A social media user from Nagaland, whose viral claim of sending 150 pizzas to students protesting at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar drew widespread attention, has apologised after admitting that the pizza bill he shared was not genuine.
In a statement posted on Instagram, the user acknowledged that the bill was created to encourage people to support the student protest and inspire acts of kindness, but admitted that presenting it as a real receipt was a mistake.
“The pizza bill that I shared was not an actual bill,” he wrote. “It was posted with the intention of encouraging people to support the students’ protest and to inspire acts of kindness.”
He accepted full responsibility for misleading people into believing the bill was authentic and said it was never his intention to deceive anyone or create controversy.
“It was never my intention to mislead anyone, damage anyone’s reputation, or create unnecessary controversy,” he said, adding that he now understands “good intentions do not justify creating or sharing misleading material”.
Addressing donations collected through a QR code shared alongside the post, he said contributors had been informed that the money would be used to support the protesting students. According to him, more than ₹12,000 has been collected so far.
He said ₹5,000 had already been sent through a friend to purchase biscuits for the students and claimed to have proof of the transaction. He also assured donors that the remaining funds would be used transparently for the protesters and that evidence of the expenditure would be shared.
The user further clarified that his original post was widely reposted by several large social media pages without his permission, contributing to its rapid spread. However, he accepted responsibility for the original content and apologised to those who felt disappointed or misled.
The clarification came after his earlier post, which claimed he had ordered 150 Domino’s pizzas for protesters at Jantar Mantar, went viral and was widely praised online as an act of solidarity with students participating in the demonstration.
