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No case of lumpy skin disease in humans is reported in India since it’s outbreak - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 28, 2022
In the context of lumpy skin disease outbreak in India recently, several images of humans and animals infected with skin infections are being widely shared on social media claiming that several people were infected with this disease after consuming milk and meat of these animals. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Images of the man suffering with lumpy skin disease after consuming milk/meat from the infected animals.
Fact: According to FAO, lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a non-Zoonotic disease, which means it cannot transmit from animals to humans. The viral image of the person with skin infection in the post belongs to Pakistan. He is suffering from pemphigus vulgaris and herpes infections and was discharged a week later. Also, there are no reported cases of LSD in humans. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
First, we searched for the credible reports to know more about the outbreak of lumpy skin disease in India and found reports from The Hindu, Indian Express, PTI regarding this outbreak.
What is Lumpy skin disease?
According to a research article published in National Library of Medicine’s website, Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), first seen as epidemic in Zambia in 1929, is an infectious disease in cattle caused by lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) also called as Neethling Virus. The disease is characterized by fever, enlarged lymph nodes and multiple nodules on the skin and mucous membranes, swelling in the limbs. The virus has severe economic implications since the infected animals tend to have permanent damage to the skin lowering the commercial value of their hide. Additionally, the disease often results in fatigue, reduced milk production, poor growth, infertility, abortion, and death. The virus is transmitted through blood, nasal discharge, secretions, semen, and saliva of the infected animals. Insects such as mosquitoes and flies act as vectors to spread this disease.
Outbreak in India:
According to ‘The Hindu’, in July 2022, large outbreak of LSD was reported from Gujarat and Rajasthan, which subsequently spread to 11 other States in a short span affecting Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Andaman & Nicobar with over 80,000 cattle deaths. According to Food and Agricultural Organisation of United Nations, there is no specific treatment for this disease. However, goat pox vaccine is considered to be effective to prevent the disease and in August 2022, Indian Government launched ‘Lumpi-ProVac’ vaccine to protect live stock from this disease.
Does it transmit to humans?
According to an article on ‘The Hindu’, Joint Director of Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Dr. Ashok Kumar Mohanty told PTI that it is safe to consume milk (after boiling or without boiling) from cattle infected by the LSD, as it is non-Zoonotic disease. Studies say that it has not been possible to ascertain the presence of viable and infectious LSDV virus in milk derived from the infected animal since a large portion of the milk in Asia is processed after collection and is either pasteurised or boiled or dried to make milk powder. This process ensures that the virus is inactivated or destroyed. Also, there are no reported cases of LSD in humans.
We ran a reverse image using the viral images of the man with skin infection and found that the same images have been viral since May 2022 in the name of ‘monkey pox cases in Jinnah Hospital, Lahore’.
⚠ VISUALS
First two cases of #Monkeypox virus (MPV) detected in #Pakistan at the Jinnah Hospital in #Lahore; 100 plus cases detected Worldwide pic.twitter.com/ISHHr3vYQd
We then looked for the reports regarding this news and found an interview with Medical Superintendent of Jinnah hospital in May 2022. According to this interview, a person was admitted to their hospital in the last week of Ramzan suffering from pemphigus vulgaris and herpes infections. He was treated and discharged one week later. Even in the test reports, there is no link to monkey pox. These images, since then, are being shared as man suffering from monkey pox and now, are linked to LSD. Even, a couple of doctors from Pakistan debunked this misinformation on social media.
When similar rumours about people dying after consumption of LSD infected meat went viral in 2021 in Thailand, the health authorities dismissed such claims as baseless. Also, according to FAO manual on LSD, LSD doesn’t affect humans since it cannot be transmitted from animals to humans. Even in India, no such case of LSD in humans was reported.
To sum it up, lumpy skin disease doesn’t transmit from animals to humans even when milk and meat of infected animals is consumed.

created: September 28, 2022


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No change in Financial year has been announced - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 24, 2020
A message is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended financial year closing till 30 June 2020 and that the next financial year will be from 01 July 2020 to 31 March 2021. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
RBI extended the year closing till 30 June 2020.
Fact: The normal financial year in India followed by the government & all other institutions including for taxation purpose is 01 April to 31 March. However, RBI’s accounting/financial year is from 1 July to 30 June. There is no change in the normal financial year. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Financial Year in India
The financial year followed by the Government of India, all other organizations, companies and for the purpose of taxation, book keeping is 01 April to 31 March. The financial year for all tax compliance is also April to March.
This was adopted during the British regime. Multiple committees were set up in the past to revisit the fiscal year calendar. However,  nothing has changed. In 2016, the government appointed a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Shankar Acharya to examine the desirability and feasibility of having ‘a new financial year’. It was reported that the committee recommended changing to a January to December financial year. However, the government has not taken any decision on this till date.
What about RBI?
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), on the other hand follows a July to June financial year. On the RBI website, it can be seen that the financial year of RBI is July to June. The same can be also seen in its Annual report. However, it has to be noted that this financial year has no bearing on other institutions like banks, companies or even the government which follow the April to March financial year.
What about the viral post on social media?
In the post, a link to a newspaper article is given. In the article, it can be read that ‘fiscal 2019-20 will end on 30 June 2020 while fiscal year 2020-21 will begin on 1 July 2020 but ends on 31 March 2021’ in the case of RBI. The article does not claim that RBI extended its current financial year till 30 June 2020 because it is already till 30 June 2020. So, there is no extension as claimed in the post
On the RBI website, it can be found that in a meeting of the Central Board of Directors of Reserve Bank of India, on 15 February 2020, ‘the Board recommended aligning the financial year of RBI, currently July-June, with the Government’s fiscal year (April-March) from the year 2020-21 and approved forwarding a proposal to the Government for its consideration’. So, there is no change in the current financial year.
To sum it up, RBI’s financial year is already from 1 July to 30 June. Changes were proposed from the next financial year. Moreover, there is no extension to the financial year followed by government, companies and other organizations for book keeping.
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license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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No, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel has not faked receiving his COVID-19 vaccine - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 31, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel faking his COVID-19 vaccine jab to fool people. The image shows a nurse administering Bhupesh Baghel a syringe with a needle cap over it. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel faked receiving his COVID-19 vaccine jab.
Fact: On 27 May 2021, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel had received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Smriti Medical college in Raipur. A few journalists present at the spot missed capturing Bhupesh Baghel’s photos while he was getting vaccinated. Following the journalist’s request for another pose, Bhupesh Bhagel had posed with a nurse holding another syringe that had a needle cap over it. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On searching for this photo using the relevant keywords, we found that the image was recently shot while Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel was receiving his second dose of vaccination at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Smriti Medical college in Raipur. According to the news articles published by ‘Patrika‘ and ‘NaiDunia‘, CM Bhupesh Baghel had successfully received his second vaccination dose on 27 May 2021. Bhupesh Baghel had received his first dose on 09 April 2021.
On the official Facebook page, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel had shared a picture of him receiving the second dose. The nurse in the photo was administering Bhupesh Baghel a normal syringe with no needle cap over it. Chhattisgarh Congress leader Idris Gandhi had shared the video of CM Bhupesh Baghel getting his second dose at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Smriti Medical college in Raipur. In the video, it is clearly visible that Bhupesh Baghel had received his second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
मुख्यमंत्री @bhupeshbaghel ji कोरोना से बचाव के लिए टीका का दूसरा डोज लगवाते हुए
दरअसल छत्तीसगढ़ में आरोप-प्रत्यारोप की राजनीति कुछ इस तरह से कुलाँचे मार रहीं हैं, कि बिना सत्यता को जाने अनर्गल बयानबाज़ी करने से बाज़ नही आ रहे हैं।
1/2 pic.twitter.com/xmqmGGQQ7v
Speaking to BOOM regarding this photo, Raipur Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO), Dr. Meera Baghel said, “He (CM Baghel) had already taken the second dose which some photojournalists present there who could not capture, after which they had requested him to pose again. So, he posed for them with the nurse holding another syringe with had a needle cap on as can be seen in the viral photo”.
To sum it up, the photo shows Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel posing for a picture for journalists and not faking taking the vaccine.


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No, Chris Rock did not issue this statement of apology regarding his joke at the Oscars 2022 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 31, 2022
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Chris Rock had released a statement of apology to Will Smith and his family regarding his joke at the Oscars 2022. Recently, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars after a joke about Smith’s wife was made; she suffers from a medical condition called alopecia. Will Smith later apologised for his actions. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Chris Rock’s statement of apology after his joke about Will Smith’s wife at the Oscars 2022.
Fact: There is no evidence to show that Chris Rock had made such a statement of apology after Will Smith’s slap at the Oscars. Chris Rock did make some brief comments about the incident in a comedy show held recently, but it was not an apology to Will Smith. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched through the social media profiles of Chris Rock – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter– no such statement of apology was found. No such statement was found even on the official website of Chris Rock. No credible or legitimate news articles were found that reported such a statement of apology by Chris Rock.
Chris Rock did make comments on the incident that happened at the latest Oscars. In a recent comedy show in Boston, it is reported that Chris Rock made some brief comments about the incident. However, he did not make any such apology for the incident. Will Smith had apologised to Chris Rock through his Instagram page.
One Journalist named Rebecca Keegan tweeted about the apology statement that was going viral on social media and said that Chris Rock hasn’t yet issued a statement.
Chris Rock has not yet issued a statement. There is a statement going around purporting to be from Rock that is not from him, per his team. It’s the one that starts, “As a comedian it can be difficult to understand…”
To sum it up, Chris Rock did not issue this statement of apology regarding his joke about Will Smith’s wife at the Oscars 2022.


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No, CNN did not report visuals from Canada as from the war-hit Ukarainian city of Lviv - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 7, 2022
A social media post accompanying a screenshot of CNN coverage of war in Ukraine is being widely circulated. Pointing at the jackets with ‘Edmonton’ (Canadian city) written on them, the post expresses suspicion over CNN’s coverage of the war in Ukraine. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: CNN telecasted footage of firefighters in Canada as Ukrainian war visuals.
Fact: Protective gears worn by the Ukrainian fighters as shown in the viral screenshot, were actually donated by ‘Firefighter Aid Ukraine’, an Edmonton based nonprofit organisation. The director of the organisation confirmed the same. Also through couple of Facebook posts, the NGO categorically stated that the protective gears were donated by them. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
There were news reports of the Russian military attacking the western Ukrainian city of Lviv in the last week of March 2022. As per the reports the city was hit by multiple rockets (here & here).
However, the protective gears worn by the Ukrainian fighters as shown in the viral screenshot were actually donated by ‘Firefighter Aid Ukraine’, an Edmonton-based nonprofit organisation.
As the news suspecting the CNN coverage of the news went viral, Firefighter Aid Ukraine, through a Facebook post clarified that the protective gear was donated by Edmonton firefighters. The post also shares a screenshot of CNN coverage of the Russian attack on Lviv city.
Another post categorically states that the organisation donated jackets (Edmonton written on them) to firefighters in Lviv back in 2017. The post also shared an image of firefighters receiving the jackets back in 2017.
Taking a cue from this, a Google search with relevant keywords yielded a couple of 2017 news reports of Edmonton firefighters donating protective gear, oxygen tanks, and other equipment to the Ukrainian firefighters (here & here).
Further, multiple news agencies reported Kevin Royle, a firefighter in Edmonton and the founder of Firefighter Aid Ukraine, confirming that the jackets were actually donated by them to the Ukrainian firefighters (here & here). All of these establish the fact that the CNN footage indeed showed visuals from the war-hit Ukrainian city of Lviv.
To sum it up, CNN did not report visuals from Canada as being from the war-hit Ukrainian city of Lviv. The visuals are indeed from Ukraine.


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No, ‘CNN’ has not called ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as ‘unarmed father of three’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 30, 2019
An image is being shared on Facebook with a claim that the ‘CNN’ news channel ran a piece of breaking news on their channel calling ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as ‘unarmed father of three’. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
‘CNN’ called ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as ‘unarmed father of three.
Fact: It is a digitally manipulated image. Also, the same picture of the TV host (Don Lemon) can be found in an article published ten months back. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the actual news videos on ‘CNN’ are observed, it can be seen that the words on the white strip at the bottom of the frame are always capitalized.  But, all the letters of the words in the posted photo are not capitalized.
When the photo of TV host (Don Lemon) is cropped from the posted photo and ran through Yandex Reverse Image Search, the same photo with the same expression can be found in an article published ten months back.
Generally, Don Lemon’s show ‘CNN Tonight’ is aired on weekdays between 10 pm and 12 am ET. But, the time in the posted photo is 9:01 pm ET and the breaking news about the death of Al-Baghdadi came on Sunday. According to Snopes article, “the CNN’s actual broadcast that announced the death of al-Baghdadi featured CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who reported on Trump’s announcement concerning the IS leader’s death and the chyron for that broadcast was: ‘President Trump Announces ISIS Leader Al-Baghdadi Is Dead.’”
Also, on the Twitter handle of ‘CNN Breaking News’ and the CNN live updates page on the event, nowhere it was not found that ‘CNN’ has called Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as ‘unarmed father of three’.
President Trump confirms the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after a US raid in Syria. Follow live updates: https://t.co/lHyITEZ1mg pic.twitter.com/sa2XZx5HL8
To sum it up, ‘CNN’ has not called ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as ‘unarmed father of three’. The image being shared on social media is a digitally manipulated one.
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created: October 30, 2019


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No conclusive evidence to prove that 'Lung Detox' products cleanse the tar accumulated in the lungs due to smoking - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 8, 2022
A post is being shared on social media which advertises a product known as Tar Free, a syrup that allegedly restores the full potential of the lungs of a smoker. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Tar free, a syrup that helps smokers restore their lungs’ full potential.
Fact:  According to the American Lung Association(ALA), lungs are self-cleaning organs, and they start to heal by themselves once they are no longer exposed to pollutants. ALA says that people should not trust quick fixes when it comes to lung health; according to ALA, most of the detox products do not have Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and ‘do not have adequate scientific data to recommend the routine use of natural remedies for prevention.’ Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
To find out if it is possible to restore the full capacity of the lungs or to detoxify the lungs of a smoker, we looked on the internet for research done in this area, but we could not find any relevant information. Joshua Englert, MD, a pulmonologist at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told WebMD that ‘There are countless products for sale on the internet that claim to remove toxins from the lungs, but there is no scientific research to support the use of any of them.’
According to WebMD, ‘ Smoking causes two kinds of long-term damage to the lungs: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Together, these are known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).’ The tiny air sacs that exchange oxygen are destroyed due to emphysema. ‘In chronic bronchitis, there is inflammation of the airways that lead to the air sacs. Once the air sacs are destroyed, they can’t be replaced,’ though some of the swelling and inflammation from bronchitis can go away, the structural damage will remain. ’ WebMD quotes Norman Edelman, MD, a professor of medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, in their article Lung Detox: Can You Cleanse Your Lungs?
Writing  about detox products, The American Lung Association, in their article titled ‘Can You Detox Your Lungs?’, said, ‘ When it comes to lung health, the best general rule to follow is: don’t trust quick fixes.’ Further, they mention that detox remedies seem like a great concept, but many claims are exaggerated. ‘Some common ingredients in supplement-based cleanses have been shown to have positive results, such as Vitamin D, which plays an important role in boosting immune system responses and helps to reduce airway inflammation. But most of these detox products are not FDA-approved and do not have adequate scientific data to recommend the routine use of natural remedies for prevention.’
Speaking to THIP media, Dr Sarthak Rastogi, DNB (Pulmonology), said, “There is no way to reverse engineer the damage is done to the lungs but by quitting one can hope the lungs recover naturally and prevent further damage. Once smoking has stopped the rate of lung function loss is slowed down and there is a gradual fall in the incidence of Cancer compared to active smokers.’’  According to WebMD, ‘One large study found that 20 years after quitting smoking, the risk for COPD drops to the same level as if you’d never smoked.’
Ways to improve your lung health
The American Lung Association states that lungs are self-cleaning organs that start healing once people stop exposing them to harmful pollutants. They recommend quitting smoking, avoiding air pollution, getting adequate exercise, and eating a healthy diet to ensure good lung health. Steps you can follow for optimum lung health –
In summary, there is no conclusive evidence to prove that Lung Detox products cleanse the tar accumulated in the lungs due to smoking.

created: November 8, 2022


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No Conclusive evidence Varaha lifted a spherical-shaped Earth - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 1, 2024
A social media post features an image of Varaha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, carrying a spherical earth, suggesting that Hindu mythology portrayed the earth as spherical long before the commonly held belief that it was flat until the 5th century. In this article, we aim to fact-check the assertion made in the post.
Claim: Hindu mythology portrayed the earth as spherical long before the commonly held belief that it was flat until the 5th century since Varaha lifted a spherical earth.
Fact: Ancient architecture depicting this legend represented Varaha holding personified earth or Bhudevi and not flat or spherical earth. Illustrations from the medieval period depict Varaha supporting a flat Earth. Images of these illustrations, found at the British and Brooklyn Museums, clearly depict Varaha lifting a flat Earth. Further, there is no conclusive evidence indicating that Hindu scriptures refer to the Earth as spherical. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The viral assertion suggests that Hindu Mythology predicted the Earth to be spherical much earlier. Despite numerous debates concerning the flat Earth and round Earth theories, there is no conclusive evidence indicating that Hindu scriptures refer to the Earth as spherical.
Religious leaders and scholars contend that ancient Hindu scriptures depict the Earth as lotus-shaped in texts like the Vishnu Purana, as well as four-cornered. For instance, M.N. Dutt, who translated the Ramayana into English, noted that according to Hindu cosmogony, the Earth is described as a flat surface with four corners.
Regarding the depiction of Varaha lifting the spherical Earth, legend has it that Vishnu assumed the form of Varaha to rescue the Earth from Hiranyaksha, who had submerged it in the depths of the sea. Varaha defeated the demon and employed his tusks to raise the Earth from the ocean depths.
Ancient architecture depicting this legend represented Varaha holding personified earth or Bhudevi and not flat or spherical earth. Typically, Bhudevi, symbolizing the Earth, is portrayed as a youthful woman being carried by Varaha. This portrayal commonly shows the goddess either suspended from one of Varaha’s tusks or seated on his shoulder. For instance, sculptures and inscriptions of Varaha in places like Khajuraho, Orissa’s Lingaraj temple, and Gujarat’s Rani ki vav frequently depict Bhudevi seated on Varaha’s shoulder.
Additionally, contrary to the viral assertion, certain arguments suggest that Hindu scriptures describe the Earth as flat. Illustrations from the medieval period depict Varaha supporting a flat Earth. Images of these illustrations, found at the British and Brooklyn Museums, clearly depict Varaha lifting a flat Earth (here, here, here & here).
Meanwhile, modern artists began portraying this legend with Varaha lifting a spherical Earth, which resulted in its widespread adoption. Nevertheless, as previously mentioned, there is no conclusive evidence to indicate that Varaha lifted a spherical Earth or that any Hindu scriptures reference the Earth as spherical.
To sum it up, there is no conclusive evidence indicating that Hindu scriptures refer to the Earth as spherical.

created: February 1, 2024


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Congress hasn’t mentioned anything in its manifesto about waiving off medical bills of the patients who die in hospital - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 17, 2019
A Facebook post claiming that if Congress forms government at the centre, it would waive-off medical bill of those patients who die in hospital is being shared by many users. Let’s try to analyze the claims made in the post.
Congress Party has said that if it forms government at the centre, it would waive-off medical bills of those patients who die in hospitals (both private and government).
Fact: In its manifesto, Congress has nowhere spoken about waiving off the medical bills of hospitals, both government and private, if the patient passes away. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In the Congress party’s manifesto for 2019 elections, in page 46, it can be found that Congress has discussed about improving healthcare facilities and increase of expenditure on medical related activities but it didn’t mention anywhere about waiving off the patient’s medical bill if he dies in the hospital.
Hence, Congress hasn’t mentioned anything in its manifesto about waiving off medical bills of the patients who die in hospital.


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No court judgement has been pronounced relaxing the rule of wearing helmets - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 11, 2020
A post claiming now that the court has rejected inspection of helmet usage in all states and that it is not mandatory to wear a helmet within the contours of a municipal corporation is doing rounds across all social media platforms. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post through this article.
Court has rejected inspection of helmet usage in all states. Now it is not mandatory to wear a helmet within 15 kms of a municipal corporation.
Fact: PIB through a tweet confirmed that the news about court relaxing the rule to wear the helmet is fake. Also, their tweet has categorically stated that the drivers are still required to wear helmets. We did not find any court judgment relaxing the rule to wear a helmet. In the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019, it is nowhere mentioned that usage of the helmet is exempted within the limits of a municipal corporation. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched on google regarding the claim, we came across a tweet by PIB on 07 August 2020 clearing the air regarding the same claim which is being widely shared on WhatsApp. Through their tweet, PIB confirmed that the viral message saying that drivers are no longer required to wear helmets within 15 kms radius of the city is fake, and their tweet also categorically stated that the drivers are still required to wear helmets.
दावा : व्हाट्सप्प पर वायरल एक मैसेज में यह दावा किया जा रहा है की शहर से 15 किलोमीटर के दायरे के अंदर वाहन चालकों को अब हेलमेट पहनना अनिवार्य नहीं है#PIBFactCheck : यह दावा फर्जी है! वाहन चालकों को अभी भी हेलमेट पहनना अनिवार्य है l pic.twitter.com/rFQBnV7zDM
Also, neither the Supreme Court nor any other state high court has pronounced any such verdict rejecting helmet inspection in all the states. Section 129 of the ‘Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019’ explicitly talks about the usage of a helmet and nowhere in the act, it is mentioned that usage of a helmet is exempted within the limits of a municipal corporation.
News articles regarding the enforcement of helmet rules in different states can be read here, here and here.
Similar claim which went viral in 2019 was debunked by FACTLY and can be read here.
To sum it up, no court has pronounced such a judgement relaxing the rule to wear a helmet.
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No CPSE in the list except Air India was completely privatised by the Narendra Modi government - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 22, 2022
A post is being shared on social media claiming it is a list of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) that are completely privatised under the Narendra Modi-led BJP government. This post claims that PSUs like BPCL, SAIL, HP, OEF, Coal India and AAI are privatised completely under the Narendra Modi government. Also, the post claims that the Narendra Modi government is planning to sell the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and prominent educational institutions like IIT, IIM and ICSE. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: List of PSUs (CPSEs) that are completely privatised and going to be sold by the Narendra Modi government.
Fact: Apart from Air India and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited companies, no other public sector enterprise was fully privatised by the Narendra Modi government. The central government still holds a majority stake in state-owned enterprises like BPCL, Coal India, HPCL and others. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The Government introduced the ‘Disinvestment Policy’ with an objective to reduce the fiscal deficit, improve public finances and promote people’s ownership of CPSEs and thereby introducing competition and market discipline for improving the efficiency of these public sector enterprises. The information related to the government disinvestments in CPSEs is available on the  Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) and ‘Bombay Stock Exchange PSU’ (BSEPSU) websites. There are primarily three different approaches that the central government follows for disinvestments. They are minority disinvestments, majority disinvestments and complete disinvestment or privatisation. Complete details regarding these disinvestment approaches can be read in a detailed article published by Factly on ‘disinvestment’.
On searching for the details of the recent and past disinvestments in the CPSEs listed above in the post, we found the details of government disinvestments in these public sector enterprises on the BSEPSU website. According to the information provided on this website, it is clear that apart from Air India and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited, the Narendra Modi government did not sell its entire stake in any of the other public sector enterprises. In 1991, the Congress government sold minority stakes in public enterprises like BPCL, Coal India, HPCL and a few other companies. The central government currently owns 66.2% stakes in BPCL, 65% in Steel Authority of India (SAIL), 54.9% in HPCL, 63.17% in BHEL, 49% in Bharat Aluminum Corporation Limited (BALCO) and 72.33% in Coal India. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, no further disinvestment has taken place in these CPSEs.
No disinvestment has taken place in BPCL and BALCO public enterprises after Narendra Modi took over as the PM. While it is true that many railway stations and airports in the country are planned to be privatised, there is no truth in the statement that the Center has sold its stake in BSNL and the Airport Authority of India (AAI). On 16 June 2021, the government announced the privatisation of the Indian Ordnance Factory, a family of 41 Ordnance factories including the Ordnance Equipment Factory. Accordingly, the Government of India has decided to transfer the management, control, operations and maintenance of these 41 production units to 7 PSU companies that are wholly owned by the Government of India.
In order to enhance the diffusion of space technology and boost the space economy within the country, in 2021, the Department of Space (DOS) announced the opening up of the Indian Space sector to private industries. But there is no truth in the allegation that the central government is going to divest ISRO. Also, the GOI did not announce the plans for disinvestment in IIT, IIM and ICSE institutions. ISRO and all these educational institutions are not listed in the EOIs-In Pipeline mentioned in the Strategic Disinvestment & Privatisation section on the DIPAM website.
To sum it up, apart from Air India, no other public sector enterprise mentioned in the list was completely privatised by the Narendra Modi government.


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No credible evidence to prove that the WHO is classifying people with no sexual partner as disabled. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 23, 2024
A photo of a newspaper article titled ‘Failure to find sexual partner now a disability-WHO’ is doing the rounds of social media. The lead of this article reads, ‘People who do not have sex or struggle to find a sexual partner to have children will now be considered disabled.’ Let’s verify this claim through this article.
Calim: In their new guidelines, the Word Health Organisation(WHO) is set to classify a person who is unable to find a sexual partner as disabled.
Fact: WHO has not made any official statement regarding this. This is an old hoax. In the past, when such a rumour went viral on the internet, WHO clarified that it was not true. Hence, the claim made in the viral post is False.
To check the veracity of the viral claim, we first searched the internet with relevant keywords but could not find authentic information that validates this claim. After checking their official website and social media handles (here and here), we learned that the WHO has not released any official statement announcing the new guidelines to classify a person unable to find a sexual partner as disabled.
Additionally, we learned that the rumour that the WHO is going to bring in such guidelines started in 2016. To verify this piece of information, the fact-checking organisation Africa Fact-Check contacted the WHO for comment; a spokesperson denied these reports and said, “No, it’s not true.”
According to the WHO, Disability is ‘part of being human’, and they state that ‘Disability results from the interaction between individuals with a health condition, such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and depression, with personal and environmental factors including negative attitudes, inaccessible transportation and public buildings, and limited social support.’  Also, WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health puts Disability as an umbrella term for  ‘impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions.’ WHO has nowhere in their write-ups related to Disability identified a person who is unable to find a sexual partner as disabled.
The WHO defines infertility (also here) as ‘ a disease of the male or female reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.’
The 2016 articles which started this rumour that the WHO would consider the inability to find a sexual partner would be considered as a disability mentioned that this would change the definition of ‘Infertility’, but as we stated earlier, the definition of infertility does not include such people.
In 2019, the AFP Fact-Check wrote a fact-check article regarding this claim in which they mentioned their correspondence with a representative of WHO who told them that the WHO has no plans to change the definition of infertility, which they asserted in 2016, too.
Our definition of #infertility remains the same https://t.co/fbkyxzWocd
To sum up, the WHO has not come up with new guidelines that classify a person who is unable to find a sexual partner as disabled.

created: January 23, 2024


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No credible sources to prove that the Woman in this video is 250 years old - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 5, 2022
A video is being shared widely on social media claiming that the woman in the video is 250-years old. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a 250-year-old woman from Pakistan.
Fact: Several Pakistani local websites and YouTube channels published the same video describing her as world’s oldest woman living in Lahore, Pakistan. But, there are no credible sources to prove the exact age of the woman shown in the video. According to the Guinness World Records website, the oldest person living in the world is Lucile Randon. Lucile Randon from France is 118 years and 73 days old, as verified on 25 April 2022. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, a video showing similar visuals was found published by a Pakistani-based YouTube channel named Apni Awaaz. This YouTube channel described it as the visuals of a suspected 210-years-old woman found living in Lahore, Pakistan. This YouTube channel mentioned that according to the facial features and skin tone of the woman, locals and media channels suspected the age of the woman was 210 years old. A few other Pakistani YouTube channels and Pakistani local media published images, videos and articles about this woman stating her age as 140 years, 300 years, etc.
The ‘Al Arabiya’ news channel also published a news report about the controversy and confusion surrounding the age of this old woman living in Lahore. But, neither Al Arabiya nor any other Pakistani news website provided the exact details of the age of this woman. There are no credible sources on the internet to confirm the exact age of this woman. A few other videos related to the woman can be seen here and here. If a 250-year-old woman survived on earth, several agencies including Guinness World Records would have taken note.
According to the Guinness World Records website, the oldest person living in the world is Lucile Randon. Lucile Randon from France is 118 years and 73 days old, as verified on 25 April 2022.
New record: Oldest living person – Sister André, aged 118 years and 73 days old.
Sister André, born 11 February 1904 as Lucile Randon, is the oldest living person as well as the world's oldest nun and the oldest person to survive COVID-19 🙏 pic.twitter.com/3HisPI4saO
To sum it up, there are no credible sources to prove that the woman in this video is 250 years old.

created: November 5, 2022


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No, Cristiano Ronaldo did not say that he loves Islam the most - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 11, 2023
A post is being shared on social media claiming that Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo said he loves Islam the most. A photo accompanying the post looks like an interview set-up. Let’s verify the claim made in this post through this article.
Claim: Cristiano Ronaldo said that he loves Islam more than anything.
Fact: The photo in the viral post was captured in January 2022, when Ronaldo received the ‘Globe Soccer’s Top Scorer of All Time award in Dubai.‘ As per news reports, Ronaldo expressed his love towards Dubai, its people and its culture. Nowhere in the news was it reported that Ronaldo said he loves Islam the most. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To know if any media outlets have published an article about Ronaldo’s alleged statement, we performed a reverse image search on the photo shared in the post. This led us to a few news reports published in January 2022, which contained images (here and here) similar to the viral Post.
The Sun reported that Cristiano Ronaldo won the ‘Globe Soccer’s Top Scorer of All Time award in Dubai….‘ He gave a speech after he received the award. Khaleej Times posted a video of the Q&A, which took place after he received the award. This award ceremony is part of the Expo 2020 Dubai event.
The live Q&A video is also available on the website of Expo 2020 Dubai. In this interaction, he expresses his love towards Dubai from the 3 Minute 17 Seconds mark. When the host asks how he liked Dubai, he says, ‘…I love Dubai because they treat me unbelievable; I love the people; I love the culture … ‘. Nowhere in the live interaction Ronaldo said that he loves Islam the most.
To sum up, Cristiano Ronaldo did not say that he loves Islam the most.

created: January 11, 2023


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No, Cristiano Ronaldo was not sentenced to 99 lashes for hugging a painter in Iran - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 17, 2023
A video featuring Cristiano Ronaldo hugging a wheelchair-bound woman, whose name, according to a post sharing this video, is Fatimah Hamami, is circulating on social media. It is being claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo was sentenced to 99 lashes in Iran for hugging the unmarried woman Fatimah Hamami, whom he met in Iran. Let’s understand the facts behind this claim through this article.
Claim: Cristiano Ronaldo was sentenced to 99 lashes by the Iranian government for hugging an unmarried woman, Fatimah Hamami.
Fact: The Iranian embassy in Spain denied this claim, labelling it as unfounded news. Hence, the claim made in the post is false.
To learn more about the viral video, we performed a keyword search on the internet, leading us to news reports on this incident (here, here, and here).
In September 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly met the artist Fatimah Hamami, his huge fan in Tehran. “Hamami gave Ronaldo two portraits that she had made of him. In return, the footballer gave her a No.7 Al-Nassr T-shirt that he had signed.” The Indian Express reported.
Fatimah Hamami posted a video of this interaction with Ronaldo on her Instagram, which is the same video that is now going viral with the claim that he was sentenced to 99 lashes for hugging her.
A post shared by Fatemeh Hamami | فاطمه حمامی (@fatemehamami)
A further search on the internet revealed that the Iranian embassy in Spain denied this news by stating, “We strongly deny the issuance of any court ruling against any international athlete in Iran” on X (formerly Twitter).
Desmentimos rotundamente la emisión de cualquier fallo judicial contra cualquier deportista internacional en Irán. Es motivo de preocupación que la publicación de noticias tan infundadas pueda eclipsar los crímenes de lesa humanidad y los crímenes de guerra contra la oprimida… pic.twitter.com/51xw40L7Gp
This statement was issued after Iranian news outlets reported that he received this punishment after meeting with the artist Fatimah Hamami.
To sum it up, Cristiano Ronaldo was not sentenced to 99 lashes for hugging an unmarried woman in Iran.

created: October 17, 2023


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No, Curd Rice is not the only source of Tryptophan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 8, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Indian Curd Rice is the only source of Tryptophan. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Curd Rice is the only source of Tryptophan.
Fact: Curd Rice is not the only source of Tryptophan. Actually, it is not rice, but curd which is a milk product that contains tryptophan. There are other sources of Tryptophan like Cheese, Chicken, Egg Whites, Milk, Nuts & Seeds, etc. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid which means it cannot be synthesized in the human body and must be supplied by one’s diet. Curd rice is not only a good source of Tryptophan but also has numerous health benefits. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Tryptophan and its sources:
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, which means it essentially needs to come from one’s diet. It cannot be produced by the human body. There are many sources of Tryptophan like Curd, Cheese, Chicken, Egg Whites, Milk, Nuts & Seeds, etc. So, Curd Rice is not the only source of Tryptophan.
Uses of Tryptophan:
Tryptophan is vital for a wide variety of metabolic functions that affect one’s mood, cognition, and behaviour. The human body uses Tryptophan in the production of melatonin, which helps regulate sleep patterns, and serotonin, a mood stabilizer.
Importance of curd rice:
According to this article, to reap the benefits of Tryptophan for the brain is to combine complex carbohydrates with it. Curd contains Tryptophan and rice largely contains carbohydrates. Hence curd rice is of such importance. “The carb rich foods create production of insulin in the body that clears the competing amino acids from the bloodstream so that brain can take up tryptophan.” In absence of insulin, the brain prefers the competing amino acids, so eating Tryptophan rich foods without the carbs doesn’t have the same impact that curd rice has.
Curd rice is not only a good source of Tryptophan but also has numerous health benefits. Curd helps in keeping the gut healthy; which helps one’s body a lot in a tropical climate.
To sum it up, Curd Rice is not the only source of Tryptophan.

created: December 8, 2021


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No, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh did not announce scrapping of the Agnipath scheme - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 11, 2022
A social media post accompanying a purported video, which appears to be a breaking news snippet of an unnamed news report is being widely shared. The purported video claims that after chairing a meeting, Union Minister Rajnath Singh has decided to conduct the future army recruitments through the previous approach and not via Agnipath scheme. Through this article, let’s fact-check the authenticity of the viral video and the claim made in the post.
Claim: Union Minister Rajnath Singh has decided to conduct the future army recruitments through the previous approach and not via Agnipath scheme -TV breaking news.
Fact: Defence minister Rajnath Singh did not announce any such decision about future army recruitments to be done through previous recruitment approach. Currently, army recruitments are being done through the Agnipath scheme. In fact, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to brief the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of Defence on the issue of new Agnipath recruitment scheme on 11 July 2022. Further, no popular new channel reported any news as claimed in the viral video. The viral news clip is created digitally. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Lately, the central government did not take any decision scrapping the Agnipath scheme and also there are no reports about future recruitments to be organised through the previous approach. The central government has in fact issued a recruitment notification under the Agnipath scheme and the recruitment process is underway.
Also, we could not find any popular news video report with claims in line with the one posted in the viral post. If the central government had indeed decided to scrap the Agnipath scheme, media would have reported it. However, we could not find any such reports.
Most likely, the viral video is not an excerpt of any news report but is digitally created. Careful observation of the video suggests the same. Firstly, the viral video does not carry any logo or name of any channel. And secondly, the viral video wrongly reported Defence minister Rajnath Singh as Home Minister of the country, a media agency making such mistakes is highly unlikely.
Further, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh did not hold any meeting regarding the Agnipath scheme in recent times. It’s been at least three weeks since he chaired any meeting related to the Agnipath scheme. On 18 June 2022, following the widespread protests against the scheme, Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting with the three service chiefs.
It is note worthy to mention that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to brief the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of Defence on the issue of new Agnipath recruitment scheme on 11 July 2022.
To sum it up, Defence Minister Rajanath Singh did not announce scrapping of the Agnipath scheme.


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No demand for Electoral Bonds of smaller denomination
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 14, 2018
There was an intense debate around the introduction of electoral bonds by the government. Data obtained from SBI reveals that there is hardly any demand for electoral bonds of smaller denomination while 99.9% of bonds sold in terms of amount are of Rs 10 lakh & Rs 1 crore denomination.
The Electoral Bonds were first announced in the 2017-18 budget and the scheme was subsequently notified in January 2018. Factly had earlier written about the bonds, their impact on transparency etc.
Data obtained from the State Bank of India (SBI), the authorized bank to issue electoral bonds, suggests that electoral bonds of lower denominations like Rs 1000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 1,00,000 are not in much demand. Close to 97% of all the bonds purchased so far are in denomination of Rs 10,00,000 and Rs 1 crore.
Not a single bond purchased in 6 cities/branches
The scheme was open for 9 days each in March and April. In March, it was open only in four (4) branches across the country (Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai & New Delhi). In April, the scheme was extended to seven (7) other branches taking the total number of branches to eleven (11). The seven other branches were Bangalore, Gandhinagar, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Jaipur, Lucknow & Jaipur. During the first phase in March, bonds were bought in each of the 4 branches. On the other hand, in April, the bonds were bought only in 5 branches out of the 11 (Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi & Bangalore). Not a single bond was bought in other six branches during April.
72% of the total bonds (in amount) purchased from Mumbai & Kolkata
A total of 520 bonds of Rs 222 crore in value were sold in March, whereas in April, only 256 bonds of Rs 114.9 crore in value were sold. On the whole, 776 bonds of Rs 336.9 crore in value were sold in the two months of March & April. In terms of the bonds sold, Kolkata lead the way with 344 followed by 237 in Mumbai. In New Delhi, 76 bonds were sold whereas in Chennai, 62 bonds were sold.
In terms of the amount, bonds worth Rs 173 crore were sold in Mumbai followed by Rs 70 crore in Kolkata. New Delhi accounted for Rs 63 crore of the bonds sold while Chennai accounted for Rs 18 crore. Bonds worth Rs 12.9 crore were sold in Bangalore branch, which was included only in April.
Mumbai accounted for more than 50% of the bonds sold (in terms of amount). Together with Kolkata, it accounted for more than 72% of the bonds sold in terms of amount and close to 75% of the total number of bonds sold.
99.9% of bonds sold (in terms of amount) were in denomination of Rs 10 lakh & Rs 1 crore
The data reveals that the bonds of lower denomination are hardly in demand, an indication that citizens may not be buying them. Together, the denominations of Rs 1000, Rs 10000 and Rs Lakh bonds accounted for only 3.5% of all the bonds sold during this period while the remaining 96.5% of the bonds sold were of Rs 10 lakh & Rs 1 crore denomination. It is highly likely that the Rs 10 lakh & Rs 1 crore denomination are bought by corporates than individuals. In terms of amount, 99.97% of the bonds sold were of Rs 10 lakh & Rs 1 crore denomination. Only 17 bonds of Rs 1000 denomination and 10 bonds of Rs 1 lakh denomination were sold during this period. Not a single bond of Rs 10000 denomination was sold.
Featured Image: The Quint


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No, Dharmendra’s health is not critical, Bobby Deol rubbished the hospitalisation rumours - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 7, 2022
A social media post claiming that Bollywood actor Dharmendra has been hospitalised, and his health condition is critical is being widely circulated. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Bollywood actor Dharmendra has been hospitalised, and his health condition is critical.
Fact: Earlier in May 2022, Dharmendra was hospitalised due to muscle spasm; however, he was discharged later on, and is currently at home. His son Bobby Deol refuted the viral claim saying that Dharmendra is fine and is at home. As the rumours went viral, Dharmendra himself shared a video saying ‘Main chup hoon, bimar nahin. Kuch na kuch chalti rehti hai’ Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Earlier in the month of May 2022, Dharmendra was hospitalised due to muscle spasm. However, after spending few days in the hospital, Dharmendra was discharged and is now currently at home.
Goggle search yielded multiple news reports that reported Bobby Deol, son of Dharmendra refuting the claims about Dharmendra’s critical health condition. As per these reports, ‘Bobby Deol has clarified that Dharmendra is at home and he is recovering’.
Speaking about the rumours, Bobby Deol told India Today that, ‘he is absolutely fine. He is at home, and he is recovering. He is doing well. Thank you so much for your love and affection’.
As the rumours about his health went viral, Dharmendra himself shared a video on his official twitter account as an update of his health. In this video, he asked his fans to think positive. Addressing the rumours, he said ‘Main chup hoon, bimar nahin. Kuch na kuch chalti rehti hai’.
Friends, With Love to You All 💕. pic.twitter.com/o4mXJSBDyF
To sum it up, Dharmendra’s health is not critical, Bobby Deol rubbished the hospitalisation rumours.


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No different reservation system exists for top-tier government positions. The viral post disseminates unsubstantiated information - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 10, 2023
A widely shared social media post alleges that Brahmins hold a significant majority in high-level government positions. The post provides a list of officials in different secretariats, ministries, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the President’s Office, categorizing them to support its claim of Brahmin domination in these offices. The post highlights the prevalence of Brahmins in these positions. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Brahmins hold a significant majority in high-level government positions.
Fact: The names and job titles of officers employed in significant government offices like the Prime Minister’s Office, the President’s Office, and various ministries are publicly accessible. However, these disclosures do not provide information regarding their specific categories or classifications. Similar assertions have circulated for years, suggesting that these prominent offices are predominantly controlled by Muslims or Christians, while neglecting Hindus. Nevertheless, these claims lack substantiation and lack a verified source. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The public can access information about the officers working in prominent government offices such as the Prime Minister’s Office, the President’s Secretariat, various ministries, and secretariats through their respective websites. However, the disclosed information does not include details about their respective caste categories.
For example, the following are the particulars of the officers serving in various positions within the Prime Minister’s Office, the President’s Secretariat, and the Vice-President’s Office. These details include the names and designations of the officers. However, as previously mentioned, information regarding their religion or caste category is not publicly disclosed. Also, it is highly unlikely that details of categories of the officers working across different ministries and secretariates are publicly available.
Here, it is noteworthy to mention that there is no separate reservation system in place for recruitment to high-level offices. Therefore, the details presented in the viral post are unsubstantiated and lack a verified source.
Earlier, similar claims were circulated claiming that prominent government offices of the country are dominated by Muslims and Christians, leaving aside Hindus. The previous Congress government was blamed for this. However, Factly has debunked the claim and the detailed article can be read here.
To sum it up, there exists no distinct reservation system for top-tier government positions. The viral post disseminates unsubstantiated information.


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Donald Trump did not say that the 9/11 attacks never happened. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 8, 2024
A graphic circulating on social media seeming to feature a quote from former American President Donald Trump claims that he said ‘there was no 9/11 attack as it was shown to us’. The graphic features a photo of Trump speaking at a podium with a lower-third text stating ‘Live: President Trump in Laconia, NH’. Let’s verify this claim through this article.
Claim: Donald Trump said that the September 11 attacks never happened as they were” shown to us.”
Fact: The photo in the viral graphic is from a speech that Donald Trump gave on 22 January 2024, at a rally in Laconia, New Hampshire. At no point in this speech does he claims that the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center never happened. His reference to this event was in the context that such attacks did not occur during his presidential term. Therefore, the claim made in the post is False.
To determine the validity of the viral claim, a search was conducted using relevant keywords to locate any mainstream media reports of Trump making such a statement. This search yielded no credible news of him claiming the 9/11 attacks never happened. Such a sweeping statement from a former president would almost certainly lead to significant media coverage, which is not the case here.
To understand the context behind this claim, we searched for the original speech from Trump at Laconia, NH, on the internet, as indicated by the text displayed in the viral graphic.
This led to the full speech(here, here and here) given by Donald Trump at a rally in Laconia, New Hampshire, on 22 January 2024. While Trump does refer to the World Trade Center attacks in this speech, he does not claim they never happened.  Instead, he stressed that such attacks did not take place during his presidency.
In his speech, while criticising Nikki Haley, Trump referred to his Border wall policy. At 14: 38 timestamp in his speech, he said, ‘ You know, when I was there four years, I wanted to talk so much. We had no terrorism, we had no attacks, we had nothing,…We had the Trump travel ban, and we got the terror ban, right? We wanted to stop terror from coming into our country. But I couldn’t talk about it because I didn’t want something to happen the following day. So, I spent four years keeping my mouth shut on that particular subject. But now I talk about it all the time. We had no attacks. We didn’t have a World Trade Center. We didn’t have the attacks like you’ve seen and certainly that you see in other countries.’
This clarified that he mentioned the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks in the context of saying they did not occur during his tenure as president. His statement was taken out of context and shared as if he claimed the World Trade Center attacks never happened.
In the past, Trump has spoken about the World Trade Center attacks, as evidenced by his remarks during the September 11 Pentagon observance ceremony, which can be seen here.
To sum up, the claim that Donald Trump suggested the World Trade Center attacks never happened is False.


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No, Donald Trump hasn’t fired ‘Desi Katta’ on the White House after the Ayodhya verdict. The image in the post is a photoshopped one. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 14, 2019
A few Facebook users are sharing an image of ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel with its ‘Breaking News’ template carrying news that soon after the Ayodhya verdict, American President Donald Trump has fired ‘Desi Katta’ on the top of the White House and chanted ‘Jai Sri Ram’. Let’s try to analyze to what extent it is true.
After the Ayodhya verdict, American President Donald Trump has fired ‘Desi Katta’ on the top of the White House and chanted ‘Jai Sri Ram’.
Fact: The ‘Breaking News’ template of the ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel in the post is a photoshopped one. Also, information from no credible source was found which confirms that Donald Trump has celebrated the Ayodhya verdict by firing ‘Desi Katta’ on The White House. Hence the claim is FALSE.
In the post, the image had the ‘Breaking News’ template of AajTak news channel. So when searched on their YouTube channel if they have reported anything about Trump celebrating the Ayodhya verdict, no such reporting of them was found. When looked for their news videos aired during the Ayodhya verdict, many search results were obtained. In the image, when you observe the anchor and the background of the studio, a news video with similar visuals was found. In the video, it wasn’t reported anywhere that Trump had fired ‘Desi Katta’ on The White House after Ayodhya verdict. Also, when you compare the ‘Breaking News’ template in the video with the one in the image posted, there are many clues that suggest that the latter one might be a morphed image.
When Twitter Advanced Search was performed on the accounts – ‘The White House’(@WhiteHouse), ‘President Trump’(@POTUS) and ‘Donald J. Trump’(@realDonaldTrump) to find information regarding Trump celebrating the Ayodhya verdict, no such information was found. When googled if there are any news reports of Trump celebrating Ayodhya verdict at The White House, they were none. If such an act was really done by Trump, it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed in the media. So, the ‘Breaking News’ template carrying such news about Trump celebrating the Ayodhya verdict is a photoshopped one.
To conclude, Donald Trump hasn’t fired ‘Desi Katta’ on the White House after Ayodhya verdict. The image in the post is a photoshopped one.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series?

created: November 14, 2019


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No donations were made by the Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust to Haj pilgrims - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 20, 2023
Update (23 June 2023): On 20 June 2023, the Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust lodged a complaint with the Shirdi police against individuals who  shared misinformation on various social media platforms about the trust’s involvement in donating money to Haj Pilgrims. The Shirdi Police registered an FIR and is currently investigating the matter. FIR copy can be accessed here.
A widely shared post on social media claims that the Shirdi Saibaba Trust has donated ₹35 crores to Haj pilgrims but has not contributed to the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust donated ₹35 crore to Haj Pilgrims, while no donation was made for the construction of Ayodhya Ram Mandir.
Fact: The Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust, as clarified by its former CEO Rahul Jadhav, did not give any donation to Haj pilgrims. Additionally, Jadhav stated that no one has approached them for donations towards the construction of Ayodhya Ram Mandir, and thus the trust has not made any decisions regarding it. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
An internet search regarding Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust making donations to Haj pilgrims yielded no credible reports. If such a donation had indeed taken place, it would have garnered extensive coverage from leading newspapers. Additionally, the official Facebook, and Twitter accounts, and website of the Shirdi Trust have not released any statement on this matter. However, in April 2023, when this rumour gained significant traction on social media, the then-CEO of the Trust, Rahul Jadav, addressed the matter and clarified that no donation was given to the Haj Pilgrims.
Furthermore, he clarified that no requests had been made to the trust for donations towards the construction of the Ram Mandir. Consequently, no decision was taken as there were no provisions for such funds in accordance with the Sansthan Regulations. Additionally, he emphasized that strict action would be taken against individuals spreading false information that tarnishes the image of the Shirdi temple.
Upon careful examination of the viral screenshot of Google Search results, it was discovered that the information was sourced from a tweet by a Twitter user named Kavita Tewari on 20 April 2023. However, it was later observed that she had deleted the tweet as the information was found to be incorrect. Furthermore, the full article from the ‘Latestly’ website, as depicted in the viral photo, also categorizes this information as false.
In 2020, the Shirdi Trust donated ₹51 crore to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund during the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, the Shirdi Temple Trust has consistently contributed to numerous social service programs. FACTLY has already debunked a similar claim regarding the Sai Trust’s alleged donation of ₹96 crores to Mosques in December 2021.
To sum it up, Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust did not give any donations to Haj pilgrims.


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No, Droupadi Murmu did not vow to make India a Hindu Rashtra; Viral tweet is from a fake account - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 21, 2022
In light of the Droupadi Murmu’s candidature to the President of India, a social media post accompanying a purported screen shot of a tweet in the name of Droupadi Murmu is being widely shared. According to the tweet, Murmu vows to make India a Hindu Rashtra. The Hindi tweet loosely translates to ‘After becoming the President, my first duty will be to make this nation a Hindu nation.’ Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘After becoming the President, my first duty will be to make this nation a Hindu nation.’ – Droupadi Murmu.
Fact:  Droupadi Murmu is not on twitter, and the viral tweet is made from a fake account running in her name. The viral account currently doesn’t exist. Further, there are no news reports attributing these comments to Droupadi Murmu. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Droupadi Murmu is not on Twitter, and the viral tweet is made from a fake account running in her name. Moreover, the account through which the viral tweet is made does not exist now.
Further, there are numerous fake accounts running on Murmu’s name. None of these accounts are associated with her.
As far as the viral claim of making India a Hindu state is concerned, there are no reports  attributing these comments to Murmu. Had Murmu said something in line with the viral comments, the entire media would have reported it, however, we could not find any such reports.
Speaking to Aaj Tak, Murmu’s PA Suraj Kumar Mahto said that Murmu is not on Twitter yet and the tweets going viral in her name are fake.
To sum it up, Droupadi Murmu did not vow to make India a Hindu state. Viral tweet is from a fake account.


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No, drinking hot coconut water does not kill cancer cells - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 19, 2021
A post claiming hot coconut water kills cancer is being shared across social media platforms attributing the information to Dr. Rajendra Badwe of Tata memorial hospital. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Dr. Rajendra Badwe, Tata memorial hospital stated that hot coconut water kills cancer cells.
Fact: Tata Memorial Hospital had issued a clarification saying that the viral message was not made by Dr. Rajendra Barwe and that there is no scientific data to suggest that hot coconut water can cure any type of cancer. Multiple news agencies have also reported the same. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Google search with relevant keywords led us to multiple 2019 news articles which reported the news. According to one such article by Times of India,  Tata Memorial Hospital has issued a clarification stating that the claim is unscientific and was never made by its director Dr. Rajendra Badwe. The clarification further added that there is no scientific data to suggest that hot coconut water could cure cancer.
Another news article by The Hindu reiterated the same saying that Tata memorial hospital has distanced itself from the viral message, also their clarification rated the information as false and that there is no data to suggest that hot coconut water can provide a cure for any type of cancer.
Further search led us to a Facebook post that shared an alleged press release by Tata memorial hospital clarifying that neither Dr. Badwe nor Tata Memorial Hospital subscribes to the view that hot coconut water can destroy cancer cells. However, we could not independently verify the authenticity of the press release. Also, we could not find any credible information in reputed medical journals about hot coconut water curing cancer.
To sum it up, neither Dr. Rajendra Badwe nor Tata memorial hospital had stated that hot coconut water kills cancer cells.


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No, eating eggs and banana together will not lead to poisoning. It’s a hoax. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 22, 2019
Eggs and Bananas are preferred by many in their diet plans but a post is being shared on Facebook by many users claiming that if anybody eats egg and banana at the same then it becomes poisonous. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Eating eggs and banana at the same time will kill a man in five minutes.
Fact: The mixture of egg and banana will not lead to poisoning. In many dishes like Banana egg pancakes and Banana scrambled eggs, eggs and banana are mixed to make the dish. Also, the image used in the post has been used previously for other posts related to the Iftar party. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the image in the post is run through Google Reverse Image search, the actual details of the photo were not found but it can be observed that the same photo is also used at various instances in the posts related to Iftar party. When searched for the claim made in the post on Google, it was found that similar posts were in circulation from the last two years. In the search results, a doctor’s response to a query on combining egg and banana in the diet plan can be found. The doctor confirms that there is no truth in the claim that eating eggs and banana will cause harm. Also, when this message was viral two years back, many fact-checkers across the globe, like Africa Check and Snopes, have written fact-check articles on this issue. Many diet plans and recipes also involve eating egg and banana together. So, there is no truth in the claim that a man will die of poisoning in five minutes if eggs and banana are eaten together.
Finally, eating eggs and banana together will not lead to poisoning. It’s a hoax.


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No, Election Commission of India did not announce any re-election in UP due to replacement of EVMs - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 16, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had announced re-election for seats where EVMs were replaced in the UP election. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo confirming re-election by Election Commission in UP due to replacement of EVMs.
Fact: The screenshots of the video reports with the same titles and thumbnails were found in the YouTube channel of “Nation TV”, but such reports are not true. No credible news outlets reported any such news. Press Information Bureau had debunked the screenshots saying that news of such re-polling is untrue. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The logo of “Nation TV” is on the photo. When “Nation TV” is searched on the internet, YouTube channel by the same name was found. Two videos (here and here) with similar titles and thumbnails, as in the viral photo, were found on its YouTube channel. However, when the videos are played, it features a phone conversation about the exchange of EVMs in one; the other features a possible Supreme Court intervention in an alleged EVM tampering issue. The videos do not feature the news anchors who were present in the respective thumbnails.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, it is found that the anchors were Journalists Sandeep Choudhary (who works at News24), and Ravish Kumar (who works at NDTV).
The video section of the YouTube channel of ‘Nation TV’ has several videos with similar thumbnails and titles alleging re-election to several seats in the recently concluded election in Uttar Pradesh. However, there are no recent credible news reports which say that re-elections are announced by the ECI.
When the same claim was viral recently, PIB Fact Check had tweeted debunking the claim. It said that the picture was fake, and the Election Commission of India did not announce any such re-polling in 142 seats.
एक फर्जी तस्वीर के माध्यम से यह दावा किया जा रहा है कि #EVM बदले जाने के कारण 142 सीटों पर फिर से चुनाव होंगे #PIBFactCheck
▶ईवीएम बदले जाने का दावा फर्जी है
▶ @ECISVEEP द्वारा 142 सीटों पर फिर से मतदान कराने की घोषणा नहीं की गई है
▶ कृपया ऐसे भ्रामक विडियो शेयर न करें pic.twitter.com/WZ4q1vUFb5
To sum it up, the Election Commission of India did not announce any re-election in Uttar Pradesh due to the replacement of EVMs.


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No, electricity has not been free of cost for Kashmiris since independence - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 28, 2022
A social media post which claims that ‘since 1947 Kashmiris have never paid electricity bill’  is being widely shared. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Ever since 1947, Kashmiris have never paid electricity bill.
Fact: The reports of Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation suggests that though the collection of tariffs is not 100%, most of the citizens of Kashmir have been paying the electricity charges. And the nonpayment of tariffs is just a part of losses facing by the power sector in the state. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Earlier this year, the Jammu & Kashmir government has taken steps to install the pre-paid smart meters for every house to reduce power losses and pilferages across the state. However, locals have protested against the initiative, demanding to revoke the move.
Against this backdrop, the Lieutenant Governor of the state recently urged the citizens to pay the electricity bills duly. Speaking at an event, the LG said that electricity would not be provided to those who do not pay electricity bills.  However, few news articles reported the LG’s comments with misleading titles like ‘Pay Money to Get Power, No More Free Electricity Now: LG Sinha’. In all likelihood, headlines like these could have led to the notion that Kashmiris are not paying their electricity bills.
However, contrary to the claim, Kashmiris are not getting free electricity. Although the payment efficiency is not 100% percent, most of the Kashmiris are paying for the electricity. The annual tariff archives available on the Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited website corroborates this.
As per the 2012-13 report, the collection efficiency for the year 2010-11 stood at 78%, whereas for the subsequent years of 2011-12 & 2012-13, it stood at 90% & 95%. Further, the KPDCL has proposed a tariff hike to bridge the revenue gap. This implies that the KPDCL has been collecting electricity charges from the citizens.
The 2016-17 report enumerated the revenue earned from the existing tariff for the years 2014-15 to 2020-21. These details can be seen below. This  implies that citizens of J&K are indeed paying the electricity charges and electricity is not being provided free of cost.
Further, there are multiple news reports of power distributors hiking the power tariffs and people of state protesting against the hike, which implies that power is not being provided free of cost (here, here & here).
Thus, the available information establishes the fact that most of the citizens of Jammu & Kashmir are indeed paying the electricity charges. And importantly, though the power department is facing loses in the state, citizens not paying the bills just constitutes a part of the loss.
To sum it up, electricity has not been free of cost for Kashmiris since independence.


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Nirmala Sitaraman did not announce any partnership with a crypto trading platform named Quantum Trade - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 2, 2024
A viral news report features Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman announcing a strategic partnership with Quantum Trade, a purported crypto trading platform. Additionally, the report includes a link to a purported Fox News interview in which Elon Musk revealed that he has launched a new Quantum trading platform called Quantum Trade. In this piece, we aim to verify the veracity of these reports.
Claim: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman announcing a strategic partnership with crypto trading platform named Quantum Trade.
Fact: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman did not declare any partnership with a crypto trading platform named Quantum Trade. The video depicting her announcement of such a partnership has been digitally altered. Additionally, the link which redirects to an article stating that Elon Musk announcing Quantum Trade platform at a Fox News show is fabricated. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman has neither declared any collaboration with a trading platform, as asserted in the viral post nor has she made statements aligning with such claims. If there were indeed such a partnership, media outlets would have covered the news. Nevertheless, no reports confirming such an alliance were found.
The viral video that appears to show Nirmala Sitaraman making these comments has been digitally manipulated. The video is likely derived from her recent press conference on government initiatives for Tamil Nadu flood relief. While the finance minister’s attire in the manipulated footage matches that of the press conference, the audio has been replaced with a different one, and the lip movements have been digitally altered to align with the new audio.
Regarding the report on Elon Musk’s announcement of a new Quantum trading platform, an online investigation into the alleged quantum trading project yielded no information. The widely circulated news interview appears to be fabricated, and there is no authentic Fox News interview in which Elon Musk revealed the launch of a trading platform.
Additionally, the report includes excerpts from Musk’s interview with CBS. However, our search did not uncover any CBS report confirming Musk’s announcement of a trading platform, suggesting that this interview might also be fabricated. This follows a pattern of a previous fake interview featuring Elon Musk (here & here), where he purportedly announced a similar trading platform called Quantum AI, underscoring the trend of fraudsters exploiting his name to deceive people.
Upon further examination, it was discovered that the domain for this website was registered in August 2023 and is set to expire in August 2024. This indicates that the website is likely suspicious, designed with the intent to deceive people for financial fraud. Previously, another website URL was also shared on social media claiming to be associated with a trading platform launched by Elon Musk. Factly had previously debunked the authenticity of that claim.
To sum it up, Nirmala Sitaraman did not announce any partnership with a crypto trading platform named Quantum Trade.

created: January 2, 2024


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No, Epstein's files did not reveal that Stephen Hawking enjoyed watching undressed midgets - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 10, 2024
In the wake of the recent release of the second batch of documents related to the legal proceedings involving millionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a viral screenshot from the Epstein files purportedly exposes the sexual preferences of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. The viral image suggests that Hawking had a preference for observing undressed individuals of short stature attempting to solve equations on chalkboards that were positioned too high. In this article, let’s verify the accuracy of the claim presented in the post.
Claim: Screenshot from the Epstein files disclosing the sexual preferences of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking
Fact: In the Epstein files, there is no reference to Stephen Hawking observing undressed individuals of short stature solving mathematical problems. No reputable news organization has reported any such document detailing these allegations. The circulating screenshot is likely fabricated. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Jeffrey Epstein & unsealed documents:
Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier and convicted sex offender, died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges related to sex trafficking. A wealthy individual recognized for his connections with celebrities, politicians, billionaires, and prominent figures, Epstein faced initial arrest in 2005 in Palm Beach, Florida, following allegations of paying a 14-year-old girl for sexual activities.
The presently revealed documents form a part of a legal case initiated in 2015 by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, against Maxwell. A subsequent release of a second set of documents occurred on 03 January 2023. News reports indicate that among the documents, including those yet to be disclosed, are mentions of notable individuals such as Britain’s Prince Andrew, former US Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, artist Michael Jackson, and renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. In this context, the viral screenshot claims to depict unsealed documents that disclose Stephen Hawking’s sexual preferences.
No mention of Hawking’s sexual preferences:
In the Epstein files, there is no reference to Stephen Hawking observing undressed individuals of short stature solving mathematical problems. No reputable news organization has reported any such document detailing these allegations.
Nonetheless, the recently unveiled documents include an email exchange between Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, where Epstein explicitly stated his willingness to financially support individuals capable of undermining the allegations that Hawking participated in an event involving minors. This suggests that the circulating screenshot is likely fabricated.
The viral screenshot could be a meme:
The viral screenshot seems to have originated from a tweet that gained widespread attention. The account responsible for the tweet acknowledged the outlandish nature of the claim in a separate tweet. Additionally, the account, that shared the manipulated photo, is known for posting memes and doctored videos, as explicitly stated in its bio section.
I thought it was outlandish enough to be obvious, but pic.twitter.com/K7FWb1od5Y
Nevertheless, it is noteworthy to mention that, as per reports, the late physicist visited Epstein’s infamous island in 2006 for a science conference allegedly funded by Epstein.
To sum it up, Epstein’s files did not reveal that Stephen Hawking enjoyed watching undressed midgets.

created: January 10, 2024


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No evidence exists to prove that four AI robots killed 29 Japanese scientists in a Japanese laboratory - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 27, 2022
A video is being shared on social media where a woman says that four robots being developed for military applications have killed 29 scientists at a top robotics company in Japan. Text in the video reads,’ this is horrible.’ Let’s verify this video through this article.
Claim: Four robots killed 29 scientists at a top robotics company in Japan.
Fact: The person speaking in the video is Linda Moulton Howe. The video clip is part of her speech at the Conscious of Life Expo in Los Angeles in February 2018. Had four robots killed 29 scientists, it would have been reported by multiple news organisations, but no such information was ever reported. Hence, claim made in the video, it is FALSE.
Performing a keyword search on the internet to find news reports about the death of 29 people in the arms of four robots led us to an article. According to oregonlive.com, the website of the Newspaper ‘The Oregonian,’ the person speaking in the video is Linda Moulton Howe. Linda has a background in journalism.
‘Journalist and conspiracy theorist Linda Moulton Howe told the story at the Conscious Life Expo in Los Angeles in February 2017,’ reported Indy100. It has now been taken offline. ‘Howe believes space aliens have visited Earth many times, but right now, she’s more concerned about robots created by Earthlings. She says the massacre of the scientists has been hushed up because “the robotics company has too much to lose, and the government wants AI robot soldiers.” ‘ Oregon live wrote about Linda Howe.
According to Indy100, ‘In her speech about artificial intelligence and alien encounters, Howe recalls a phone call she said she had with a former marine who had been working for the CIA’. We looked at Howe’s YouTube channel, Earthfiles, and found a video in which she speaks about the same alleged incident.
To know if there is any truth behind her claims, we have further searched the internet but could not find any credible news report on the incident. Four robots, which are under development for military usage, killing 29 humans in a laboratory is huge news for the scientific community. Such incidents would generally be reported in the media but not in this case. It can be concluded that Howe’s story is at best a conspiracy theory with no evidence.
To sum up, there is no evidence to prove that four AI robots killed 29 scientists in a Japanese laboratory.

created: September 27, 2022


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No evidence of Coronavirus in chicken is found. It's a fake message. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 10, 2020
A post is being shared on Facebook with the claim that in Bangalore, coronavirus was found in a chicken and the post asks people to avoid chicken consumption. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
Chicken infected with Coronavirus was found in Bangalore.
Fact: No evidence about coronavirus in chicken was found. The pictures being shared are old ones and are not related to the recent Coronavirus outbreak. WHO has also stated on its website that the meat products can be safely consumed if they are thoroughly cooked. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo in the post was reverse searched using Google, it was found that the same photo was on the internet even before the outbreak of coronavirus in December 2019. So, the posted photo of an infected chicken doesn’t have any relation to the coronavirus.
Also, when the same message was circulating on Facebook in Telugu that coronavirus was found in a chicken in Hyderabad, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has released a press statement in which Dr. P. Venkateshwar Reddy, Chief Veterinary Officer, has clarified that no single case of any bird being positive to coronavirus was found in India. He also added that the photos of diseased birds that are being shared on social media are actually the photos of birds with ‘Ranikhet’ disease. The press release can be seen below.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also stated on its website that meat products can be safely consumed if they are thoroughly cooked.
Amidst rumours that coronavirus was found in chicken, the poultry prices have declined. Also, China has culled chicken not because of coronavirus but because of the H5N1 (avian influenza) outbreak. In the ‘Business Standard article’, it can be read that the coronavirus is different from the H5N1.
To summarize, an old photo of a chicken infected with ‘Ranikhet’ disease is falsely shared as a chicken infected with the ‘coronavirus’ was found in Bangalore.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: February 10, 2020


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No evidence of Coronavirus in Mutton was found. There is no harm in consuming thoroughly cooked meat - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 18, 2020
A post with a photo of goat’s meat with dark spots is being shared on Facebook with a claim that coronavirus was found in goat meat and it advises people not to consume meat. Let’s try to find the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
Coronavirus was found in mutton.
Fact: The photo in the post was edited. Also, the photo was taken five or six years ago. WHO and FSSAI have also mentioned that properly cooked meat can be consumed. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo in the post was searched using Google reverse image technique, a ‘justdial’ link with the same photo was found in the search results. By comparing the two pictures, it can be noticed that the posted picture has more spots than the original photo. Furthermore, when ‘Khaja A1 – Mutton Shop’, who posted the original picture on the ‘justdial’ website was contacted by FACTLY it was found that the photo was uploaded around 5 or 6 years ago. But, coronavirus outbreak was first reported last year in December. So, the original photo on social media was edited and is being shared as if it is infected with coronavirus.
The CEO of FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India), G.S.G. Iyengar has also mentioned that there is no scientific data till date to prove that the consumption of chicken, mutton and other non-vegetarian foods can cause the spread of coronavirus.
Also, in the press release of FSSAI and in the WHO (World Health Organisation) website it can be seen that properly cooked meat is safe to eat.
The minister of Dairy, animal husbandry and fisheries, Shandilya Giriraj Singh has also tweeted that the consumption of chicken, meat, fish and eggs doesn’t cause the transmission of Coronavirus.
भ्रांतियों से सावधान:-
मटन ,चिकन अण्डा और मछली खाने से कोरोना वाइरस का संक्रमण नहीं होता है! pic.twitter.com/Ai9S75AZO5
Previously, when the message that chicken consumption causes coronavirus transmission went viral, FACTLY debunked it as Fake news and the article can be read here.
To sum it up, the photo in the post was edited. Thoroughly cooked meat can be consumed.
Did you watch our new video?


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No Evidence of Rahul Gandhi Promising ₹5000 Crore Loan to Pakistan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 22, 2024
A post is circulating widely on social media, claiming that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi promised a ₹5000 crore interest-free loan to Pakistan for the next 50 years if the Congress party wins the next election. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi promised a ₹5000 crore interest-free loan to Pakistan for the next 50 years if the Congress party wins the next election.
Fact: There is no evidence to suggest that Rahul Gandhi promised a ₹5000 crore loan to Pakistan. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Firstly, we conducted an internet search using relevant keywords and found no media reports publishing this news. If Rahul Gandhi had ever made such a controversial statement, the mainstream media would have widely reported it. Additionally, there is no evidence of him making such a statement on his or the Congress party’s social media handles.
Furthermore, we discovered that the same post has been viral since 2018, purportedly as news reported by the ABP news channel. However, the image shared in the post is edited, as the font used in the ‘ABP’ ‘Breaking News’ template differs from the font in the posted image. Moreover, the ABP news channel clarified that they did not telecast these ‘Breaking News’ templates featuring Rahul Gandhi. FACTLY’s article debunking this claim can be seen here.
#Urgent: This is to notify that the attached media which is being circulated online has been doctored with our channel's template. The information about Sh. Rahul Gandhi's statements, which these images carry have not been reported by ABP & have no relation with ABP News Network. pic.twitter.com/qYU2sJXqsl
To sum it up, there is no evidence to suggest that Rahul Gandhi promised a ₹5000 crore loan to Pakistan if the Congress wins in the upcoming elections.

created: February 22, 2024


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No Evidence of Thousand-Foot Shivling Found Beneath Gyanvapi Mosque - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 16, 2023
Update (16 August 2023):
In view of the ongoing investigation of the alleged Shivling found under the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, another social media post claims that carbon dating has revealed that Kashi Vishwanath Shivling is 8 thousand years old.
Because the legal case involving the purported Shivling discovered at the Gyanvapi mosque is currently being heard in the Supreme Court (SC), the Shivling referred to in the post seems to be related to the structure found in the mosque, abutting the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
However, as per the latest developments related to the investigation of the alleged Shivling are concerned, the Varanasi District court has extended the deadline for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to present its report based on the scientific survey by 02 September 2023.
Furthermore, there exists a gag order preventing the disclosure of the findings from the ongoing investigation. Hence, the viral assertion lacks a factual basis and is instead a work of fiction without any evidence.
Published (11 August 2023):
In the context of the ongoing Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) comprehensive survey and scientific examination at the disputed Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, aimed at determining whether the mosque was built over a pre-existing Hindu temple structure, a post is currently circulating on social media claiming that a one-thousand-foot ‘shivling’ has been discovered in the basement beneath the mosque. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: One-thousand-foot ‘shivling’ has been discovered in the basement beneath the Gyanvapi mosque during the ongoing ASI survey.
Fact: The ASI Survey is currently ongoing and has not yet reported any discovery of a thousand-foot ‘shivling’ beneath the Mosque. Additionally, the Varanasi court has directed both the ASI and the Mosque Committee not to disclose any information regarding the survey to the media. The court has also cautioned the media against publishing false news related to the ASI Survey. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
According to media reports (here, here, and here), the ASI resumed its survey of the Gyanvapi premises on 04 August 2023. This resumption follows an earlier survey conducted in May 2022 that was halted by a court order. The aim of this survey is to determine whether the 17th-century mosque was constructed over a pre-existing Hindu temple structure.
While the survey is currently ongoing, and the deadline for submitting the report to the court has been extended until 02 September 2023, a few media outlets have claimed that various items, such as a four-foot idol, Trishul, and Kalash, have been discovered during the ASI investigation. However, on 10 August 2023, the Varanasi court took the step of prohibiting media coverage of the ongoing scientific survey of the contentious Gyanvapi mosque by the ASI. The court order was issued in response to a plea by the Mosque Committee, which argued that the media had been spreading sensational claims about the survey’s findings. Furthermore, the Court directed both the ASI and the Mosque Committee not to disclose any information regarding the survey to the media and warns the media against publishing false news on ASI Survey.
Also, according to Dainik Bhaskar, the image shared in the viral post was taken during the commission survey of Gyanvapi Mosque in May 2022 and is not recent.
To sum it up, there is no evidence to support the claim that the ASI survey has discovered a thousand-foot Shivling beneath the Gyanvapi mosque.


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No Evidence to conclude that Chinese President Xi Jinping thanked Rahul Gandhi for starting his Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 from Manipur. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 17, 2024
As Rahul Gandhi’s sequel to his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra was flagged off recently from Manipur, a screenshot of a purported tweet by a Chinese media outlet is doing the rounds on social media. The tweet says that Chinese Premier Xi Jinping thanked Rahul Gandhi for commencing his Yatra from Manipur, not from Arunachal Pradesh. This article aims to fact-check this claim.
Claim: Screenshot of a tweet by Global Times news that mentions Chinese President Xi Jinping thanked Rahul Gandhi for not starting his Yatra from ‘Indian-occupied’ Arunachal Pradesh and instead doing it from Manipur.
Fact: Global Times has not posted any such news on their ‘X’ handle. Also, none of the mainstream media outlets reported about any such statement by Xi Jinping thanking Rahul Gandhi for starting from Manipur. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Firstly, to check the veracity of the viral claim, we carefully went through the tweets posted by Global Times news on their official ‘X’ handle. But, contrary to the viral screenshot, which says that they made this post on 14 January 2024, we did not find any such tweet on that day.
Further, an advanced search on X and Google has also not resulted in any credible information which proves that the Global Times, a Chinese media outlet, has reported it.
Subsequently, we performed a reverse image search on the viral screenshot’s video portion to know its context. This search led us to a video from March 2018 which contained visuals that matched the viral screenshot. This video was filmed during the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress on 7 March 2018 (here and here).  Clearly, on that day, he could not have spoken about Rahul’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which started in 2024. Also, the viral screenshot looks cropped and edited.
Furthermore, if the Chinese President makes such a statement about Rahul Gandhi, mainstream media outlets would definitely report on it. But a keyword search on the internet yielded no credible news reports to back the viral claim either. Xi Jinping made no statements about Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra either in the past or recently. Hence, it can be concluded that the viral screenshot is just an edited graphic.
To sum up, Chinese President Xi Jinping has not thanked Rahul Gandhi for starting his Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0 from Manipur, the viral screenshot is a digital creation.

created: January 17, 2024