose animus toward corporate India and the BJP has clouded his judgment.
The N Chandrasekhar post fits the latter pattern. The content is not journalism. It is a laundry list of alleged nepotism at the Tata Group, sourced from an anonymous “pro-Noel Tata person.” If the intent was to raise questions about corporate governance, the method was indistinguishable from the WhatsApp forwards he derides.
The Standard He Sets for Others
Guha Thakurta teaches media ethics at some of India’s most prestigious institutions. He has written a book titled “Media Ethics: Truth, Fairness and Objectivity”. He has contributed to Press Council of India reports on paid news and corruption in the media.
The fundamental principle of ethical journalism is simple: verify before you publish. As a journalist with his experience, he surely could have verified it in no time. Thakurta did nothing.
Instead, in a hurry to create what he thought was some engagement, he copied it from WhatsApp and hit post. He shared it with his followers. Only when confronted did he delete it and apologize.
For someone who has spent years warning others about the dangers of unverified WhatsApp forwards, the episode is an uncomfortable reminder that the basic rules of journalism apply to everyone — including those who lecture others about them.
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