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Photo from Dubai is shared as Muslims offering prayers on the rooftops in India - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 14, 2020
A photo of Muslims offering prayers on the rooftops and not following social distancing is being shared with a claim that the photo was taken in India. Let’s analyze the claim made in the post.
Photo of Muslims offering prayers on the rooftops in India.
Fact: The photo is not taken in India. The buildings in the photo are located in Dubai. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In the background of the photo, a building that looks like a mosque can be seen beside a waterbody. So, when searched for that building on the internet using reverse image search and keywords, it was found that the building in the photo is a mosque located in Dubai.
The people on the rooftops in the photo are on the other side of the water body, so when searched for those buildings on Google Earth, all those buildings were found. FACTLY could not find the context of the photo and when it was taken, but it can be concluded that the photo was taken in Dubai, not in India.
To sum it up, the photo of Muslims offering prayers on the rooftops is from Dubai. It was not taken in India.
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Photo from Maharashtra government hospital is being linked to the government hospitals in various states - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 22, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as the visual of two men and a woman getting treatment on the same hospital bed in Gujarat. This post claims that PM Narendra Modi led BJP Government constructed the world’s biggest statue with Rs. 3000 crores in Gujarat but did not build a good health care system in the state. The same image is also being linked to the government hospitals in multiple other states like Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. They can be seen here and here. Let’s verify the claim made in these posts.
Claim: Photo of three persons getting treated on the same bed at a government hospital in Gujarat.
Fact:  The photo shared in the post was taken at a government hospital in Nagpur, Maharashtra. This photo has nothing to do with Gujarat. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On observing carefully, we could see the number on the hospital bed written in the Marathi language. So, it can be inferred that the image is related to a government hospital in Maharashtra.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found to be shared in a tweet by the ‘Times Now’ media network Senior Editor, Megha Prasad. In the tweet, Megha Prasad mentioned it as visuals from a government hospital in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
This is from a hospital in #nagpur #Maharashtra #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/AdKrZNFYnU
On searching for further information using these keywords, we found news articles reporting the patients’ situation at a government hospital in Nagpur. They can be seen here and here. These articles reported it as the frightening visuals from Nagpur Government Medical College hospital, where more than two COVID-19 patients were treated on the same hospital bed. In the wake of a massive surge in COVID-19 virus cases, this hospital is reportedly running short of hospital beds. The photos shared in these articles are similar to the photo shared in the post.
To sum it up, an image from Maharashtra government hospital is being linked to government hospitals in different states.

source: news-factly

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Photo Misrepresented as PM Modi Ignoring Greetings from President, Vice President, and Lok Sabha Speaker - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 11, 2023
An image of President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, with their hands folded, during an event, is being widely shared on social media claiming that they greeted Prime Minister Modi with a namaste, but he disregarded them. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: PM Narendra Modi disregarded the greetings from President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at an event.
Fact: The incident in question occurred on 06 December 2023, when PM Modi and other leaders gathered at the New Parliament House in New Delhi to pay tribute on the death anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The full video reveals that the President, Vice President, and Lok Sabha Speaker were posing for a media photo. PM Modi was the first to exit, offering a ‘namaste’ gesture to the media personnel, followed by the other leaders. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search of the viral image led us to the full video, live-streamed on 06 December 2023, on PM Narendra Modi’s official YouTube channel. The footage shows PM Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and other leaders paying tribute to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar at the New Parliament House in New Delhi on his death anniversary. Before leaving the event, PM Modi and the other leaders posed for a photo in front of the media. PM Modi was the first to offer the ‘namaste’ gesture (below image), followed by the other leaders.
The viral photo captures the moment PM Modi begins to walk away, which has been shared with a misleading claim. The frame (below image) is being shared out of context, falsely suggesting that Modi refused to greet the three leaders as they stood with their hands folded towards him. However, the complete video reveals that President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla greeted the media before departing from the location.
Furthermore, PM Narendra Modi can be seen waiting for other leaders and greeting them before the start of the event.
To sum it up, a misleading photo is being circulated with the false implication that the Prime Minister is ignoring the greetings of other leaders.

created: December 11, 2023


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Photo of a 2018 murder case in Unnao is falsely linked to the Badaun rape case - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 7, 2021
Photo of a dead woman is being shared on social media claiming her to be the 50-year-old woman who was allegedly gang-raped and murdered inside a temple in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh. On 03 January 2021, a 50-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by three men including a priest inside a temple in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of the 50-year-old rape victim in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh.
Fact:  The photo shows the dead body of a young woman who was brutally murdered in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh in 2018. This photo has nothing to do with the recent incident of a 50-year-old woman who was allegedly gang-raped and murdered in Badaun. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo of the dead woman was found in a tweet posted by a user on 24 December 2018. In the post, he claims that Goldie Yadav, a resident of Maurawan village in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh was found dead in the farm fields on the morning of 24 December 2018. When another user shared this incident on his Twitter page, Unnao district police responded saying that Maurava police took immediate action soon after they got the information about this murder.
उक्त घटना की सूचना मिलते ही थाना मौरावां पुलिस मौके पर पहुँच शव को कब्जे में लेकर शव का पंचायतनामा भरकर पीएम हेतु भेजा गया हैै अभियोग पंजी० कर कार्यवाही की जा रही है।
When we searched for more details of the murder using these keywords, we found an article published in ‘Gaon Connection’ media website about this incident. In the article, it is reported that Goldie Yadav, resident of Maurawan village in Unnau district found dead in bushes on 24 December 2018. In the article, it is mentioned that Satish Yadav, a local from the same village killed Goldie Yadav for rejecting his love proposal. Reporting the same, ‘24 Surya News’ uploaded a video on their YouTube channel.
Goldie Yadav cleared the Uttar Pradesh Constable Examination and was getting ready to join the post. News reports about Goldie Yadav’s death can be read here and here. Samaj Wadi Party Leader Shivpal Yadav has also tweeted about Goldie Yadav death on his official Twitter handle.
उन्नाव में एक बेटी गोल्डी यादव की हत्या  दुःखद  व शर्मनाक है, हाल ही में यूपी पुलिस की परीक्षा पास करने वाली इस बेटी के साथ दुष्कर्म की भी आशंका जताई जा रही है।  क्या इस सरकार के तथाकथित "राम-राज" व "बेटी बचाओ अभियान" का कुल जमा हासिल यही है ?
To sum it up, 2018 photo of the dead young woman is being shared as the photo of the 50-year-old woman who was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by three men in Badaun

created: January 7, 2021


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Photo of a child trying to breastfeed on his dead mother is from a 3-year old incident - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 9, 2020
A photo of an infant latching onto his dead mother for milk is being shared on Facebook with a description ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat ka Atmanirbhar Bacchha‘ indicating it to be a recent incident. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Photo of an infant latching on his dead mother for milk during the lockdown.
Fact: It is an old photo. According to the article published by ‘India Today’ in 2017, the woman had died because of head injury and her dead body was found near the railway tracks in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the text in the photo was searched on Google, an article with the same photo published by ‘India Today’ on 25 May 2017 was found. According to the article, the woman was found dead near the railway tracks in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh. From the article, it is understood that the police suspected that she might have been hit by a train or fallen from a train and her wounds indicated that she died because of concussion and bleeding due to an injury on the back of her head. Further information about the incident can be read here and here.
To sum it up, a 3-year old photo of a child breastfeeding on his dead mother shared as that related to a recent incident.
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Photo of a COVID-19 diagnostic test kit is being falsely shared as COVID-19 vaccine - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 23, 2020
A photo is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it is a vaccine developed by US scientists for COVID-19. It is also being claimed that ‘Trump announced Roche Medical Company will launch the vaccine next Sunday, and millions of doses are ready from it’.  Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Photo of a vaccine developed by US scientists for COVID-19.
Fact: The photo shows a COVID-19 diagnostic test kit developed by Sugentech, a South Korean based company. It is not a vaccine. As on 23 March 2020, there is no vaccine for COVID-19. Also, Trump announced FDA’s approval of a Coronavirus ‘test’, not a vaccine, developed by a company ‘Roche’ to increase and accelerate the country’s capacity to test for the virus. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo was run through the Google Reverse Image Search, the same image was found in a tweet posted by a journalist. In the tweet, it can be read that ‘Korea finished developing the 10-minute Covid-19 diagnostic kit and is now ramping up production’. So, it is not a vaccine.
Korea finished developing the 10 minute Covid-19 diagnostic kit and is now ramping up production. They plan to export 300.000 test-kits per week – pic.twitter.com/DpJCph9RT7
Also, when searched with the name of the company (‘Sugentech’), on its website, it can be found that the posted photo shows ‘COVID-19 IgM/IgG’, a diagnostic kit for COVID-19. Sugentech is a South Korea based company.
On the WHO website, it can be read that, as on 23 March 2020, ‘there is no vaccine and no specific antiviral medicine to prevent or treat COVID-2019. Possible vaccines and some specific drug treatments are under investigation.
Previously, when a video was shared with a similar claim (‘Trump announced Roche Medical Company will launch the vaccine next Sunday’), FACTLY has debunked the claim and published an article, which can be read here. Trump announced FDA’s approval of a Coronavirus ‘test’, not a vaccine, developed by a company ‘Roche’ to increase and accelerate the country’s capacity to test for the virus.
To sum it up, the photo of a COVID-19 diagnostic test kit falsely shared as COVID-19 vaccine.
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Photo of a girl who was raped and murdered by Muslims in Delhi riots? No, a suspicious death case from Madhya Pradesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 4, 2020
In the context of the recent Delhi riots, the photo of a girl is being shared on social media with a claim that she was raped and murdered by Muslims. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
Photo of a girl who was raped and murdered by Muslims inside AAP councillor Tahir Hussain’s house during the recent Delhi riots.
Fact: The girl in the photo is Jyoti Patidar, a 12th grade student from Parasuliyakalan village in Madhya Pradesh who died under suspicious circumstances at her residence on February 19. There is no relation between the girl in the photo and the recent Delhi riots. Hence, the claim made in the post is  FALSE.
When the name of the girl shared in the post was searched on Google, an article published by ‘Dainik Bhaskar’ with the same photo was found in the search results. From the article, it is understood that Jyoti Patidar, a 12th-grade student from Parasuliyakalan village in Madhya Pradesh died under suspicious circumstances at her residence on February 19. It was first thought that the girl may have died because of a fire accident in the house or by committing suicide. However, her family members and relatives later complained to the police that she might have been raped and killed. More information about the incident can be read here, here and here.
People have demanded the police to quickly investigate the case and arrest the accused by holding a protest rally. The video of this rally and the other related videos can be seen here, here and here. The request letter given to the police by ABVP in reference to the case was posted by someone on Facebook and can be seen here.
The video of the press meet held by the police in reference to this case can be seen here. Currently, the case is under investigation.
To summarize, a photo of a girl who died under suspicious circumstances in Madhya Pradesh is being wrongly shared in the context of recent Delhi riots as a girl who was raped and murdered by Muslims.
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Photo of a man transporting a mannequin in Egypt shared as the visuals of a Muslim carrying a dead body on a motorcycle - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 5, 2023
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is the visuals of a Muslim carrying a dead body on a two-wheeler. The photo shows a human foot-like structure protruding out from a covered object placed on the back seat of the two-wheeler. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing a Muslim man carrying a dead body on his two-wheeler.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows a man carrying a mannequin, that is displayed outside cloth stores, in Cairo, Egypt. The photo was taken when a transport company executive was delivering a dismantled mannequin to a garment merchant store in the Mokattam area in Cairo. The object carried on the two-wheeler is a mannequin, not a human dead body, and the photo is falsely shared with a communal narrative. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the same photo was found in an article published by the ‘Cairo 24’ news website on 02 June 2023. This news article reported it is a picture of a man carrying a dismantled mannequin in Cairo, Egypt. The news website reported that after the publication on Cairo 24, the Ministry of Interior issued a clarification regarding social media posts about a photo of a dead body carried on a motorcycle, and clarified that the image shows a transport company executive carrying a mannequin on a two-wheeler.
Reporting the details of the photo, several other news websites have also published articles. They can be seen here and here. As per the reports, a garment company assigned the task to a transport company to deliver a mannequin from one of their branches to their other store in the Mokattam area in Cairo. As per the given task, 28-year-old Muhammad Nasar was delivering a mannequin to the Mokattam area when this photo was shot. Speaking to the media, Muhammad Nasar said that whoever filmed him had destroyed his life. Muhammad Nasar said that people had totally misinterpreted his photo, and said that it had a great negative impact on his life.
BG Collection, the cloth store that assigned the task of transporting the mannequin, published a Facebook post clarifying that the photo was taken while an executive was transporting a mannequin from their Gamal Abdel Nasser branch to the Al-Mukattam branch in Cairo. A few other Facebook posts published by the BG collection regarding this photo can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, a photo of a man transporting a mannequin on a two-wheeler in Egypt is now shared as the visuals of a Muslim carrying a dead boy on a motorcycle.


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Photo of a merchant navy engineer is shared as a senior lady Indian Navy officer from a poor family in Jalandhar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 18, 2022
A photo of a woman dressed in a white navy-like uniform is being shared on social media claiming her as a senior Indian Navy officer raised from a poor family in Jalandhar. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a Senior lady Indian Navy officer who was raised in a poor family in Punjab’s Jalandhar.
Fact: Certain ‘Marchant Navy’ and other prominent organizations shared similar photos of the woman on their Facebook pages. They identified the woman as Reena D’ Cunha, who is presently living in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Reena D’ Cunha was appointed as the Merchant Navy Chief Engineer in 2017. Similar photos of Reena D’ Cunha in Merchant Navy uniform were also found on her Facebook page. Though we could not find personal details of Reena D’ Cunha & her family, it can be confirmed that Reena D’ Cunha is a merchant navy officer and has nothing to do with the Indian Navy. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo of the lady was found on a website describing her as a merchant navy officer. When we searched for more information about this woman using keywords, a similar photo of the lady officer was found on the ‘Merchant Navy’ Facebook page. This Facebook handle identified the woman as the Merchant Navy officer named Reena D’ Cunha. Several other prominent social media handles shared similar photos of the lady officer mentioning her as Reena D’ Cunha.
On searching for further details of the officer, we found multiple similar photos of the woman on a Facebook page created with the username Reena D’ Cunha. They can be seen here and here.
Reena D’ Cunha is a Merchant Navy Chief Engineer living in Mumbai city in Maharashtra. Though we could not find personal details of Reena D’ Cunha & her family, it can be confirmed that Reena D’ Cunha is a merchant navy officer and has nothing to do with the Indian Navy.
To sum it up, a photo of a merchant navy engineer is shared as a senior lady Indian Navy officer from a poor family in Jalandhar.

created: January 18, 2022


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Photo of a militant arrested in 2015 is shared as burqa-clad man caught at the Shaheen Bagh protests - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 22, 2020
An image is being widely shared on social media with a claim that it shows a man disguised as a woman and got caught in the Shaheen Bagh protests. Let’s analyze the claim made in the post.
Image of a man disguised as woman, caught at the Shaheen Bagh protests.
Fact: The image is that of a militant who was caught by the Jammu & Kashmir Police for opening fire in a market in Pulwama in 2015. So, the image is no way related to the ongoing Shaheen Bagh protest against CAA. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
With reverse image search, the same image was found in an article of ‘Deccan Herald’ mentioning that some burqa-clad militants had opened fire at a market in Pulwama in 2015. Police had confronted them and arrested a suspected militant wearing a burqa to disguise himself as a woman. The image can also be seen in the article of ‘Greater Kashmir’ which reported this incident.
To sum it up, image from 2015 is falsely shared as – ‘Man disguised as a woman caught at the Shaheen Bagh protest’.
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created: January 22, 2020


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Photo of a person injured during a protest in Kashmir in 2016 is falsely linked to the ongoing farmers' protest - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 27, 2024
An image showing a person’s face covered with pellet wounds is circulating on social media with the claim that it depicts a wounded farmer injured during the ongoing 2024 farmers’ protests. This article aims to fact-check the claim.
Claim: Face of a wounded farmer from the ongoing 2024 farmers’ protest.
Fact: This viral image, dating back to 2016 is from Srinagar, Kashmir, and has no connection with the recent farmers’ protest. According to news reports, the image depicts Mohammad Imran Parray, who was wounded by pellets during a protest in Kashmir in July 2016. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To verify the authenticity of the viral claim, we conducted a reverse image search on the internet, leading to reports from The New Indian Express and Times of India in 2016. These reports featured the same image. According to these reports, the viral picture depicts Mohammad Imran Parray, who was wounded after being hit by pellets during a protest in Kashmir in July 2016. The image was credited to the news agency Associated Press (AP).
To gather more information about the viral image and incident, we conducted a relevant keyword search on the internet. This led us to a news report by India Times published on 14 July 2016, which covered the viral picture. According to the report, after the death of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani in July 2016, violent demonstrations and stone-pelting erupted in Kashmir. To control the situation, the police used pellet guns, resulting in injuries to many individuals.
Subsequently, we also found the viral photo on the Alamy stock-image website and the Associated Press website. According to information available on these websites, the viral photo was taken by photographer Dar Yasin during a clash between police and protestors in Srinagar on 13 July 2016. The image’s description states that Parray was hit by pellets during a protest. Additionally, it mentions that the violence erupted after government troops killed a top leader of Hizbul Mujahideen. Based on this information, it is evident that the viral image depicts Mohammad Imran Parray, who was wounded after being hit by pellets during a protest in Kashmir in July 2016.
To sum it up, a photo of a person injured during a protest in Kashmir in 2016 is falsely linked to the ongoing farmers’ protest in 2024.

created: February 27, 2024


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Photo of a religious procession in Bangladesh is falsely shared as Danish Siddiqui’s funeral - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 20, 2021
A photo is being widely shared through a post claiming that the photo is from Danish Siddiqui’s funeral. The post also claims that COVID-19 protocols have been mismanaged during this funeral procession. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of crowd disregarding COVID-19 protocols at Danish Siddiqui’s funeral.
Fact: This photo is from a religious procession from Chittagong, Bangladesh taken in November 2019, not from Danish Siddiqui’s funeral. Danish Siddiqui was buried at a cemetery in Jamia Millia Islamia on 18 July 2021. The funeral was attended by hundreds with crowd gathered in proximity even when the police instructed people to follow social distancing norms. Danish Siddiqui was a Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist who was killed in Afghanistan when he was working on an assignment for Reuters news agency. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search was done on the photo, a YouTube video with similar visuals was found. This video was uploaded on 13 November 2019 with the title, ‘Celebration procession Chittagong’. Similar visuals of the procession van could be seen in this video.
Taking a cue that this video is from Chittagong, Bangladesh; we searched for videos with relevant keywords and found several YouTube videos of this religious procession in Chittagong, Bangladesh in 2019 (the videos can be seen here, here, and here). This Jashne Juluse Eid-E-Miladunnabi was observed in Chittagong, Bangladesh in 2019; according to an article, ‘the holy Eid-e-Miladunnabi is the day of birth and demise of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PHUH), was observed in the country with due religious solemnity.’ A Facebook post published on 15 November 2019 had a video with the same visuals as in the post.
Danish Siddiqui was a Pulitzer Prize-winning Indian photojournalist who was killed in Afghanistan when he was working on an assignment for Reuters news agency. He died due to an ambush by Taliban militants on a convoy of Afghan forces he was embedded with. Danish Siddiqui was buried at a cemetery in Jamia Millia Islamia on 18 July 2021. The funeral was attended by hundreds – former classmates, budding photojournalists, friends, and neighbours, according to a Newslaundry article. The police and Jamia Millia Islamia administration instructed people to follow social distancing norms at Danish Siddiqui’s funeral. However, a Twitter post shows crowd swelling at the funeral site.
Crowd swelling at Jamia now. Danish Siddiqui's funeral. pic.twitter.com/xuegSipwhE
To sum it up, a photo of a religious procession in Bangladesh is falsely shared as Danish Siddiqui’s funeral.


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Photo of a rescued boy is falsely portrayed as 'boy arrested for being a Muslim' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 9, 2020
A photo of a boy locked up with chains is being widely circulated on social media with a claim that he was arrested for being a Muslim. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Image of the boy who was arrested for being a Muslim.
Fact: The boy in the photo was rescued by the Uttar Pradesh police when he was chained and locked in a Madrasa (a religious Islamic school) near Mangrauli Pulia Jewar. This photo was captured during that rescue operation in 2018. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image searching the photo using key words, a tweet posted by ‘Call 112’, emergency service portal of Uttar Pradesh was found detailing about the incident shown in the photo. In that tweet, they informed that the police of Gautham Buddha Nagar- PRV 1873 rescued a child who was chained and locked in a Madrasa (a religious Islamic school) near Mangrauli Pulia Jewar. The rescued child was taken to a local police station and later handed over to his parents.
गौतमबुद्धनगर -पीआरवी 1873 ने मंगरौली पुलिया जेवर के पास जंजीरो से जकड़े बच्चे को जिसमें ताला लगा था, को जंजीरो से मुक्त कर परिजनों को सूचना / सुपुर्द करने हेतु थाने पहुंचाया  ! @Uppolice @noidapolice @UPGovt @HomeDepttUP @adgzonemeerut #UP100 #UP100Updates pic.twitter.com/PYZZxAwHQb
‘Gautham Buddha Nagar- PRV 1873’ police released an official statement about this rescue operation. In that statement, they said “On ‘19 January 2018’ they received a phone call informing about the child being locked up with chains in a madrasa near Mangrauli Pulia Jewar. Local police immediately rescued the child and handed over to his parents. The rescued child belongs to Faridabad, Haryana. He was sent to the Madrasa in Gautham Buddha Nagar district by his parents for studies.”
गौतमबुद्धनगर -PRV 1873 ने मंगरौली पुलिया जेवर के पास जंजीरो से जकड़े बच्चे को जिसमें ताला लगा था, को जंजीरो से मुक्त कर स्थानीय थाने के माध्यम से परिजनों के सुपुर्द ! @Uppolice @noidapolice @UPGovt @HomeDepttUP @adgzonemeerut #UP100 #UP100Updates pic.twitter.com/qSbXg0GpY8
To sum it up, photo of a boy being rescued by police was falsely portrayed as a boy arrested for being a Muslim.
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Photo of a Traffic Jam in China revived again as German fuel protest - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 16, 2021
As fuel prices in India have increased in recent times, a photo is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows a protest in Germany against the petrol price hike by their government. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a protest in Germany against the petrol price hike by their government.
Fact: The posted photo is related to China, not Germany. The photo was taken in 2012 when cars were stuck in a traffic jam in Shenzhen city. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the posted photo was run through Google Reverse Image search, the same photo was found in an article published by ‘The Telegraph’ in 2012. In the description of the photo, it can be read – “Cars during a traffic jam in Shenzhen city, Guangdong province, in 2012“. The traffic jam occurred in 2012 as the government has granted free road travel during the holidays in China. More photos of the same traffic jam taken by a Shutterstock photographer can be seen here.
When we searched about the traffic jam mentioned above, an article by ‘The Atlantic’ that reported this incident was found. It can be read here. So, it can be concluded that the posted photo does not show people in Germany protesting against the increased fuel price.
Also, no such protest (’10-lakh-car-blockade’) against the petrol price hike was reported in Germany. In the past, there were other protests in Germany on fuel prices details of which can be found here and here.
This photo was also shared in the past with the same claim and gets revived on social media whenever there is a discussion over fuel price rise in the country. The fact-check article written by FACTLY in 2019 on the same photo can be seen here.
To sum it up, with fuel price rise in the country, a photo of traffic jam in China got revived again as German fuel protest.

created: February 16, 2021


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Photo of Aaj Tak crediting Modi for the first Olympic medal is morphed - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 27, 2021
A post is being shared on social media claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had helped India win its first Olympic medal. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Aaj Tak crediting Modi with the first Olympic medal.
Fact: This photo of Aaj Tak crediting Modi for the Olympic medal is morphed from an image published by Aaj Tak in its Facebook page. Aaj Tak is a Hindi news channel which runs a program named ‘Khabardar’ usually every night. There are no such programs, in the given list from Aaj Tak’s website, which claim that Modi had helped India win its first Olympic medal. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, a Facebook post published by Aaj Tak was found. This post was published on 09 July 2019 with an identical image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and news anchor Sweta Singh, as in the social media post.  The post is read in English as, ‘Watch Khabardar at 9 pm with Sweta Singh’ and it poses a question saying, ‘Will PM Modi win the world cup for India?’. This news program was done in 2019, when India was playing the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England.
When the photo is closely observed, the title has been changed from ‘Will PM Modi win the world cup for India?’ to ‘PM Modi helped India win its first Olympic medal’.
Three medals were pasted on the logo of the cricket world cup trophy seen in the original image; the trophy can still be seen in the edited image.
Aaj Tak is a Hindi news channel that runs a program named ‘Khabardar’ usually every night. The list of topics they addressed in these programs recently can be seen here. There are no programs in the list which claim that PM Modi had helped India win its first Olympic medal.
Mirabai Chanu won India’s first medal at the Tokyo Olympics on 24 July 2021. She won a silver medal in the Women’s 49kg weightlifting event. Articles regarding this can be seen here and here. Mirabai Chanu dedicated her Olympic medal to India and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his encouragement.
To sum it up, the photo of Aaj Tak crediting Modi for the first Olympic medal is morphed.


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Photo of Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav Paying respects to Mulayam Singh is misrepresented as Atiq Ahmed's grave. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 5, 2024
A photo of Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav at a grave is going viral on social media with the claim that they were seen paying their respects to the gangster and politician Atiq Ahmed. Let’s verify this claim through this fact-check article.
Claim: The photo shows Akhilesh Yadav and his wife paying respects at Atiq Ahmed’s grave.
Fact: This is a photo from 2022 captured during Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav’s vist to the grave of Mulayam Singh Yadav. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To validate the claim associated with the viral photo, we performed a reverse image search. This process led us to the same photo, tweeted as a part of a series by Akhilesh Yadav on his official verified Twitter account in November 2022.
pic.twitter.com/dJC453WSVD
The tweets indicated that Akhilesh and his wife, Dimple Yadav, visited the burial place of Mulayam Singh Yadav before filing nomination papers for contesting in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha by-poll (here and here).
Additionally, Dimple Yadav posted the same photo on her ‘X’ account, confirming the visit to Mulayam Singh Yadav’s memorial site. This evidence clearly refutes the claim that the photo was taken at Atiq Ahmed’s burial site.
नेताजी को सादर नमन के साथ, हम आज का नामांकन उनके सिद्धांतों और मूल्यों को समर्पित कर रहे हैं।
नेताजी का आशीर्वाद हम सबके साथ हमेशा रहा है, हमेशा रहेगा। pic.twitter.com/KgUkyp0gZN
To sum up, the viral photo of Akhilesh and Dimple Yadav was taken at the grave of Mulayam Singh Yadav, not Atiq Ahmed.


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Photo of Akshay Kumar holding the ABVP flag was at Delhi University's 2018-Women Marathon - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 10, 2020
A photo of Akshay Kumar holding the ABVP flag is being circulated on Facebook with a claim that Akshay Kumar is supporting ABVP
at JNU. Let’s try to analyse the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
A photo of Akshay Kumar supporting ABVP by holding the ABVP flag at JNU.
Fact: Akshay Kumar has tweeted in 2018 that the photo is related to Delhi University’s ‘Women Marathon’. So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo in the post was searched using Google reverse image technique, many search results with the photo of Akshay Kumar holding the ABVP flag were found. From an article published by ‘Prokerala’ in January-2018, it is understood that the photo is related to the flagging off ceremony of Women Marathon at the Delhi University (DU) (not JNU) by Akshay Kumar. Even, Akshay Kumar has tweeted in 2018 that the photo is related to Delhi University’s Women Marathon.
To summarize, a photo related to Delhi University’s Women Marathon is being falsely shared as that of Akshay Kumar supporting ABVP at JNU
Did you watch our video on the 10 Most Ridiculous Fake News of the Year 2019?

created: January 10, 2020


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Photo of Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath at 2019 Kumbh Mela shared as a recent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 20, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as the recent visuals of Home Minister Amit Shah and UP CM Yogi Adityanath taking a holy dip at Haridwar Kumbh Mela without wearing a mask. In the wake of rising COVID-19 cases in the country, this photo is being shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath taking a holy dip at 2021 Kumbh Mela in Haridwar without wearing masks.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is an old one. This photo was captured when Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath took a holy dip at Prayagraj Kumbh Mela in 2019. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for this photo using relevant keywords, a similar photo was found in a gallery article published by News 18. The description of the photo states that ‘BJP President Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath take a holy dip at Sangam during their visit to Kumbh Mela 2019 in Prayagraj’. This photo was reportedly shot during the 2019 Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
News articles and videos about Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath taking a holy dip at Prayagraj Kumbh Mela can be seen here, here and here.
To sum it up, 2019 photo of Amit Shah and Yogi Adityanath taking a holy dip at Prayagraj Kumbh Mela is falsely linked to ongoing Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.


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Photo of an impala being hunted by cheetahs is being shared with a fake story - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 20, 2020
A photo of an impala being hunted by a group of cheetahs is being shared with a claim that the mother impala has sacrificed herself to protect her two child impalas. The English translation of the posted claim: ‘This is not a painting; this is a real photo. The photo has received the World’s Best Photo Award. In a forest, a group of Cheetahs have surrounded an impala and her two children. Then, the mother impala thought that she can run away but her children cannot. So, she surrendered herself to the Cheetahs and kept looking at her children safely going away. None can be compared to mother’. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Photo of an impala sacrificing herself to cheetahs to protect her children.
Fact: The photographer, who captured the photo, has clarified that the story accompanied by her photo is ‘completely ridiculous fake story’. She said that there were ‘no sacrificed mothers or babies involved’ and also, she shared the real story behind the photo. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched on the internet, it was found that the photographer, who captured the photo, has already posted about the photo on her Facebook account. In her post, she called the viral story, which was accompanied by her photo, as a ‘completely ridiculous fake story’. She has also provided a link to her website in the post.
On her website, the real story behind the photo can be read. She writes, ‘I witnessed this Cheetah kill in September 2013 in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. Narasha, the cheetah mom, was teaching her youngsters how to kill prey.  However, they were a bit slow on the uptake and they were playing with the hapless Impala prey instead of killing it. Narasha, the cheetah mom is the one that is grabbing the impala by the neck in all the photos…. What is out of the ordinary in this sequence of photos is how calm the impala is throughout its ordeal.  It is probably in shock and thus paralysed with fear.’ On her Instagram, she explicitly clarified that there were ‘no sacrificed mothers or babies involved’.
Also, a video related to the incident was found on YouTube. In the video, it can be seen that there were no child impalas involved in the incident.
The photographer has won the ‘Remarkable Award in the Siena International Photo Awards’ for the posted photo
To sum it up, the photo of an Impala being hunted by cheetahs is being shared with a fake story.
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created: February 20, 2020


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Photo of an injured cow vigilante shared as a farmer’s injured head in a lathicharge at farmers' protest - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 1, 2021
A post with the photo of a person with stitches on his skull is being widely shared on social media claiming that it was due to lathicharge by Modi government. The post even claims the person in the photo to be a farmer and that the incident happened during farmers’ protests. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a farmer’s head injured during a recent lathicharge at farmers’ protest.
Fact: The photo is of Tinku, who is a cow protector and the injury happened in Gurugram while he was chasing cow smugglers. The photo has nothing to do with farmers’ protest. However, on 28 August 2021, around 10 people were injured as police allegedly lathicharged a group of farmers in Karnal, Haryana. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING
When reverse image search is done on the photo, a Twitter thread with the same image was found. The tweet says that it is an old image of an injured activist named Tinku who was attacked by cow smugglers in Gurgaon on 25 August 2021 and is being falsely shared by the opposition parties. There is a video in the thread which shows the person with the stitched skull and the tweet requests strict action to be taken against people sharing such misleading posts (claims).
A Facebook post with the same image says that people fought bravely the cow smugglers and there is no mention of farmers’ protest.
The person who this shayar proudly claims to be injured in Police lathicharge is Tinku an activist who got was attacked by some cow smugglers in Gurgaon on August 25.@ShayarImran your attempt to cause panic by spreading misleading pictures will not succeed #FarmersProtest pic.twitter.com/pIv8lOx9yK
Journalists Jitender Sharma and Ashok Shrivastav have tweeted about the viral claim and said that it was false. They said that the photo is of Tinku, who is a cow protector and that the injury happened in Gurugram while he was chasing cow smugglers on the night of 24/25 August 2021.
किसानों के हक की बात तो ठीक है @ShayarImran लेकिन किसानों के नाम पर फ़र्ज़ी फ़ोटो ठीक नहीं।
ये फ़ोटो टिंकू की है जो गौ रक्षक है और ये चोट 24/25 अगस्त की रात को गौ तस्करों का पीछा करते समय गुरुग्राम में गाड़ी पलटने से लगी थी। https://t.co/P3XJlQSp8R pic.twitter.com/u1HENyYpY5
According to this article, the photo was widely shared on social media by the members of the Congress party. But they have later deleted those posts after it was known that the photo was of some Tinku and was not taken during farmers’ protest. Tinku had mailed a complaint to Cyber Cell Police Station DLF SSO.
On 25 August 2021, cow vigilantes including Tinku were following some suspected cattle smugglers in a car in Ullawas village of Gurugram. They were critically injured as part of the chase. The next day, hundreds of cow vigilantes staged a protest against cattle smugglers and demanded their arrest.
A case under relevant sections of the IPC has been registered against the accused at Sector-65 police station in Gurugram on 26 August 2021. In the FIR, there is no mention of farmers’ protest.
On 28 August 2021, around 10 people were injured as police allegedly lathicharged a group of farmers in Karnal, Haryana. The police say that only four protesters were injured while ten policemen also sustained injuries. The police reportedly resorted to lathicharge against farmers who were heading towards a BJP meeting to protest.
When Boom fact-checked a similar claim, they contacted Tinku seen in the photo. He confirmed to them that he suffered that injury on 25 August 2021 and that he would ‘file a complaint against those who have used his image with false claims’.
To sum it up, a photo of an injured cow vigilante is shared as a farmer’s injured head in a lathicharge at a farmer’s protest.

created: September 1, 2021


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Photo of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann sitting on a farm has been morphed to show them sitting in front of liquor shops - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 19, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann were sitting in front of liquor shops. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann sitting in front of liquor shops.
Fact: The photo of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann on a farm field has been morphed to include the image of liquor shops in the background. The original image was taken when they went to meet with some farmers in Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s constituency, Chamkaur Sahib. Bhagwant Mann was recently named the Aam Aadmi Party’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming state assembly elections in Punjab. In the past, Bhagwant Mann was accused of having a drinking problem which he denies. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, a similar image was found in a video uploaded in the official YouTube channel of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The video is from 14 January 2021 when Arvind Kejriwal, along with Bhagwant Mann went to meet farmers in the fields of Punjab. AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal and AAP’s Punjab unit chief Bhagwant Mann met some farmers in Punjab Chief Minister’s constituency, Chamkaur Sahib. However, the images seen have a different background compared to the photo.
When the photo is compared with the images, it can be clearly seen that the background in the photo has been morphed to add the image of liquor stores. The image of the liquor shops is being used at least since 2020. It is found in the articles published in 2020 about liquor stores, here and here.
Bhagwant Mann was recently named the Aam Aadmi Party’s Chief Minister face for the upcoming state assembly elections in Punjab. Bhagwant Mann is accused of having a drinking problem which he denies.
I congratulate Sardar Bhagwant Mann on being declared CM face of AAP in Punjab. Whole Punjab is looking upto AAP as a hope. Its a huge responsibility and I am sure Bhagwant will bring back smile on the face of every Punjabi.
To sum it up, the photo of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann sitting on a farm had been morphed to show that they were in front of liquor shops.

created: January 19, 2022


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Photo of Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj performing ‘Agni Tapasya’ in Haryana is shared as an ice clad Yogi in Himalayas - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 21, 2022
A photo through a post is being shared on social media claiming that the person is an ice clad Yogi in Himalayas. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of an ice clad Yogi in Himalayas.
Fact: The photo is not of an ice clad Yogi in Himalayas. The person in the picture is Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj who was performing ‘Agni Tapasya’ in Haryana. Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj is well-known in Rindhana village in Haryana as he performs the ‘Agni Tapasya’ quite frequently near the Sheetla Mata Mandir in Sonipat District. Photos and videos of Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj performing ‘Agni Tapasya’ can be seen on his Facebook and YouTube channels. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, a Facebook post with a similar picture was found. The picture was posted on 18 June 2019 on the Facebook page of ‘Baba sarbangi I’. The person in the picture is Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj. The viral photo had been shared in black and white, whereas the original picture is in colour and is not a black and white picture- the jug and other things are in colour. The picture does not look like a person with ice on him, it looks like ash or dirt.
Videos of Shri Mahant Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj performing ‘Agni Tapasya’ can be seen here and here. The visuals in these videos match the posture and surroundings of Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj in the photo. The thing on Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj can be the ashes that come with the fire upon performing the ‘Agni Tapasya’. Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj’s photo in different angles can also be seen on the same Facebook page, here and here. Nowhere in these pictures does he look like an ice-clad Yogi in the Himalayas. Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj is well-known in Rindhana village in Haryana as he performs the ‘Agni Tapasya’ quite frequently near the Sheetla Mata Mandir in Sonipat District.
To sum it up, a photo of Baba Bhalegiri Ji Maharaj performing ‘Agni Tapasya’ in Haryana is shared as an ice-clad Yogi in the Himalayas.

created: January 21, 2022


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Photo of Delhi Police lathi charge on a child? No, the photo is from Bangladesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 2, 2020
An image is being widely shared on Facebook with the claim that it shows Delhi police trying to hit a child with the baton. Let’s check the veracity of the claim made in the post.
Image of Delhi police trying to hit a child with the baton.
Fact: The image isn’t from India. It shows a Bangladeshi policeman threatening a child with the baton during protests in their country in 2010. So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Ever since riots have erupted in Delhi, the internet is flooded with many images and videos claiming them to be of those riots. While a few of them were true, most of them were found to be old and unrelated. The image in the post was found in the ‘Getty Images’ photo library. As per this information, the image is of a Bangladeshi policeman threatening a child with the baton during clashes with garment workers in Dhaka on 30 June 2010. So, the image is an old one and is not even related to India. In 2010, workers of garment factories in Bangladesh had protested against low pay and poor working conditions in their factories. When the protests became violent, clashes broke out between the garment workers and the police. More information about those protests can be read here and here.
To summarize, the image of a Bangladeshi policeman threatening a child with the baton is being shared as that of Delhi Police.
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Photo of Donald Trump holding a document with Ambedkar’s image is a photoshopped one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 23, 2019
On Facebook, a few users are posting a photo of Trump holding an official document that has an image of Ambedkar on the left and the text “jai bhim” with Trump’s signature on the right side. In the post, it is claimed that Donald Trump was inspired by the books of Ambedkar and he expressed his wish to embrace Buddhism. Let’s try to verify the claims made in the post.
Trump was holding an official document that has an image of Ambedkar on the left and the text ‘jai bhim’ with his signature on the right.
Fact: President Trump’s executive order to withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership is photoshopped with the image of Ambedkar on the left and text ‘jai bhim’ on the right. So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo in the post is run through Google Reverse Image Search technique, it was found in an article of ‘Forbes’ published in January 2017. The photo in the article carried the following description- “President Trump shows signed executive ordering withdrawing U.S. from Trans-Pacific Partnership WASHINGTON, DC”.
When searched if Trump has expressed anytime his wish to embrace Buddhism, no corroborating information was found.
So, the photo of Trump with a document carrying Ambedkar’s photo and text ‘jai bhim’ is a photoshopped one and also, Donald Trump hasn’t expressed any wish to embrace Buddhism anytime.
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Photo of DU student from Telangana falsely shared as she committing suicide over non-postponement of exams - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 8, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Sunitha, a Telangana student, had committed suicide. The post also claims that she died because of non-postponement of offline B-Tech exams and that Telangana Government is responsible for her death. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Sunitha, a student from Telangana who ended her life due to non-postponement of B-Tech exams.
Fact: The girl in the photo is very much alive and her name is Sankeerthana, not Sunitha. She is currently pursuing B.Com (Hons) from Delhi University and not B.Tech from JNTU Hyderabad. FACTLY had reached out to the Circle Inspector of KPHB Police Station, S. Laxmi Narayana and he confirmed that no suicide cases were reported from JNTU Hyderabad on 01 July 2021 (the date mentioned in the suicide note). There are no recent news reports from Telangana about any suicide of a B.Tech student due to non-postponement of exams. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the image of the woman in the picture, a ‘Telangana Today’ news article with the same image was found. In the article titled, ‘Daughters of Telangana script success stories’ published on 25 January 2021, it says the girl’s name is Sankeerthana and not Sunitha. Sankeerthana, who secured 942 out of 1000 in the Intermediate was a student of Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institution and is gearing up to fly out to Australia to pursue her under-graduation. Sankeerthana’s Father is a small farmer in Karimnagar, while her mother is a housewife. So, the person in the image is Sankeerthana and not Sunitha.
A Twitter handle named ‘Girish Mintu’ posted a clarification video featuring her and requested not to spread fake news. The girl in the video claims that the person in the photo is her and identifies herself as Sankeerthana. She confirms that the blurred image of a woman supposedly hanging from a ceiling fan, and a suicide note, does not belong to her. She even requests not to spread such fake news. A person claiming to be Sankeerthana’s brother says her sister is very much alive and that she is not a B.Tech student.
@NehaCho78701538 don't spread the fake news guys 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/w3RaWkf94O
India Today has reached out to Sankeerthana, who is now pursuing B.Com (Hons) at Delhi University. Refuting the viral claims, she said, “I am currently doing my first year in B.Com (Hons) from Delhi University. I am not a B.Tech student as claimed in the post. Also, the death note shared along with my picture is not written by me. Due to the COVID-19 situation, there is no certainty when I can leave for Australia. So, I decided to join Delhi University.”
Several students from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) Hyderabad, Telangana were protesting against the varsity’s decision to conduct offline exams from 02 July 2021. Therefore, this post with the suicide note to postpone exams became viral in light of these protests, with the hashtag #jntuhupdates. No news reports were found about any suicide of a B.Tech student due to non-postponement of exams in Telangana.
FACTLY had reached out to the Circle Inspector of KPHB Police Station, S. Laxmi Narayana. The Inspector confirmed to us that there were no suicide cases that were reported from JNTU Hyderabad on 01 July 2021 (the date mentioned in the suicide note) or recently amidst the protests. JNTU Hyderabad comes under the purview of the KPHB Police Station. Further, there are no recent reports of any such suicide by a JNTU Hyderabad student from Telangana.
To sum it up, photo of a DU student from Telangana is falsely shared with a claim that she ended her life over non-postponement of exams.


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Photo of Hyderabad's Osmania hospital ward is falsely shared as that of a Hospital in Bihar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 18, 2020
A hospital ward photo is being shared on social media claiming it as the condition of a COVID-19 hospital in Bihar. In the photo, the hospital ward filled with rainwater and sewage. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Bihar COVID -19 treating hospital ward filled with rainwater and sewage.
Fact: The hospital ward shown in the photo is the Osmania hospital in Hyderabad where sewage & rainwater flowed into an old ward in the hospital recently. The photo is not related to Bihar. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in an article published by ‘India today’ news website on ‘15 July 2020’. In this article, it is mentioned that the Osmania hospital ward in Hyderabad was filled with rainwater and sewage recently. Article with similar content and with the same photo was found in by ‘The Hindu Business Line’  news website. Also, video footage showing the same hospital ward was found in an article published by NDTV. Hence, it can be concluded that the hospital ward shown in the photo is from Osmania hospital, Hyderabad and not Bihar.
Even in Bihar, there were several instances in the past where wards in major hospitals were filled with rainwater and sewage. Video footage and article related to those incidents could be seen here and here. But, the hospital ward shown in this specific post is from Hyderabad Osmania hospital, not related to any COVID-19 hospital in Bihar.
To sum it up, a photo of Hyderabad Osmania hospital ward is being falsely portrayed as the condition of COVID-19 hospital in Bihar.
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Photo of Indira Gandhi addressing Indian soldiers at Leh shared as Galwan valley - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 23, 2020
A photo of former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi addressing soldiers is widely shared on social media claiming that it was taken at Galwan valley. The photo is being shared in the wake of China’s claim over the entire ‘Galwan valley’, the place where clashes broke out between Indian and Chinese forces on ‘15 June 2020’. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Photo of former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi addressing the army jawans at Galwan valley.
Fact: The photo of former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi addressing the Indian soldiers was taken at Leh in 1971, not at Galwan valley. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the image is subjected to reverse image search, it was found in an article of a website ‘Art-Sheep’. The article was about Indira Gandhi and had the following description regarding th photo – ‘One of the rare pictures of former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi addressing jawans in Leh in 1971‘.
When searched with the same description on Twitter, it is found that a user had tweeted the same picture in 2017 as that from Leh. Another verified twitter user has tweeted that he had posted the same image in 2012 and stated that it could be from Ladakh. He later posted another tweet that he found the source of the image and provided credits to ‘PTI Photo/ Courtesy DPR Defence’
Got the source-
RETRANSMISSION-B-204, DEL –  301086 – OCTOBER 30, 2009 – New Delhi: One of the rare pictures of former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi addressing jawans in Leh in 1971, as the nation prepares to observe her 25th death anniversary. PTI Photo/ Courtesy DPR Defence
With the above information, when searched on the ‘PTI’ news website, the photo was found in its archives. The photo had the same description that it was taken at Leh when Indira Gandhi had addressed the Indian jawans. ‘Leh’ is the capital city of Union Territory ‘Ladakh’ and it is far away from the ‘Galwan valley’.
To sum it up, the photo of former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi addressing the Indian soldiers was taken at Leh is shared as that from Galwan valley.
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Photo of Jaggi Vasudev with his daughter Radhe Jaggi is shared with a misleading narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 17, 2023
A photo of Jaggi Vasudev with a woman on his lap is being shared on social media with the Hindi text, “Athyanth Sanskari Baba ji” (when translated to English: “very cultured baba”). This post implies it as a picture showing Jaggi Vasudev, the founder of the Isha Foundation, posing intimately with a woman. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing Isha Foundation Head Jaggi Vasudev posing intimately with a woman.
Fact: The woman in the photo who was seen sitting on Jaggi Vasudev’s lap is his daughter Radhe Jaggi. Sadhguru shared this picture on the occasion of Father’s Day in 2018. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
Many users in the comments section of the post mentioned that the woman seen sitting on Jaggi Vasudev’s lap in the photo is his daughter. On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the same photo was found tweeted by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev on 17 June 2018, with the description, “A fortune to spend an hour with my dear father and they tell me it is #FathersDay”.
A fortune to spend an hour with my dear father and they tell me it is #FathersDay . -Sg pic.twitter.com/9XJFWGtcsp
When we searched for further sources, we found that the woman sitting on Sadhguru’s lap in the photo was his daughter Radhe Jaggi, a classical Bharatanatyam dancer. Videos of Jaggi Vasudev interacting with his daughter Radhe Jaggi can be seen here and here. Multiple tweets by Jaggi Vasudev about his daughter can be seen here and here.
Radhe Jaggi shared multiple pictures of her with his father Jaggi Vasudev on her Instagram handle. A few of them can be seen here and here. Lately, Upasana Konidela shared a photo posing with Jaggi Vasudev and Radhe Jaggi. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the woman seen along with Jaggi Vasudev in the photo was his daughter Radhe Jaggi.
To sum it up, a photo of Jaggi Vasudev with his daughter Radhe Jaggi is shared with a misleading narrative.

created: February 17, 2023


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Photo of Jay Shah with Urvashi Rautela’s brother is shared as him with the son of a Pakistani General - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 2, 2022
A photo is being widely shared on social media claiming that the photo shows BCCI Secretary Jay Shah with Pakistan General’s son Saad Bajwa. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of BCCI secretary Jay Shah with Pakistan General’s Son Saad Bajwa.
Fact: From the posts & details on Uravshi Rautela’s social media accounts, the person standing next to Jay Shah is her brother Yashraj Rautela, not Pakistani General’s son Saad Bajwa. Hence the claim made in the video is FALSE
First, we searched the internet for various pictures of Saad Bajwa and found that the person standing next to Jay Shah in the viral image is not Saad Bajwa. Various images of Saad Bajwa can be seen here, here and here.
Then, we ran the reverse image search of the viral photo and found a Facebook post sharing the same image on 29 August 2022. But the description says, “Jay Shah YashRaj Rautela IND vs PAK Asia cup 2022”. Also, the background of the image shows a stadium full of audience.
Taking a cue from this, we searched about Yashraj Rautela and found that he is the younger brother of actress Urvashi Rautela. More pics can be seen here and here
According to media reports, Urvashi Rautela and many other celebrities watched the Asia Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan on 29 August 2022. Also, YashRaj Rautela shared a picture on Instagram wearing the same outfit.
A post shared by YashrajRautela🎖 (@yashrajrautela)
However, at 1:58:39 time stamp in the full match replay uploaded on Hotstar, one can see Jayshah and Saad Bajwa sitting in the gallery and watching the match.
To sum it up, though Pakistan General’s son Saad Bajwa attended the match between India and Pakistan, he is not the person standing next to Jay Shah in the viral image

created: September 2, 2022


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Photo of Kharge not applauding when P.V. Narasimha Rao's Bharat Ratna was being awarded is shared out of context - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2024
President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Bharat Ratna Award, the country’s highest civilian honour, posthumously to former prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao on 30 March 2024. In this context, a photo is shared on social media with a claim that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who is among the audience during the ceremony, did not applaud when P.V. Narasimha Rao’s son was receiving the award from President Droupadi Murmu. Let’s verify the authenticity of the claim through this article.
Claim: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge did not applaud when P.V. Narasimha Rao’s son was receiving his Bharat Ratna award posthumously.
Fact: The photo of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge not applauding when P.V. Narasimha Rao’s son was receiving the Bharat Ratna award is taken out of context. A full video clip of the award felicitation ceremony showed Mallikarjun Kharge applauding when P.V. Prabhakar Rao received the award from President Droupadi Murmu. Hence, the claim in the post is Misleading.
To verify the claim, we conducted a reverse image search of the viral photo which directed us to photos on the PIB’s website, where it is clearly visible that Mallikarjun Kharge was applauding when PV Prabhakar Rao received the award from President Murmu.
Furthermore, a search on YouTube with relevant keywords led us to videos (here, here and here) of President Murmu presenting the award to PV Prabhakar Rao. In one video, from 0:14 to 0:20 timestamp, Mallikarjun Kharge can be seen applauding when the award was announced,  while P.V. Prabhakar Rao was proceeding to receive it. Additionally, from 0:49 to 0:57 timestamp, Kharge can be seen congratulating P.V. Prabhakar Rao after he received the award.
To sum up, the photo of Kharge not applauding when P.V. Narasimha Rao’s son was receiving his Bharat Ratna is shared out of context.


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Photo of Lal Singh Chaddha team's press meet in Chennai is being shared with a misleading narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 12, 2022
A photo is being shared through a post claiming that it was taken during a premiere show of the movie ‘Lal Singh Chaddha’. The description of the post reads ‘…फिल्म का प्रीमियर भी फ्लॉप हो गया..’ which translates to ‘… The film’s Premiere also flopped..’ Let’s fact-check these claims in this article.
Claim: Image of Lal Singh Chaddha’s premiere show where many seats are unoccupied.
False: The photo in the post was taken during a press meet held on 07 August 2022 at Satyam Theatre, Chennai. While the film’s trailer was launched, the movie was not premiered at this event. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
After performing a reverse image search on the internet using the image in the post, we found a Facebook post. It has the same image as in the viral post with a description that reads ‘Akkineni Naga Chaitanya Udhayanidhi Stalin #MonaSingh and #AamirKhan on stage at the #LaalSinghChaddha Chennai press meet.’
With this information, we looked for recent press meets held by the Lal Singh Chadda team in Chennai and found a few videos and news reports on this event. As per a report by ETV Bharath, a press conference of the Tamil dubbed version of Lal Singh Chaddha was held in Chennai’s Satyam theatre complex on 07 August 2022; Aamir Khan, Mona Singh, SJ Surya, and Naga Chaitanya attended the event.
In the below image, we can see that the photo from the viral post matches a keyframe from the video report by a verified Youtube Channel, NewsBeez.
Some more news reports on this event can be read here and here. The press meet was live streamed by Sun News and Thanthi TV, which can be viewed here and here. With this evidence, we can conclude that a photo taken during a press event of Lal Singh Chaddha promotion is being shared falsely as the photo of the film’s premiere.
To summarise, a photo of Lal Singh Chaddha team’s press meet in Chennai is shared as if it shows unoccupied seats at Lal Singh Chaddha’s premiere show.


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Photo of Mathi Revathi from Andhra Pradesh is falsely shared as Head Constable Revathi of Tamil Nadu - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 1, 2020
An image is being shared on social media claiming that the woman shown in the photo is Head constable Revathi, who gave the statement against the Police personnel involved in the custodial death of father and son in Sathankulam Police station, Tamil Nadu. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Photo of Revathi, the Head constable of Sathankulam police station in Tamil Nadu
Fact: The woman shown in the post is Mathi Revathi from Andhra Pradesh, not the Head constable Revathi of Sathankulam Police station in Tamil Nadu. So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for the photo shared in the post, it is found that the woman shown in the post is Mathi Revathi from Andhra Pradesh, not Head Constable Revathi of Sathankulam Police station in Tamil Nadu. Mathi Revathi was selected as a Sub-Inspector of Police (S.I.) from A.P in 2017. More information about her could be found here in a Fact-Check published by FACTLY regarding a false claim about her.
Revathi, the Head Constable of Sathankulam Police station in Tamil Nadu gave the statement against the police personnel involved in the brutal killing of Jeyaraj and Beniks in her station. Revathi gave her statement to the judicial magistrate of Kovilpatti, who conducted the probe at Sathankulam Police station to investigate about the events that led to the death of father and son. No photo of Head Constable Revathi was published in any official website or news channel.
To sum it up, a photo of Mathi Revathi from Andhra Pradesh is falsely shared as Head Constable Revathi of Tamil Nadu.
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Photo of Meruvardhana swami temple is shared as that of Shital Nath Temple in Jammu and Kashmir - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 11, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is a picture of the Shital Nath temple in Kashmir. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim:  Picture of the Shital Nath temple in Kashmir.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows the Meruvardhana swami temple located inside the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. This photo does not show the Shital Nath temple in Kashmir. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo is found in an article published by the Kashmir Review website. This website reported it is a picture of the historical Pandrethan temple located inside the Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
The Pandrethan temple in Srinagar is also called as the ‘Meruvardhana swami temple’ and ‘Pani Mandir’. It is an ancient stone temple dedicated to Lord Shiva that lies within a square-shaped tank to the north of the Jhelum River. This temple was believed to be constructed in the 10th century by Meruvardhana, the minister of King Partha. The Chinar Corps of the Indian Army adopted this temple and are looking after the maintenance of the temple. A few other images of this temple can be seen here, here and here.
The Shital Nath temple is located in the Habba Kadal area of Srinagar. A few pictures of the Shital Nath temple in Srinagar can be seen here and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the image shared in the post shows the Meruvardhana swami temple, not the Shital Nath temple in Srinagar.
To sum it up, a photo of Meruvardhana swami temple is being shared as a picture of the Shital Nath Temple in Jammu and Kashmir.


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Photo of Muslims burning the Indian flag was taken in Pakistan, not at Shaheen Bagh. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 5, 2020
On Facebook, a few users are posting a picture of Muslims burning an Indian flag and are claiming that the incident happened in anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh. Let’s try to analyse the claim made in the post.
Photo of Muslims burning the Indian flag in anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh.
Fact: The photo was taken in 2015 when Pakistani protesters burnt an Indian flag during a protest in Multan. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo in the post was run through the Google Reverse Image Search, with a filter “Indian flag burnt”, the same photo was found in a blog with the title “Pakistani protesters burn a poster of PM Narendra Modi”. In the blog, the photo credits were given to “AP Photo”. On searching the official website of Associated Press (AP) Photos, the particular photo was found. From the description given about the photo, it was found that on 11 June 2015, Pakistani protesters burnt an Indian flag during a protest in Multan. They have done it in response to the comments made by Indian Prime Minister Modi, who acknowledged that Indian forces had a role in the war that created Bangladesh, which was part of Pakistan before 1971.
The photo was also earlier fact-checked by Factly in July 2019 when it was shared with a similar claim.
To sum it up, the photo of Muslims burning the Indian flag was taken in Pakistan, not at Shaheen Bagh.
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created: February 5, 2020


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Photo of Nehru with his niece Nayantara Sehgal revived with the same old misleading narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 5, 2020
A photo of Jawaharlal Nehru being kissed by a woman is being widely shared on social media to portray him as a womanizer. Also, it is being claimed that the photo was taken during the freedom struggle and that the other person in the photo is Muhammed Ali Jinnah. FACTLY has found that the woman kissing Nehru in the photo is his niece Nayantara Sehgal. Also, Muhammed Ali Jinnah is not present in the photo. The photo was clicked when Nehru landed at the London Airport in 1955 but Jinnah died in 1948. In a video taken during that visit, the visual in the photo can be seen at 0:27 secs. The same photo was also previously fact-checked by FACTLY (in 2019).
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. YouTube video – https://youtu.be/vbMrgZu0NTU?t=27
2. Alamy stock photo – https://www.alamy.com/jul-07-1955-a-kiss-for-mr-nehru-the-indian-prime-minister-mr-nehru-image69293917.html
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Photo of Pakistani security cover to Sri Lankan team in 2019 is shared as that to New Zealand cricket team - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 24, 2021
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that the photo is of the Pakistani government providing security to the New Zealand Cricket team. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Pakistani government providing security to New Zealand cricket team.
Fact: The photo is old and was taken in 2019 when the Sri Lankan cricket team were touring Pakistan for a limited-overs series. Sri Lanka’s team was attacked by armed personnel in Lahore in 2009, hence the Pakistan government promised them the same level of security as a head of state in 2019. The New Zealand cricket team did arrive in September 2021 in Pakistan after the government promised them ‘extraordinary’ security for a three-week tour. However, the New Zealand cricket team called off their tour of Pakistan because of a security alert from their government, just minutes before their first match. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When a reverse image search is done on the photo, a tweet with the same image was found. The tweet was posted on 30 September 2019 by a journalist on his verified Twitter handle named Azzam Ameen. The tweet says, “Sri Lanka Cricket team entering the Karachi Cricket ground for the #PakvsSL clash.”
Sri Lanka Cricket 🏏 team entering the Karachi Cricket ground for the #PakvsSL clash. pic.twitter.com/pU53cx0CWu
Similar visuals can also be seen in a YouTube video uploaded by the official YouTube channel of Sri Lanka Cricket. In the video, Asantha de Mel (then National Team Manager of the Sri Lankan cricket team) spoke about the security provided in Pakistan. There was no mention of New Zealand here.
Sri Lankan team arrived in Pakistan on 24 September 2019 for a limited-over series, with the Pakistan government promising them the same level of security as a head of state. Hence, the heavy security to the Sri Lankan team seen in the photo. Sri Lanka’s team was attacked by armed personnel in Lahore in 2009. Since the attack, Pakistan had been playing most of its ‘home’ matches in UAE and was a no-go zone for international cricket teams for a decade after the attacks.
The New Zealand cricket team did arrive in Pakistan after the government promised them ‘extraordinary’ security for a three-week tour. The New Zealand team arrived almost after 18 years; they last went to Pakistan for a one-day series in 2003. However, on 17 September 2021, the New Zealand cricket team called off their limited-overs tour of Pakistan because of a security alert from their government, just minutes before their first match.
To sum it up, a 2019 photo of the Pakistani security cover to the Sri Lankan cricket team is shared as the Pakistani government providing security to the New Zealand cricket team.

created: September 24, 2021


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Photo of Rahul and Rajiv Gandhi from Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s funeral is being shared with a false narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 5, 2019
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Rahul and Rajiv Gandhi have offered Islamic prayers at Indira Gandhi’s funeral. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Rahul and Rajiv Gandhi offering Islamic prayers in front of Indira Gandhi’s body.
Fact: The photo was taken at Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s funeral, not at Indira Gandhi’s funeral. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo was run through Yandex Reverse Image Search, a YouTube video with the same photo as thumbnail was found in the search results.
The title of the YouTube video is – ‘A Rare Clip of Rajiv Gandhi in the Funeral Prayer of Bacha Khan – KP Digest’ (Bacha Khan is another name of Abdul Ghaffar Khan). Visuals similar to the photo can be seen in the video. Even in a tweet by a Pakistani Politician, it can found that the photo is related to Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s funeral.
Also, in a news article published by AP News in 1988, it can be read that Rajiv Gandhi ‘travelled to Peshawar to pay tribute to Ghaffar Khan’.
Indira Gandhi’s funeral photos and video can be seen here and here, which look very different from the posted photo.
To sum it up, the photo of Rahul and Rajiv Gandhi from Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s funeral is being shared as a photo taken at Indira’s funeral.
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created: November 5, 2019


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Photo of Rahul and Rajiv Gandhi from Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s funeral revived with the same old false narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 24, 2020
A photo is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Rahul and Rajiv Gandhi have offered Islamic prayers at Indira Gandhi’s funeral. FACTLY has found that the photo is related to Abdul Ghaffar Khan’s funeral. When the same photo went viral last year with the same claim, FACTLY has written a detailed fact-check article, which can be read here. Now, the image has been revived in the wake of ‘Republic TV‘ Editor Arnab Goswami’s comments on Sonia Gandhi in the context of Palghar lynching incident.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. Tweet – https://twitter.com/mjdawar/status/692054588917170176
2. News Article- https://apnews.com/33d3b534ab1e81f54f8eba0c78735bad
1. Getty Images – https://www.gettyimages.in/detail/news-photo/indian-prime-minister-rajiv-gandhi-accompanied-by-his-wife-news-photo/514693928
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Photo of ‘Scala dei Turchi’ in Sicily, Italy is falsely shared as Rainbow Mountain in Peru - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 31, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming it to be the Rainbow Mountain from Peru. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Rainbow Mountain from Peru.
Fact: The photo is of ‘Scala dei Turchi’ (roughly translated to ‘Turkish Steps’), which is a rocky cliff in Sicily, Italy. Rainbow Mountain or Vinicunca is a mountain in the Andes of Peru which was discovered nearly seven years ago in 2015 when the snow covering it melted. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, a similar photo was found on the stock photo website, Alamy. According to the details given on the website, the location of the picture is, “Porto Empedocle, Italy”.
Upon searching for the image using relevant keywords, the photo is found to be of ‘Scala dei Turchi’ (roughly translated to ‘Turkish Steps’), which is a rocky cliff in Sicily, Italy. It is a natural rock structure that has a wave-like shape due to years of erosion. Unlike what’s shown in the viral photo, the cliff is white in colour and the surrounding sea is blue in colour. It is not as bright as the viral photo.
Peru is in South America and not North America. Rainbow Mountain or Vinicunca is a mountain in the Andes of Peru which was discovered nearly seven years ago in 2015 when the snow covering it melted. The mountain is located at an altitude of more than 16,000 feet above sea level, with no sea as shown in the viral post.
To sum it up, the photo of ‘Scala dei Turchi’ in Sicily, Italy is falsely shared as Rainbow Mountain in Peru.

created: January 31, 2022


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Photo of Sitaram Yechury demanding Indira’s resignation as the JNU Chancellor is being shared with a false narrative. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 10, 2020
A photo of Indira Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury is being shared widely on social media with the following narrative – ‘1975, Emergency. Indira Gandhi enters JNU with Delhi Police and beats CPI leader, Sitaram Yechuri who was at that time president of the JNU students union, and forces him to resign and read apology letter for protesting against emergency. This is called Iron Hand dealing with communists. Amit Shah looks saint in front of her’. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post
Photo of Sitaram Yechury resigning and reading an apology letter in front of Indira Gandhi for protesting against emergency.
Fact: Sitaram Yechury was not resigning and reading an apology letter in the photo. He was reading a memorandum demanding the resignation of Indira Gandhi as the Chancellor of JNU. Also, the photo was not taken at JNU, but at Indira Gandhi’s residence. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In the comments section of the post, a user has posted the link of an ‘edex Live’ article. The article had the same photo with the following narrative – ‘It was during those dark days, that Communist Party of India leader, Sitaram Yechury, then the President of the JNU Students’ Union led a student march to the then PM Indira Gandhi’s house and while he stood next to her, he read out the reasons why she should step down as the University’s Chancellor. And she stepped down’. The photo can be also found in a ‘Hindustan Times’ article with the following description – ‘Sitaram Yechury as a student leader in JNU reading the memorandum presented by students on Sept 5, 1977, to Indira Gandhi demanding her resignation as chancellor of the university’. More details about the incident can be found here.
A similar image with the actual version of events is available on social media for some time now and can be found here.
This pic is doing the rounds of SM to prove that Indira Gandhi was a great democrat. It is utter rubbish. In the 2 years leading up to the '77 polls, countless student activists were arrested  jailed without trial and many badly tortured. Indira was an autocrat of the worst kind pic.twitter.com/2DfSwrtQdB
To sum it up, the photo of Sitaram Yechury demanding Indira’s resignation as the JNU Chancellor is being shared with a false narrative.
Update: This picture was not taken during the emergency, but was clicked after the emergency, i.e. in September 1977, and after Indira Gandhi’s defeat in 1977 elections. The emergency was declared in June 1975 & officially ended in March 1977.
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One photo is of Tippu Tip (African slave trader) and the other photo is not of Tipu Sultan present in 'The British Museum' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 6, 2022
Two different images are compared through a post claiming one to be the real photo of Tipu Sultan. The post even claims that the other photo is the ‘photo that congress kept printing in Indian school textbooks.’ Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Picture attached in the post shows the real photo of Tipu Sultan.
Fact: The person in the photo is Tippu Tip and not Tipu Sultan. Tippu Tip (1837-1905) was a Swahili-Zanzibari Slave Trader from Africa. Tipu Sultan (1751-1799) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1782-1799. In fact, the world’s first photograph was taken in 1826 by a French scientist named Joseph Nicephore, Tipu Sultan was already dead by then. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo was found in the Stock Photo Website Getty images. According to the description of the photo, the person is Tippu Tip (1837-1905) who was a Swahili-Zanzibari Slave Trader from Africa.
Taking the cue that the person in the photo was an African slave trader, we searched in Google for any news archives. We found ‘The Illustrated London News’ archive from the British newspaper archive website, with the same image on the front cover of its 07 December 1889 issue. The caption of the image on the front cover is read as, ‘Tippoo Tip, the Arab chief of the Manyewa, Upper Congo.’
Tipu Sultan (1751-1799) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore from 1782-1799. He led the second Anglo-Mysore war when his father Hyder Ali died in the battle due to illness. Tipu Sultan died in 1799 during the fourth Anglo-Mysore war. The picture being used is more of an artistic illustration.
In fact, the world’s first photograph was taken in 1826 by a French scientist named Joseph Nicephore, Tipu Sultan was already dead by then. Tipu Sultan died in the year 1799.
To sum it up, a photo of Tippu Tip, a Slave Trader from Africa, is falsely shared as that of Tipu Sultan.
Update (06 MAY 2022):
Another photo is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows the picture of Tipu Sultan that is present in the London Museum. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Picture of Tipu Sultan that is present in the London Museum.
Fact: There are several pictures of Tipu Sultan in ‘The British Museum’, but the posted photo is not one of them. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for the pictures of Tipu Sultan on the website of ‘The British Museum’, many photos related to Tipu Sultan were found in the search results. However, we did not find the posted photo. So, no such photo of Tipu Sultan is there in ‘The British Museum’.
Some fact-checkers claimed that the person in the photo is Rumaliza (a slave trader of Tanzania) comparing the dress, dagger, and facial features. However, in our search, we found that many persons from the region wore the same dress and had a similar dagger. In fact, we found a person who looks more similar to the person in the posted photo. So, we cannot confirm the identification of the person.


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Photo of Yamuna Expressway is falsely shared as Delhi-Mumbai Expressway - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 28, 2021
A post is being shared on social media claiming that it shows Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. The post also claims that the construction of the expressway is going on at a record speed and that the photo shows an Interchange near Ankleshwar. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway under construction.
Fact: The photo is of Yamuna Expressway and not Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Yamuna Expressway is a 165 km long road connecting Delhi and Agra and was inaugurated in 2012, whereas the construction of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is under progress and is expected to be completed by 2023. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is going to be a 1,350 km long 8-lane road connecting Delhi with Mumbai. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, an article by Times of India with the same image was found. The article titled, ‘Faridabad-Greater Noida Road to be extended up to Yamuna E-way’ was published on 05 October 2016. The article talks about construction related to Yamuna Expressway and not of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
Taking the cue that this photo may be related to Yamuna Expressway, we searched Google with relevant keywords. An article by the Economic Times (about Yamuna Expressway) was found with the same photo as in the post. The Yamuna Expressway was inaugurated by the then UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in 2012. It connects Delhi with Agra and does not pass through Ankleshwar which is a place in Gujarat.
Both, Jaypee Group and JSW Steel were part of the construction of the Yamuna Expressway. On the website of Jaypee Group and JSW Steel, there are similar photos of Yamuna Expressway as shared in the post.
The banner image on the website of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority is like the one in the post. ‘Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority is the nodal agency responsible for implementing the Yamuna Expressway Project and allied development in the region. The YEIDA was established in April 2021 under the UP Industrial Area Development Act, 1976. Formerly it was known as Taj Expressway Industrial Development Authority (TEA).’
The construction of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is in progress and is expected to be completed by January 2023. Out of the 1,350 km road, 350 km road has already been laid according to Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. The articles about which can be seen here and here. According to the video, the 8-lane greenfield Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will be the longest expressway in India.
To sum it up, a photo of Yamuna Expressway is falsely shared as Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.


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Photo of YV Subba Reddy’s wife holding the Bible is being shared out of context - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 1, 2021
A post with a photo is being widely shared on social media claiming that YV Subba Reddy’s wife is holding the bible. The post even claims that YV Subba Reddy is the Chairman of the world’s richest Hindu temple, but his wife is seen holding the bible.  Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of YV Subba Reddy’s wife holding the Bible in her hand..
Fact: The photo was taken during a book release function of the late YS Rajashekhar Reddy ‘Naalo Naatho YSR’ in 2020. From the videos taken during the function, it is clear that YS Vijayamma (mother of AP CM YS Jagan) gave her bible to the woman standing behind her who is YV Subba Reddy’s wife. In August 2021, YV Subba Reddy was reappointed as the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board Chairman. In 2019 there was a controversy over the religion of YV Subba Reddy, but he denied it and said that he i a Hindu. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, a YouTube video with the same photo was found. At the 5:42 timestamp of the YouTube video, the same image was found where YV Subba Reddy’s wife could be seen holding the Bible. However, at 0:41 timestamp, it is clear that YS Vijayamma, mother of YS Jagan gave her bible to the woman standing behind her, who is YV Subba Reddy’s wife, Yerram Swarnalatha Reddy. Another video from TV9 Telugu YouTube channel also shows that YS Vijayamma was handing her Bible to the woman behind her. This incident happened at the book launch of ‘Naalo Naatho YSR’ at Idupulapaya in Andhra Pradesh.
In August 2021, YV Subba Reddy was reappointed as the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) trust board Chairman. In 2019 there was a controversy over the religion of YV Subba Reddy when he was being appointed as the Chairman of the TTD trust board. It was widely claimed across social media that he was a Christian, but he replied in an interview to TV9 saying, ‘I was born a Hindu and I will die a Hindu.’ There are pictures in the Facebook account of YV Subba Reddy, where he and his wife Yerram Swarnalatha Reddy were shown visiting various Hindu temples. There is a YouTube video of Yerram Swarnalatha Reddy giving a speech about ‘Dhyanam and Omkaram’.
To sum it up, a photo of YV Subba Reddy’s wife holding the Bible is being shared out of context.

created: October 1, 2021


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Photo showcasing multiple transportation modes in a single frame is digitally edited - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 24, 2023
A photo is making the rounds on social media platforms, showcasing a frame with four distinct modes of transportation: rail, road, water, and air. The claim attached to the photo asserts that it was taken in Rajahmundry. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: A photo featuring four modes of transportation – rail, road, water, and air captured in Rajahmundry.
Fact: The photo is edited. Although the photo was captured in Rajahmundry, the original photo does not contain an aeroplane. Hence, the claim is misleading.
A reverse image search on the photo shared in the post led us to a Facebook page called ‘Our Rajamahendravaram,’ where the same photo was posted in November 2021. The caption for the post reads, “4 modes of transportation in one pic. Beautiful edit.” The photo credit is attributed to an Instagram account with the handle ‘Aurobindo_sf.’
Further investigation revealed that the Instagram account belongs to a railway enthusiast named Gopii. In October 2021, Gopii uploaded two versions of the same photograph on Instagram. The first version, which is identical to the viral photo, features all four modes of transportation. However, the second version does not include an aeroplane. The post’s description clarifies that the aeroplane was digitally added and that the version without the aeroplane is the original photo.
A post shared by Gopii12868 (@aurobindo_sf)
The post’s hashtags confirm that the picture was taken on the Godavari Bridge in Rajahmundry. Additionally, The Print previously debunked this photo when a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shared it with the false claim that it was captured in Uttar Pradesh. The evidence gathered from various sources clearly indicates that the photo has been edited and is being presented as genuine.
To sum up, the photo circulating on social media featuring rail, road, water, and air transportation modes is an edited image.


text:
Photo shows Amitabh Bachchan Shaking hands with Former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan, not with Dawood Ibrahim - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 21, 2020
A photo of Amitabh Bachchan is being shared on social media claiming it as the photo of Amitabh Bachchan shaking hands with Underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Photo of Amitabh Bachchan shaking hands with Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
Fact: Photo shows Amitabh Bachchan shaking hands with the Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, not the Underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in a report published by ‘The Times of India’ news website on ‘25 March 2010’. In the description of the photo, it is mentioned as the photo of Ashok Chavan with Amitabh Bachchan at the commissioning ceremony of Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link. Sharing the same photo, ‘Outlook India’ article describes, ‘Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan shakes hands with Amitabh Bachchan during the commissioning ceremony of the north-bound carriageway of the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link in Mumbai’. The same photo can also be seen in an article published by ‘The Hindu’ news website.
When this photo went viral on social media recently claiming Amitabh Bachchan with Dawood Ibrahim, Abhishek Bachchan clarified in his tweet that the person along with his father is Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.
भईसाहब, यह फ़ोटो मेरे पिताजी और महाराष्ट्र के पूर्व मुख्य मंत्री श्री अशोक शंकरराव चव्हाण की हैं।
🙏🏽
To sum it up, Photo of Amitabh Bachchan Shaking hands with Former Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan is falsely shared as that with Dawood Ibrahim.

created: September 21, 2020


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Photo taken during an ad shoot is falsely shared as an IAS topper from Kolkata carrying her father in a rickshaw - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 9, 2019
Many Facebook users are sharing a post with the photo of a girl pulling a hand rickshaw with an old man sitting in the rickshaw. In the post, they went on to claim that the girl is an IAS topper from Kolkata and the old man is her father. Let’s try to analyze the claims made in the post.
The girl pulling the hand rickshaw is an IAS topper from Kolkata.
Fact: The girl in the photo is Sharaman Poddar, a traveller. This photo was clicked during an ad shoot for ‘Wildcraft’ bags. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
The photo was first tweeted in 2018 by a Tamil Nadu Congress leader, Dr. J Aslam Basha with a narration “IAS topper, introducing her father to people. Grand salute to her and her father.” This photo is now again doing rounds with the same description.
When this photo is run through Google Reverse Image search, it was found to be clicked during an ad shoot for ‘Wildcraft’ bags in April 2018.
The girl pulling the hand rickshaw is Sharaman Poddar, a traveller. The same photo can be seen on her Instagram account mishti.and.meat. In the description of the photo, she mentioned that during an ad shoot in Kolkata, she asked an old rickshaw puller to sit in it while she pulled the rickshaw in the streets of Shobha bazaar in Kolkata. So, the old man in the photo is not her father.
To sum it up, the girl in the photo isn’t an IAS topper from Kolkata and the old man in the rickshaw isn’t her father.