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Old & unrelated are being shared as US military assistance to Israel, amidst the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 27, 2023
A social media post featuring a video displaying various images of military deployment is circulating online, with the assertion that these visuals depict American military assistance to Israel during the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing American military assistance to Israel during the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Fact: While it is true that the US has extended military aid to Israel, the present visuals are unrelated to this assistance. These images were available on the internet long before the commencement of the current conflict. While some of the visuals illustrate US military training, others pertain to equipment testing. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
During the continuing Israel-Palestine conflict, the United States has publicly affirmed its backing for Israel. The United States has further strengthened this relationship by providing military assistance. Reports suggest that Washington has been deploying military resources to the area for the purpose of deterrence (here, here, here & here).
Several popular YouTube channels covered the news regarding US military aid to Israel and used similar visuals (here & here). These videos could be the source for the viral video. However, the currently trending visuals are unrelated to the ongoing US military assistance to Israel. These visuals primarily feature US military content, but many of them have been available on the internet long before the start of the ongoing conflict. Some of the visuals portray US military training, while others showcase tests of US military capabilities.
Older reports containing these visuals can be viewed here, here, and here. Comparision of these visuals with the currently viral ones reveals that the current video is created by joining multiple old videos and is inaccurately associated with the current situation.
To sum it up, old and unrelated are being shared as US military assistance to Israel, amidst the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

created: October 27, 2023


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Old, Unrelated Footage Shared as Recent Visuals of Israeli Armed Forces’ Actions Against Palestinians - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 12, 2023
In the midst of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, which commenced on 07 October 2023, numerous videos and images are being circulated extensively on social media. These visuals purport to depict the actions of the Israeli Armed Forces against Palestinians. Let’s scrutinize the claims made in each instance.
Image 1:
An image depicting a security official kneeling on the neck of a bleeding boy is circulating widely on social media. The accompanying claim suggests that the image shows a Palestinian child who was killed by an Israeli soldier. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
A reverse image search of the viral photo directed us to various news reports (here, here, and here) from 2016. Each of these articles featured the same image and video relating to the incident. Based on these reports, it is evident that the event transpired in October 2016 in Valparaíso, Chile. Chilean Officer F. Venegas apprehended a man who was in the act of creating graffiti on a wall, kneeling on him during the arrest. Subsequently, the photography website ‘Frente Fotográfico posted an interview with the young man, suggesting that his life was not claimed in the arrest. This evidence contradicts the claim that the image shows an Israeli soldier kneeling on a Palestinian boy.

source: news-factly

created: October 12, 2023

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Old unrelated image falsely shared as ‘RSS members attacked a Hindu woman for offering Sehri to a Muslim Kashmiri girl recently’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 29, 2020
An image is being shared with the claim that RSS members attacked a Hindu woman who had offered Sehri (food taken in the early hours of the morning during Ramzan) to a Muslim Kashmiri girl recently. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Photo of a Hindu woman attacked by RSS members for offering Sehri to a Muslim Kashmiri girl recently.
Fact: The photo of the injured woman was found to exist on the internet at least since February 2020. But Ramzan started in India on 23 April 2020. So, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search, the first photo was found in a tweet with the timestamp ‘25 April 2020’. FACTLY was unable to confirm the time and location of the photo. But, no evidence was found for the existence of the photo before the aforementioned date.
इस हिंदू परिवार को सलाम, जो रात में उठकर, हमारी बहन को सेहरी कराता है। 😍
रमजान का पहला दिन। ❤ pic.twitter.com/ni4aZn4f3j
When the photo of the injured woman was reverse searched, it was found that the photo was posted in February 2020 by many social media users. On 23 February 2020, a Twitter user has posted the photo with a description that the woman was injured by Muslims during clashes in Gujarat. But, FACTLY was not able to verify the authenticity of that information. As the photo was found to exist on the internet at least since 23 February 2020, it can be concluded that it is not related to any incident during the ongoing Ramzan, which started on 23 April 2020. Also, there is no evidence to conclude that the woman both the photos is the same.
गुजरात मे मुस्लिमो ने हिन्दुओ पे हमला किया
हिन्दू बच्चे दरगाह की जमीन पर खेलने गए थे बस बात इतनी थी ओर फिर देख लो
ओर हमारे कुछ सेक्युलर इनको भाई बनाकर रखना चाहते है
जो आप के बच्चो को खेलने नही दे रहे वो आप की बहन बेटियों के प्रति क्या सोच कर बैठे होंगेअभी भी समय है हिन्दू बनो pic.twitter.com/iNx3YvnxaL
To sum it up, an old image falsely shared as ‘RSS members attacked a Hindu woman for offering Sehri to a Muslim Kashmiri girl recently’.
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Old unrelated image falsely shared as the intimate photo of a couple from the Shaheen Bagh protests. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 3, 2020
A photo of a couple is being widely shared on social media with a claim that it was taken recently at the Shaheen Bagh protests. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Intimate photo of a couple from the Shaheen Bagh protests.
Fact: The photo was found to be on the internet at least since March 2018. But, the protests at the Shaheen Bagh began in December 2019. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the image was run through the Yandex Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found to be tweeted by a user on Twitter in March 2018. But, the Shaheen Bagh protests against CAA (Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019) began in December 2019, after the passage of the bill by the Parliament.
To sum it up, an old unrelated image falsely shared as the intimate photo of a couple from the Shaheen Bagh protests.
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created: February 3, 2020


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Old & Unrelated images are passed off as those of recent Drone attack on Abu Dhabi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 18, 2022
In light of the recent attack on Abu Dhabi airport by the Houthi rebels using drones and missiles, a few social media posts (here, here, & here) with images claiming to be from the recent attack on Abu Dhabi are being shared widely. Through this article, let’s fact-check the veracity of these images.
Claim: Images from the recent air strike near Abu Dhabi airport.
Fact: These images have nothing to do with the recent air strikes on Abu Dhabi and are related to different incidents which have occurred in the past. While one image is related to crash landing of an aircraft in Dubai in 2016, another image is related to a drone attack in middle east, back in 2019. Another image has been used as a representational image for bomb blasts over the years. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Image 1:
This image actually shows an incident of crash landing of an Emirates flight at the airport in Dubai back in 2016. Reverse image search of the photo in the viral post yielded multiple news article which published the same image.
Description accompanying the image in one such news report reads ‘An Emirates airline flight from Thiruvananthapuram crash-landed at the airport in Dubai. All 282 passengers and 18 crew members were safely evacuated.’
News articles which have reported the same visuals back then can be read here, & here.
Image 2:
This image is related to drone attack in middle east which happened back in 2019. Reverse image search of the photo in the viral post yielded multiple news article which published the same image.
As per one such article, the image is related a drone attack carried out by Iran-backed Iraqi paramilitary popular mobilisation forces near Iraq border with Syria.
Few other 2019 news articles  which reported the same image attributing it to drone attack in Middle east can be read here & here.
Image 3:
Over the years, this image has been used as a representational image in various news articles related to blasts in different parts of the world. Reverse image search of the photo yielded multiple news articles which have published the same image.
For many years,  the same image as been used for representational purpose in news items related to bomb blasts and fire break outs in different countries. These articles can be seen here, here, here & here. Although we could not find the original source of the image, the presence of the image on the internet for many years confirms the fact that the image is not related to the recent air strike in Abu Dhabi.
To sum it up, old & unrelated images are passed off as from recent airstikes on Abu Dhabi

created: January 18, 2022


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Old & Unrelated images are passed off attributing them to the recent IED blast in Chhattisgarh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 17, 2022
A social media post accompanying a set of images is being widely shared. The post claims that this set of images is related to the recent IED blast by Maoists near Kosronda camp in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh in which three SSB jawans were injured. Through this article, let’s fact-check the authenticity of these images.
Claim: Set of images related to the recent IED blast instigated by Maoists near Kosronda camp in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh.
Fact: These images are not related to the recent IED blast in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh. While most of the images are related to Naxal attack on jawans/police personnel in Chhattisgarh, these images are old & related to different attacks took place in different parts of Chhattisgarh over the years. Couple of images have nothing to do with Chhattisgarh. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
It is true that Maoists have carried an IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district recently on 14 January 2021, in which a Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) jawan was injured. News reports of the incident which have reported the visuals of the incident can be viewed here and here.
However, the images shared in the viral post are not related to this incident. The details of each of the images in the post is below.
Image 1 (clockwise direction):
This image dates back to 2018 when Maoists carried out an IED blast in Chhattisgarh before the assembly polls. Reverse image search of the photo led us to multiple 2018 news articles which have published the same image.
Other news articles which have published the same image back then in 2018 can be viewed here and here.
Image 2:
This image is related to a Maoist attack that happened in Odisha back in 2013. Reverse image search of the photo yielded multiple news articles which have published the same image. As per these articles, the visual is related to an incident wherein Maoists blew up a BSF vehicle in Odisha’s Koraput district.
Other news articles which reported the same image back in 2103 can be viewed here and here.
Image 3:
This photo collage shows Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) jawans injured in an IED blast instigated by the Maoists in the Narayanpur district earlier in January 2021. ANI tweeted the same images in 2021.
2 Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) jawans of 16 battalion injured in IED blast triggered by naxals, 4 km from the Orchha police station in Narayanpur district. Both jawans are stable & have been brought to Raipur for better treatment: Commandant 16th battalion, CAF, Sadanand Kumar pic.twitter.com/7HG06GgVAZ
News article which reported the same image back then, attributing them to the Naxal IED blast can be read here.
Image 4:
Back in May 2018, Maoists have carried out a camouflaged attack on jawans in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, wherein seven jawans, providing security cover to a road construction project were killed.
ANI has also tweeted the same image back then. News reports of the incident which have published the same image can be viewed here and here.
Image 5:
Both the images of the collage are related to the same incident of IED blast instigated by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur back in November 2018, during the elections. News reports which have published both the images can be viewed here and here.
Image 6:
Even this is an old image that dates back to March 2017. Back then, an exchange of fire took place between Maoists and the CRPF’s COBRA battalion in Chhattisgarh’s Sukuma.  The news article which published the image can be read here.
To sum it up, old & unrelated images are passed off attributing them to the recent Maoist instigated IED blast in Chhattisgarh.

created: January 17, 2022


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Old unrelated images are shared as Assam Congress leader arrested for possession of ammunition - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 18, 2021
A post accompanying a photo collage of a couple of images wherein one image shows a man in handcuffs whereas the other shows bullets and grenades are being shared on social media. The post claims that Assam’s Congress leader Amjad Ali was caught with ammunition.  Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Assam’s Congress leader Amjad Ali who was caught with ammunition.
Fact: The image of a man in handcuffs actually shows a Bangladeshi madrasa teacher who was arrested for alleged sexual harassment of a student, who eventually committed suicide back in 2018. The other image shows ammunition recovered from militants in Jammu & Kashmir after a brief exchange of fire back in 2018. Both these images have nothing to do with Assam. Also, there are no recent reports of Assam Congress leader getting arrested for possession of ammunition. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search of the photo of the man in handcuffs yielded few blogs which shared the same image back in 2018. As per these blogs, the man in handcuffs is Mubarak Hossain, a 28-year-old madrasa teacher from Mymensingh, Bangladesh and he was arrested for alleged sexual harassment of a student, who eventually committed suicide. These blogs can be read here and here. A Bangladeshi newspaper also reported the incident back in 2018.
Further, the image of ammunition actually shows ammunition recovered from militants in Jammu & Kashmir after a brief exchange of fire back in 2018. Reverse image search of the photo led us to a tweet by J&K police which shared the same image in 2018.
A brief exchange of fire  on the outskirts of Srinagar city. Three suspected militants  arrested among them one is injured.Arms and ammunition recovered. Investigations started. pic.twitter.com/lT9AoRnu5H
There are no recent news articles stating that Assam’s Congress leader Amjad Ali was caught with ammunition. Further, the police personnel in the image can be seen wearing a blue colour uniform whereas the Assam police uniform is not blue but Khaki. From all these pieces of evidence, it is evident that two unrelated images are being shared with a false narrative associating them with Assam Congress. When the same image went viral back in 2018, Boom, a fact-checking agency debunked it then.
To sum it up, old and unrelated images are shared as Assam Congress leader arrested for possession of ammunition.


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Old unrelated images falsely shared as ‘Indian Air Force (IAF) jet shot down by Nepal’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 24, 2020
A couple of photos are being shared widely on social media with a claim that Nepal has shot down an Indian Air Force (IAF) jet and killed two Indian pilots who crossed the border to conduct an airstrike on the Nepal territories. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Photos of an Indian Air Force (IAF) jet shot down by Nepal.
Fact: The posted photos are old. While one photo is related to Libya, the other one shows IAF’s Mirage-2000 fighter which crashed in Bengaluru in 2019. Also, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) – India has clarified that the post is fake. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Photo 1:
When the image was run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found in an article published in 2011. In the article, the image credit is given to ‘Associated Press’. So, when searched on the ‘AP Images’ website, the full version of the photo was found. In the description of the photo, it is written that ‘a pilot ejects from the cockpit of a doomed warplane after it was shot down over the outskirts of Benghazi, eastern Libya, Saturday, March 19, 2011.’ So, the photo is old and not related to India.
Photo 2:
This photo can be found in an article published by ‘The Statesman’ in February 2019. In the description of the photo, it can be read that the photo shows ‘the site where Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Mirage-2000 fighter crashed at a military airport in the Bengaluru’s eastern suburb on Feb 1, 2019’. The same photo can be also found in the ‘Deccan Herald’ article.  So, the plane in the photo was not shot down by Nepal or any other country.
Also, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) – India has clarified that the post is fake and ‘no such claimed action has been conducted by Indian airforce on any neighbouring country.’
Claim: A viral message on twitter claiming that an Indian Airforce jet has been shot down. #PIBfactcheck: It's #Fake. No such claimed action has been conducted by Indian airforce on any neighbouring country. The images used are from a previous date. Beware of panic mongers. pic.twitter.com/joOFc4WVff
To sum it up, old and unrelated images falsely shared as ‘Indian Air Force (IAF) jet shot down by Nepal’.
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Old & unrelated images of suicide are being falsely atttributed to the Agnipath Protests - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 18, 2022
Protests have erupted in multiple parts of the country following the central government’s announcement of Agnipath scheme for army recruitment. There are also reports of a few individuals committing suicide. In this context, a set of social media posts (here & here), accompanying images of young men hanging themselves are being shared attributing them to the Agnipath scheme.  Through this article let’s fact-check the authenticity of these images.
Claim: Visuals of students who committed suicide following the announcement of Agnipath scheme.
Fact: While it is true that there are reports of students committing suicide in light of the central government’s announcement of Agnipath scheme, none of the images shared in these viral posts are related to Agnipath scheme. All these images predate to the announcement of Agnipath scheme. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
It is true that there have been some sporadic incidents of students ending their life following the announcement of the Agnipath scheme. However, none of the images shared in these posts are related to those incidents. These are old images and have nothing to do with the Agnipath scheme. Let’s look into the authenticity of each image below in clockwise direction.
Image-1
Reverse image search of this photo led us to an old Facebook post, which shared the same image on 20 March 2020. As per the description associated with the photo, the incident took place in Ludana village in Haryana.
Image-2
Reverse image search of this photo led us to a 2018 news report which reported the same image. As per this article, the image is related to an incident of a couple who hanged themselves in a hotel room in Kurukshetra.
Image-3
Google search with relevant keywords yielded us a 2019 news report that reported the same image. As per the report, the image is related to an incident that took place in Madhya Pradesh.
Image-4
This image is available on internet since August 2021. An online news report published the same image stating image is from Meerut , Uttar Pradesh.
Image-5
An online portal published the same image in October 2020. As per the information provided in this report, the image is from Uttar Pradesh.
Image-6
This is an old photo and is available on the internet at least since 2007. An online blog shared the same image in 2007.
Image-7
Reverse image search of this photo yielded multiple new reports that reported the same in image in April 2022, much before the center’s announcement of the Agnipath scheme. As per these reports, Pavan, a resident of Biwandi, Haryana ended his life as he failed to clear the army test, and eventually he surpassed the maximum age limit of the test.
To sum it up, old & unrelated images of suicide are being falsely attributed to the protests  related to the Agnipath scheme.


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Old unrelated images shared as ‘Zee News office attacked for its Editor Sudhir Chaudhary’s remarks on Delhi voters’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 13, 2020
A couple of photos are being widely shared on Facebook with the claim that Zee News office was attacked for its Editor Sudhir Chaudhary’s remarks on Delhi voters. During a show on Zee News about the 2020 Delhi Elections exit polls, which predicted a victory to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Sudhir Chaudhary has said that Delhi voters only wanted ‘freebies’ and they do not care about Balakot airstrikes, Article 370 and Ram Temple. Let’s analyze the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
Images of Zee News office attacked for its Editor Sudhir Chaudhary’s remarks on Delhi voters during the 2020 Delhi Elections.
Fact: The photo of Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary with nose injury is found to exist on the internet at least since 13 July 2019. And, the image of the vandalised office shows an attacked Mumbai Congress office in 2017. So, the images are old and the claim is FALSE.
When the first image is subjected to reverse image search, the same image was found in a YouTube video. The video reported about the accident to Zee News Editor Sudhir Chaudhary and injury to his nose. The video had the timestamp–‘13 July 2019’. Also, another video of Sudhir Chaudhary was found, in which he speaks about his car accident in Mumbai and injury to his nose.
When the second image in the post was subjected to reverse image search, it was found in an article of ‘Mumbai Live’. The article was about the vandalized Mumbai Congress office by MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) leaders. The same image was also found in the ‘ANI’ tweet about the attack on the Mumbai Congress office. The tweet was made on ‘1 December 2017’.
#Mumbai: Unidentified persons vandalized Mumbai Congress office at CST, more details awaited pic.twitter.com/hqfUDYyBXZ
To sum it up, old unrelated images shared as ‘Zee News office attacked for its Editor Sudhir Chaudhary’s remarks on Delhi voters’.
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created: February 13, 2020


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Old unrelated photos falsely shared as ‘Hindus killed by Muslims in the Delhi riots’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 27, 2020
Some photos are being shared widely on social media with a claim that they show Hindus killed by Muslims in the recent Delhi riots. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Photos of Hindus killed by the Muslims in the recent Delhi riots.
Fact: All the photos in the post are old. They are not related to the recent Delhi riots.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
They are three photos in the post. Let’s try to check each one of them:
Photo 1:
The same photo can be found to be uploaded on Facebook in February 2016 with a different claim. The photo can be also found in a blog post written in 2015. The blog has been removed now, but the archived version of the post can be seen here. The photo was also found on the ‘Medium’ website. While the exact context of the photo cannot be ascertained with the available information, it is not related to the recent Delhi riots.
Photo 2:
On the ‘Medium’ website, the same photo was found to be uploaded on 9 June 2018. Also, the photo can be found in a YouTube video uploaded in May 2019. So, the photo is an old one. It is not related to the recent riots.
Photo 3:
On doing the reverse image search, the same photo was found in a 2018 Facebook post. Similar photos can be also found in an article published on the ‘Daily hunt’ news website in 2018. In the article, it can be read the incident happened in Bihar. Also, it was found that ‘Boom’ has written a fact-check article in 2018 on the same photo when it went viral with another false claim.
To sum it up, old unrelated photos are falsely being shared as ‘Hindus killed by the Muslims in the Delhi riots’.
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created: February 27, 2020


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Old unrelated photos falsely shared as ‘recent train accident in Assam’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 25, 2020
Some photos are being shared widely on social media with a claim that they are related to a recent train accident at Golaghat Road in Assam. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Photos of a recent train accident in Assam.
Fact: All the photos in the post are old ones. Three out of four photos in the post are related to two different accidents in Jaipur. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
There are four photos in the post. Let try to check each photo.
Photo 1:
A similar photo can be found on the ‘Prokerala’ website. On that website, the photo has the following description: ‘A bogey of Dayodaya Express that got derailed near Sanganer railway station in Jaipur on Feb 1, 2019’.  More information regarding the accident can be found in the ‘Dainik Bhaskar’ article.
Photo 2 and 3:
The same photos were published by the ‘Dainik Bhaskar’ on 7 August 2017 in relation to a train accident at Sawai Madhopur station in Jaipur.  More information regarding the accident can be read in the articles published by ‘Hindustan Times’ and ‘Indian Express’.
Photo 4:
In an article on the ‘Patrika’ website, the same photo can be seen. In the article, it can be seen that the photo is related to a road accident in Chhattisgarh. While no other credible source was found, the same photo can be also seen in a video uploaded in March 2019. So, it is not related to any recent accident.
To sum it up, old unrelated photos are being falsely shared as related to a recent train accident in Assam.
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created: February 25, 2020


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Old unrelated photos shared as visuals of PM Modi’s recent election rally in West Bengal - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 8, 2021
A few photos are being shared on social media with a claim that they show the crowd at PM Narendra Modi’s recent election rally in West Bengal. On 7 March 2021, Narendra Modi addressed an election rally at the Brigade parade grounds in the poll-bound West Bengal. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photos show the crowd at Modi’s recent (March 2021) election rally in West Bengal.
Fact: The posted photos are not related to Modi’s recent election rally in West Bengal. While one photo is related to the recent joint rally of Left-Congress-ISF, the other two photos are old. One was taken in 2019 and the other was taken in 2014. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Photo 1: (archived)
When the posted image was run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found in the search results. It was posted on a website in 2014 with the description – ‘Picture of Rally in Brigade Parade Ground, at Kolkata’. So, when we searched with relevant keywords, a similar photo was found on the ‘Prokerala’ website. The description of the photo reads – ‘People gather at the Brigade Parade Ground during a Left Front rally in Kolkata on Feb.9, 2014. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/IANS)’. So, it is an old photo.
Photo 2: (archived)
The reverse image search of the posted photo led us to a 2019 news article that published the same image. As per the article, the image shows a large public gathering for a meeting organised by the Left front at the Brigade parade ground in Kolkata. The photo was also tweeted by ‘CPI (M) West Bengal’ in 2020 with the description – ‘A bird eye view of last year Brigade Rally at #Kolkata’.
“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”
A bird eye view of last year Birgade Rally at #Kolkata #LalSalaamComrade pic.twitter.com/EmuvpqaiXI
A similar photo can be also found on the ‘Alamy’ stock website.
Photo 3: (archived)
A similar photo can be found on the websites of ‘The Telegraph’ and ‘India Today’. The description of the photo reads – ‘Hundreds of supporters join Left-Congress and Indian Secular Front (ISF) mega rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata ahead of the West Bengal Election 2021.’ So, this photo is also not related to Modi’s rally.
Photos 1 and 2 were also shared last week as the visuals showing the recent joint rally of INC and CPIM in Kolkata. FACTLY has previously written a fact-check article debunking photo-2 when it was shared in the wrong context.
The actual visuals related to Modi’s recent election rally in West Bengal can be seen here, here, and here.
জনসমুদ্র ব্রিগেড ……#ModirSatheBrigade pic.twitter.com/BCEedYcNZ1
To sum it up, old unrelated photos are shared as visuals of Modi’s recent election rally in West Bengal.


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Old Unrelated Video Falsely Shared as CBI Officials Brutally Thrashing Accused in Odisha Train Tragedy - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 22, 2023
A video circulating on social media alleges that it shows the main accused, Mohammad Sharif, in the recent Odisha train tragedy being brutally thrashed while naked. The post further claims that this happened after CBI officials found him hiding in a Madarsa in West Bengal. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of CBI officials thrashing Station Master Mohammad Sharif, the main accused in the Odisha train tragedy, after apprehending him from a Madrasa in West Bengal.
Fact: The viral video has been circulating for at least 2 years, depicting an incident in Mexico where a robber is being assaulted. Moreover, during the time of the accident, the person in charge of Bahanaga Bazar station was Station Superintendent S. B. Mohanty, who has already been questioned by the authorities. There is no staff member named Mohammed Sharif at that station. Also, CBI has not disclosed any information regarding the individuals responsible for the accident yet. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
FACTLY debunked the claim earlier when rumours circulated alleging that the station master of Bahanaga Bazar named Mohammad Sharif was absconding after the accident. Our investigation revealed that there is no staff member named Mohammad Sharif at the station. Moreover, the person in charge of the station at the time of the accident was the station superintendent S.B. Mohanty, who is not absconding.
Moreover, a reverse image search of the viral video revealed that the same video has been circulating (here, here & here) for over 2 years, showing a robber being assaulted in Mexico.
This clearly indicates that the viral video has no connection with the Odisha train tragedy, which took place in June 2023. Furthermore, the South Eastern Railway has confirmed that none of the railway staff members are absconding and are cooperating with the investigation.
#WATCH | Balasore train accident | "A few media reports are coming in that a Bahanaga staff is absconding and missing. This is factually incorrect. The entire staff is present & a part of inquiry. They are appearing before agency," says Aditya Kumar Chaudhary, CPRO South Eastern… pic.twitter.com/Htc538cIFp
To sum it up, the video that is shared as CBI officials thrashing the alleged station master Mohammad Sharif is old and unrelated to the recent Odisha train tragedy.


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Old unrelated video falsely shared as 'demolition of houses of people excluded from Assam’s NRC' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 20, 2020
A video is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows the demolition of houses that belonged to the people whose names were not included in the NRC (National Register of Citizens) list of Assam. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Demolition of houses of people who were not included in the NRC list of Assam.
Fact: The video was telecasted by ‘News 18 Assam/Northeast’ in November-2017 whereas the final NRC list of Assam was published in August-2019. It is related to the eviction drive carried out by the Assam government, in 2017, in and around Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary (Guwahati) as it was declared as an eco-sensitive zone (ECZ) by the Environment Ministry. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through the Yandex Reverse Image Search, the same video uploaded by ‘News 18 Assam/Northeast’ was found in the search results. The video was uploaded in November-2017 with the title – ‘Eviction Tragedy’. The final NRC list of Assam was published in August-2019. So, the video is not related to NRC as the incident in the video took place before the final NRC list was published. When searched for the eviction drive which happened in Assam in November-2017, it was found that, as per a Guwahati High Court order, the Assam government carried out an eviction drive in and around Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary (Guwahati) as it was declared as an eco-sensitive zone (ECZ) by the Environment Ministry.
Previously, when a similar eviction video from Assam was shared as ‘Assam NRC eviction’, FACTLY has debunked the viral video and written a fact-check article, which can be read here.
To sum it up, an old unrelated video falsely shared as “demolitionof houses of people excluded from Assam’s NRC”.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: January 20, 2020


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Old unrelated video falsely shared as related to the recent Coronavirus outbreak. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 27, 2020
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it is related to the recent epidemic caused by the novel virus (named as ‘2019-nCoV’), which is from the Coronavirus family. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video related to the recent Coronavirus outbreak.
Fact: The video is found to be on the internet at least since November-2019 i.e. before the recent epidemic broke out. So, it is not related to the recent Coronavirus epidemic. Hencethe claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through the Yandex Reverse Image Search, the same video was found on YouTube. It can be seen that the video was uploaded on 01 November 2019, with the title: ‘Guy Has Huge Botfly Larvae Removed from His Lip’. The recent Coronavirus epidemic was reported to have begun in the last week of December-2019. So, the video is not related to the ‘2019-nCoV’ virus.
More details regarding the Coronavirus (‘2019-nCoV’) and the timeline of the recent epidemic can be seen in the Aljazeera article
Also, none of the prominent health agencies has issued any precautions regarding the consumption of preserved dairy products, as claimed in the post. With regards to ‘2019-nCoV’, WHO issued the following standard recommendations for the general public:
Other FAQs regarding the ‘2019-nCoV’ Coronavirus can be read in the factsheet released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to WHO, as on 26 January 2019, a total of 2,014 confirmed 2019-nCoV cases have been reported globally.
To sum it up, anold unrelated video falsely shared as related to the recent Coronavirus outbreak.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: January 27, 2020


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Old & Unrelated video from 2018 is being falsely shared as visuals of Camels getting washed away during Dubai floods in 2024 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 23, 2024
A video (here, here and here) showing camels being swept away in floodwaters is currently circulating on various social media platforms. The viral video is associated with claims that this incident occurred in the desert of Dubai, the Dubai floods in 2024. We fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The video shows camels getting washed away in the 2024 Dubai floods.
Fact: The footage is from the flash floods in Saudi Arabia in the year 2018. These visuals are not related to the 2024 Dubai floods. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To check the veracity of the viral claim, we performed a reverse image search on a few keyframes from the viral video, this led us to a news report (here) featuring the same visuals as in the video. The YouTube channel ‘Northeast Live’ published this video on 15 November 2018, with the title, ‘Flash floods claim 30 lives in Saudi Arabia’.
We also found a video (archive) uploaded by a Facebook user in October 2018, which contained similar visuals of camels getting swept away in flood waters shot from a different angle. You can find a comparison of a few frames from the viral video and this video in the following collage.
Further search led us to various news articles (here, here and here ) reporting the 2018 flash floods that hit Saudi Arabia.
Additionally, using a time filter on Google, we checked on the web to see if Dubai had witnessed any floods during this period, which is in October-November 2018, and found a few articles(here and here) reporting such floods in November 2018, but none of them had visuals similar to the viral video. Hence, it’s apparent that this video is not from Dubai but from Saudi Arabia in 2018.
Furthermore, similar visuals of the same incident were shared by various (here and here) social media users back in 2018. These posts also asserted that the video was from the 2018 flash floods in Saudi Arabia.
A post shared by Ada Monzon (@adamonzon)
To sum up, the viral video displaying camels being washed away by flood waters is from Saudi Arabia in 2018, not from the Dubai floods in 2024.


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Old unrelated video from West Bengal is shared as ‘BJP MLA beaten by farmers at Ghazipur border’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 16, 2021
A post accompanying the video of a mob thrashing a person is being shared widely with a claim that the person involved is BJP MLA Nand Kishor Gurjar and the mob beating him were farmers, at the Ghazipur border. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of BJP MLA Nand Kishor Gurjar being thrashed by farmers at Ghazipur border.
Fact: The video in the post is of an unrelated incident that took place in 2016 in Asansol, West Bengal, where Union Minister Babul Supriyo and his convoy were allegedly attacked. The person in the video is a BJP party worker who was allegedly being attacked by Trinamool Congress supporters in front of the police. The video has nothing to do with the MLA or farmers or Ghazipur which is in Uttar Pradesh (UP). Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Yandex Reverse Image Search, the longer version of the same clip was found to be uploaded (the video clip begins at 12 seconds in the posted video) on YouTube in 2016. The clip was uploaded to the official ANI YouTube Channel.  In the description below the ‘ANI’ video, it can be read that – ‘Union Minister Babul Supriyo and his convoy was on Tuesday attacked by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters in West Bengal’s Asansol district. During the scuffle, a BJP party worker was also thrashed, and his clothes were ripped. The mob allegedly pelted stones and thrashed party workers in the presence of police officials.’
The incident was reported by other news outlets like Financial Express, Mint, Economic Times. Also, this video clip has already been debunked by FACTLY earlier in a fact-check article, in a different context in 2020.
However, in a different incident, Abohar MLA Arun Narang of BJP was thrashed by farmers in Punjab, which has nothing to do with the posted video or the alleged claim in the post. The news reports of which can be seen here, here and here.
To sum it up, the video of an old incident from West Bengal is being shared as ‘BJP MLA beaten by farmers at Ghazipur border’. It is true that a BJP MLA from Abohar, Punjab has been beaten by farmers, but it has nothing to do with the post accompanying the video. Hence, the claim made in the post is false.


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Old unrelated video is being shared as a rally of Naga Sadhus in support of Nupur Sharma - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 14, 2022
A video is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows a rally of Naga Sadhus in support of Nupur Sharma. She allegedly made some offensive comments regarding Prophet Muhammad recently. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video shows a rally of Naga Sadhus in support of Nupur Sharma.
Fact: It is an old video, and was shot in Haridwar. It is not related to any recent rally in support of Nupur Sharma. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image, no proper information was found in the search results. On using some related keywords, a similar video was found in the search results. A user has posted the video on YouTube in 2021 with the description that it is related to Haridwar Kumbh Mela.
Many similar videos from the same location can be seen here and here. The location of the video is Haridwar. The shops in the video can be found here and here.
However, some Hindu saints came in support of Nupur Sharma recently. The related news reports can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, an old unrelated video is being shared as a rally of Naga Sadhus in support of Nupur Sharma.


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Old unrelated video is falsely shared as fans throwing eggs at the Brazilian team bus after FIFA World Cup elimination - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 16, 2022
In the context of Brazil’s elimination in the Quarter final of FIFA World Cup 2022, a video of a group of people throwing eggs at a bus is being widely shared on social media with a claim that it shows fans showing anger at the Brazilian Football team after their arrival at Brazil. Similar posts can be seen here and here. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Fans throwing eggs at the bus carrying the Brazilian Football team in Brazil following the team’s elimination from FIFA World Cup 2022.
Fact: This video was recorded in March 2018 in Brazil. It shows protestors in Brazil attacking a bus with eggs, believing that it was a part of ex-president Lula’s convoy. Also, no such incident of fans throwing eggs at the Brazilian football team was reported following their elimination from the World cup 2022. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We ran a reverse image search using the keyframes of the viral video and found that the same video was already uploaded on YouTube on 28 March 2018. The title says that the people of Paraná were throwing eggs at the bus carrying Lula (ex-president of Brazil).
Another video of this incident recorded by a passenger inside the bus can be seen here.  According to Brazilian media, on 26 March 2018, a group of protestors in the state of “Paraná attacked a bus by mistaking it as a part of Lula’s convoy during election campaign”.
Moreover, no such incident of fans throwing eggs at the Brazilian football team was reported following their elimination from the FIFA World cup 2022.
To sum it up, an old unrelated video is falsely shared as fans throwing eggs at the defeated Brazil team.

created: December 16, 2022


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Old unrelated video is shared as “Karnataka Police arresting burqa agitators and finding that 40% in burqa are boys” - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 22, 2022
A video is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows Karnataka Police arresting burqa-clad pro-hijab protestors and surprisingly finding that 40 percent of them are boys in women’s attire. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Karnataka Police arresting burqa-clad pro-hijab protestors and finding that 40 percent of them are boys in women’s attire.
Fact: The posted video is not related to the current hijab row in Karnataka. It is an old video. The visuals are related to an old protest by students against the National Education Policy. Also, the Karnataka Police has denied the viral claim. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, a news report with similar visuals was found in the search results. The video was posted in September 2021 with the title – “Bengaluru: Police resort to lathi-charge on students protesting against National Education Policy”. So, the video is not related to the current hijab row in Karnataka.
On searching with the keywords, many news reports regarding the incident in the video were found in the search results. Some of those news articles can be read here and here. In the ‘The Times of India’ article, the following has been reported – “Police resorted to mild lathi-charge after students protesting against National Education Policy (NEP) tried to break the barricade at Mysore bank circle and march towards Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday”. None of them reported that the Police found boys in women’s attire participating in the protest.
As the video went viral with a false claim, DGP Karnataka has tweeted that it is a ‘fake item’. Also, the ‘Bengaluru City Police’ has shared a fact-check debunking another video with a similar claim.
When the same video was shared previously as a video from Bengal, FACTLY has debunked it and written a fact-check article, which can be read here.
To sum it up, an old unrelated video is falsely shared as Karnataka Police arresting burqa-clad pro-hijab protestors and finding that 40 percent of them are boys in women’s attire.

created: February 22, 2022


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Old unrelated video is shared as recent visuals of Russia launching an airstrike against Ukraine - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 24, 2022
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows the Russian airstrikes against Ukraine during the current standoff. The video is being shared in the context of Russia’s recent announcement of military operations against Ukraine. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent video of Russia launching an airstrike against Ukraine.
Fact: The video is not related to any recent Russian attack on Ukraine. It is an old video from Russia. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Yandex Reverse Image Search, many similar videos were found in the search results. A YouTube channel has posted the extended version of the same video in May 2020 and mentioned that these are visuals of an aircraft parade rehearsal over Tushino (near Moscow).
However, several media agencies have reported multiple attacks by the Russian forces on Ukrainian cities today. Some of the recent visuals from Ukraine can be seen here.
Black smoke rises from a military airport in Chuguyev near Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Ukraine border guards report the first death and say Russia's ground forces have crossed into Ukraine from several directions pic.twitter.com/jNtxDWib7J
To sum it up, an old unrelated video is shared as visuals of Russia launching an airstrike against Ukraine.

created: February 24, 2022


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Old unrelated videos are being shared as recent visuals of protests on Prophet Muhammed - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 15, 2022
Recently, several Islamic countries have condemned the alleged insulting remarks of BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad. In that context, a video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows the crowd protesting the comments of Nupur Sharma. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent video of the crowd protesting the comments of Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad.
Fact: The posted video is an old one. It is not related to the recent comments made by Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad. The video is from Lahore in Pakistan, and are from the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi’s Chehlum held on 03 January 2021. Chehlum is a religious observance in Islam held 40 days after the death of the person. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same video was found on YouTube. The video was uploaded on 04 January 2021 with the title – “Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi Chehlum I TLP Chehlum 2021”. Chehlum is a religious observance in Islam held 40 days after the death of a person.
On 19 November 2020, the chief of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Khadim Hussain Rizvi passed away at the age of 54. His Chehlum (which is the religious observance) was observed on 03 January 2021 near Mosque Rehmatul Lil Alameen at Multan Road’s Battery Stop in Lahore. The visuals seen in the viral video are from this Chehlum which was attended by thousands of people in Pakistan. So, the posted video is an old one and it is not related to the recent comments made by Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad.
Some of the recent visuals related to protests against Nupur Sharma’s remarks can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, an old unrelated video is shared as recent visuals of the crowd protesting the comments of Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad.
Update (08 June 2022):
Another video is also being widely shared on social media with a similar claim.
However, on doing a reverse image search on the screenshots of the video, it was found that the posted video is an old one. A TikTok user posted a similar video on his account in April 2022 whereas Nupur Sharma made her comments recently, in the last week of May 2022. So, the video is not related to the latest controversy.
Update (08 June 2022):
Video 3:
This video is also an old one. When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image, a similar video was found in the search results. The video was posted by a TikTok user in April 2021. So, this video is also not related to the current protests against the statements of Nupur Sharma.
Video 4:
Similar visuals can be found in a YouTube video posted by ‘VOA’ news channel on ‘10 November 2019’. ‘AFPTV’ shared a video with similar visuals on the ‘Getty Images’ website. ‘UPRISING TODAY’ news website published an article about this event. It is mentioned in the article that millions of Yemenis gathered at the 70 square in Capital Sanaa to celebrate and commemorate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. Also, we already fact-checked this video when it went viral previously with a different fake claim. So, this is also not related to the latest controversy.
Update (15 June 2022):
The same video (the first video in the article), which was previously shared as a video of the crowd protesting the comments of Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad, is now being shared as a crowd chanting Hanuman Chalisa on a road in Jaipur. However, as concluded above, the video is from Lahore in Pakistan and is from the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi’s Chehlum held on 03 January 2021. So, the claim made in the latest post is also not true.


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Old unrelated video is shared as visuals of Ayodhya Ram Mandir’s donation box. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 25, 2024
A video of a few men collecting cash from what seems like a temple donation box is being shared on social media, claiming that these visuals show the donation box of the recently opened Ayodhya Ram Mandir. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The viral video shows the donation box in Ayodhya Ram Mandir with donations from the first day of opening the temple.
Fact: The viral video has been on the internet since at least 16 January 2024, much before the Ayodhya Ram Mandir opened on 22 January 2024. This video was shot in Rajasthan’s Sanwariya Seth temple. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To learn more about the viral clip, we performed a reverse image search on the internet using a few of its keyframes, which led us to an Instagram post that contained the same video, which was uploaded on 16 January 2024, almost a week before the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on 22 January 2024. This contradicts the viral claim that the video shows the visual of a donation box on the first day of worship at Ram Mandir.
A post shared by Nitin Vaishnav (@sanwaliya_seth_1007)
The video was uploaded by a user named Nitin Vaishnav, with a video description in Hindi that translates to ‘🌹Shri Sanwaliya Seth🌹:- This time a record amount of 12 crore 69 lakh cash donations came out.’ Nitin uploaded many videos shot at the Shri Sanwariya Seth temple, which is located in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, on his Instagram page.  Through a further keyword search on the internet, we also found news articles from January 2024, i.e. this month, that reported the donation amount received at the Sanwariya Seth temple.
Furthermore, Nithin can also be seen wearing a similar red colour kurta in another Instagram video uploaded on 11 December 2023 during the counting of donation amounts received in the Sanwariya Seth temple at that time.
A post shared by 🥰साँवरिया का दीवाना ❣ (@sanwaliyaseth09)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Sanwariya Seth temple in October of 2023; in a video uploaded on his verified Youtube channel, we can see a sculpture on a wall at the entrance of ‘Gharbha Gudi,’ the main inner sanctum where the main idol of the temple, Sanwariyaji is located. In a video uploaded by Nitin, you can see the same idol and the sculpture on the wall.
Additionally, photos uploaded by a few users on Google Photos also show the same sculpture. This makes it clear that the video was indeed filmed at this location.
To sum up, a video of cash collection from a donation box filmed at Sanwariya Seth temple is falsely shared as visuals of a donation box filmed at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir on the first day after its opening on 22 January 2024.

created: January 25, 2024


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Old & Unrelated video of a man setting himself on fire is being shared linking it to the Agnipath scheme. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 18, 2022
Following the central government’s announcement of Agnipath scheme for army recruitment, protests have erupted in many parts of country, opposing the scheme. Protesting students have set trains on fire and  destroyed other public property. Incidents of students committing suicide have also been reported in multiple states. In this context, a video showing a young man sitting on a chair and setting himself on fire using inflammable substance is being widely shared claiming the visuals show a student committing suicide after the announcement of Agnipath scheme. We have received the same video on our tip line to verify the veracity of the video. Few social media users also shared this video, in the context of the agnipath scheme. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a student setting himself on fire following the announcement of Agnipath scheme.
Fact: This is an old video and is available on the internet at least since April 2021. When the same video went viral in Jordan lately, Jordanian news agencies have reported the video is from Pakistan’s Karachi. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The central government’s recent announcement of Agnipath scheme for the army recruitment has caused a stir among the students. Following the announcement of the scheme, multiple incidents of students committing suicide have also been reported (here & here).
However, the viral visuals are not related to any recent incidents of suicide, following the announcement of Agnipath scheme. These visuals are doing rounds on the internet for quite some time. Reverse image search of the screenshots of the viral video, yielded a couple of old social media posts which shared the same video (here & here). One such post dates back to April 2021, suggesting the video is old one.
Lately, the same video went viral in countries like Jordan and Egypt, claiming the visuals show an incident that happened in their respective countries. However, Jordan’s media spokesperson for the Public Security Directorate rubbished the claim.
Further, a couple of news agencies have reported that their investigation found that the video is from Pakistan’s Karachi, wherein a man set himself on fire because of family disputes (here & here).
Although we could not independently verify the exact location and context of the video, the available evidence suggests that the visuals are old and have nothing to do with the Agnipath scheme.
To sum it up, an old & unrelated video of a man setting himself on fire is being shared linking it to the Agnipath scheme.


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Old unrelated video of bats is being shared as a video from China in the context of coronavirus - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 7, 2020
A video of bats that were found under the tiles of a roof is being shared on Facebook with a claim that the video was taken in China and the bats were the source of the coronavirus outbreak in China. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
Video of bats found under the tiles of many roofs in Hubei, China. They were the source of Coronavirus.
Fact: The video was not taken in China. It’s an old video uploaded on 05 July 2011 by a Miami based roofing company called ‘Istueta Roofing’. The bats in the video were found under the tiles during the process of replacing a roof for a customer in Miami (US).  Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
From the ‘Economic Times’ article, it is learnt that some of the studies suspect that the 2019 novel Coronavirus may have come from bats. But,  WHO has officially not yet declared the origin/source of the virus.
Using the ‘Invid’ plugin,  keyframes of the video were obtained. When these keyframes were reverse image searched using ‘Yandex’, the same video was found to be uploaded on Youtube by ‘Istueta Roofing’ on 05 July 2011. According to the description given below the video by the uploader, it is understood that the bats were found in the process of removing tiles from a customer’s old roof in Miami (US) by a roofing company called ‘Istueta Roofing’, which offers services for roofing needs in South Florida. So, this is not a video from China as mentioned in the post.  More information about ‘Istueta Roofing’ can be found here.
To summarize, a video that was posted by a Miami based roofing company in 2011 is being falsely shared in the context of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: February 7, 2020


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Old unrelated video of UP Police blaming the BJP for the violence is being linked to the recent Kanpur violence - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 6, 2022
In the context of recent violence in Kanpur (UP), a video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows a police officer blaming the BJP for the violence while talking over the phone. The recent violence took place when people were protesting the alleged objectionable comments by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma against Prophet Mohammed. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent video of UP Police blaming the BJP for the Kanpur violence.
Fact: The video is an old one. It is not related to the recent Kanpur violence. It was taken in July 2021 during the Block Pramukh elections in Etawah. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, no proper information regarding the video was found in the search results. But on searching with some keywords, many similar videos were found. ‘Mojo Story’ has uploaded the same video in July 2021 and wrote – “During the counting of Uttar Pradesh’s Block Pramukh elections, SP City of Etawah district was allegedly slapped. SP City was caught on camera talking on a phone call and saying he has been slapped and the mob came with stones and bombs. He reportedly said that BJP MLA and District President were leading the mob.” Some more old posts can be seen here and here.
The news articles regarding the incident can be read here and here. So, it is not related to the recent Kanpur violence.
To sum it up, an old unrelated video of UP Police blaming the BJP for the violence is being falsely linked to the recent Kanpur violence.


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Old unrelated video portrayed as Israel army's attack on a Palestinian Mosque - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 11, 2021
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of Israeli army forces destroying a Mosque in Palestine for making the sound of Azaan. This video shows heavy gun firing on a Mosque Minaret.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Israel army attacking a Palastinian Mosque for making the sound of Azaan.
Fact: This video shows the 2008 incident of US army forces attacking a Mosque minaret in Iraq. The US Marine corps general John Micheal Turner and his team attacked this Mosque to take off their aggression.  This video has nothing to do with Israel and Palestine. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots shared in the video, similar visuals of the minaret were found in an article published in 2008. This article reported it as the visuals of US army forces shooting down a Mosque minaret in Iraq.
When we searched for other sources using these keywords, a video with similar visuals is found on the YouTube channel of US filmmaker, Michael Moore. This video described it as the visuals of the U.S Marine Corps destroying a Mosque in Iraq. In the description of the video, it is mentioned that US Cpl. John Turner and his squad destroyed a mosque in Iraq by violating international laws. Micheal Moore provided the link of John Turner’s testimony on the Iraq occupation.
John Micheal Turner, an Iraq war veteran revealed the details of this incident in his testimony on the Iraq occupation. John Turner and his squad shot down this minaret to take off their aggression. A watermark of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) can be observed in this video. The testimony video of John Micheal Turner was also found on the official website of IVAW.
To sum it up, an old video of US army forces attacking the Iraqi Mosque is falsely shared as visuals of the Israeli army attacking a mosque in Palestine.


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Old unrelated video shared as 5 Women fighting over a boyfriend in Sonepur mela, Bihar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 30, 2022
Video of group of people attacking a person is being widely shared on social media claiming that five women are fighting with each other over a boyfriend at Sonepur mela, Bihar. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of five women fighting with each other over a boyfriend at Sonepur mela, Bihar.
Fact: This incident in the video was already reported by Punjab Kesari, Ludhiana Kesari and Dainik Bhaskar on 05 October 2022. According to these reports, this video shows a clash between two groups of trangender persons at the Dussehra fair held at Vardhman Maidan, Ludhiana. Though, Dainik Jagran reports it as incident from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, it is evident that this video doesn’t show any recent incident of five women fighting for a boy at Sonepur Mela in Bihar that began in November 2022. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral post led us to a YouTube video uploaded on 04 October 2022. The title of the video is ‘Hoshiarpur Dusshera 2022 Girls Fight’. Visuals of this YouTube video matches with that of the Viral video.
Taking a cue from this, we searched further about this incident and found news reports by Punjab Kesari and Jalandhar Kesari and Dainik Bhaskar dated 05 October 2022.
According to these reports, two groups of transgender persons clashed with each other at the Dussehra fair held at Vardhman Maidan, Ludhiana. It is being told that an argument broke out between them regarding the distribution of the area, after which the fight broke out. As soon as the information about this matter was received, the police reached the spot and pacified both the groups. Dainik Jagran reported this as an incident as from Hoshiarpur, Punjab. Though we couldn’t independently verify the precise location of the incident, the video doesn’t show any recent incident in Bihar as the same video is available since October 2022 while the Sonepur mela began in November 2022.
Several Media outlets like NDTV, India Today, ABP news, Sakshi, TV9, Zee News, Live Hindustan, etc. reported it as an incident of five women fighting for a single boy at ongoing Sonepur Mela in Bihar. Almost all news agencies reported that the incident allegedly took place in Hariharnath Kshetra during the Sonepur mela. However, the 2022 Sonepur mela is being held between 06 November and 07 December 2022, while the is video is available on YouTube since October 2022. The Sonepur Mela is organised every year during Kartika Purnima. The concept of Hariharnath Kshetra Sonepur mela started around the worship of Lord Hariharnath (Vishnu and Shiva) for which people come to Sonepur. This mela is largest cattle fair of Asia. The Sonepur cattle fair is held on Kartik Purnima (the full moon day) in the month of November in Sonepur, Bihar on the confluence of river Ganges and Gandak.
To sum it up, old video of two transgender groups in Punjab fighting over distribution area during Dusshera 2022 is falsely shared as an incident of 5 women fighting for a single boy at Sonepur Mela in Bihar.

created: November 30, 2022


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Old unrelated video shared as a child pretending to breastfeed her baby brother in the aftermath of Turkey earthquake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 15, 2023
A video of a little girl crying while she seems to console a baby is being shared online, claiming that both these children lost their mother in the recent Turkey earthquake in February 2023. The post claims that the little girl is pretending to breastfeed her brother to make him stop crying. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: After losing their mother in the Turkey earthquake, a little girl pretended to breastfeed her crying brother to comfort him.
Fact: This video was originally uploaded on TikTok by a user named ‘anelya.495′ on 26 November 2022. This was way before the earthquake hit Turkey on 6 February 2023. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of the Video’s Keyframes led us to a few other Facebook posts with the same video and similar claims. In one of those posts, a video contained a watermark of a TikTok user which read ‘anelya.495.’
We then searched on TikTok for anelya.495 and found the account. The same video in the viral post was uploaded by this account on TikTok on 26 November 2022.
The video’s description in Russian translates to ‘#children laughing.’ The elder child in the video is also seen in other videos which were uploaded on the same account. The viral post clearly misquotes this video from November 2022 as the visuals taken after the February 2023 earthquake that devastated Turkey & Syria.
To sum up, an old and unrelated video is shared falsely as a child pretending to breastfeed her brother after they lost their mother in the Turkey earthquake in February 2023.

created: February 15, 2023


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Old Unrelated Video Shared as Police Apprehending Muslim Women in Connection to Recent Nuh Violence - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 14, 2023
In light of the recent communal violence that broke out in Haryana’s Nuh district at the end of July 2023, a video depicting a policeman arresting two women and wielding a stick has been widely shared as the recent instance of police apprehending two Muslim women in connection with the recent Nuh (Mewat) violence. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent visuals of police apprehending two Muslim women in connection with the recent Nuh (Mewat) violence.
Fact: This video depicts an incident that occurred three years ago in April 2020, in Utawar village, Palwal district, Haryana. The police had apprehended two family members of a person accused in a cow slaughter case, suspecting their engagement in relation to the case, yet they were subsequently released on the very same day. The viral video holds no connection with the recent Nuh violence. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Upon conducting a reverse image search of the viral video’s keyframes, we arrived at the same video that had been uploaded on Twitter on 24 April 2020 by multiple users (here & here). One user who shared the video attributed it to an incident from Utawar village in the Palwal district of Haryana.
Taking a cue from this, we conducted a keyword search and came across an article by Aaj Tak. According to this report, the incident in question transpired in April 2020 in Uttawar village, located in the Palwal district of Haryana. During this occurrence, the Utawar police had ventured into the village on a mission to locate a criminal accused of cow slaughter. However, the suspect’s family members purportedly assaulted and displayed unruly behaviour towards the police officers involved in the search, in addition to vandalizing their vehicles. As the situation grew more precarious, the police returned with additional force.
Utawar’s police head constable, Vicky, indicated that they had apprehended the family members of the accused during that period, suspecting their involvement in connection with a previous case of cow slaughter. However, they were subsequently released on the very same day. As a result, it becomes evident that the widely circulated viral video bears no association with the recent Nuh violence.
To sum it up, an unrelated old video is being circulated, falsely portraying it as an instance of the police apprehending Muslim women involved in the recent Haryana riots.


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Old unrelated video shared as visuals of Shah Rukh Khan attending FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 21, 2022
A video is being shared through a Facebook post claiming it as the visuals of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘big entry’ at the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup held in Qatar. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Video of Shah Rukh Khan’s entry at the 2022 FIFA world cup.
Fact: This video is from May 2018, which was captured when Shah Rukh Khan attended an opening ceremony of Kalyan Jewelers in the capital city of Qatar, Doha. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On watching the video, one can notice a logo that appears at the beginning of the 1-minute 30-second viral video. The logo’s words are written in Arabic script and English; the latter reads qbiz. Based on this hint, we formulated keywords and searched the internet for these visuals, leading us to a YouTube video uploaded on a channel named Qbiz events.
The title of the 1 minute 34 seconds video reads ‘Grand Entry Of Shah Rukh Khan ( SRK ) At Kalyan Jewellers Opening In Doha – Qatar – Qbiz Events.‘ the visuals of the viral video match those of this video. News reports of this event from 2018 can be accessed here and here.
To sum up, an old and unrelated video is shared as visuals of Shah Rukh Khan attending FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

created: December 21, 2022


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Old unrelated videos and photos are shared as casualties of 'Iran’s attack on American terrorists in Iraq' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 13, 2020
A post with a few videos and photos is being widely shared on social media with a claim that they belong to the Iranian attack on American forces in Iraq. Let’s analyze the claim made in the post.
Videos and photos of casualties in the recent attacks of Iran on American forces in Iraq.
Fact: The videos and photos in the post are not related to the recent Iranian attacks on Iraqi bases housing the US troops. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
From the article of ‘BBC News’, it was found that on 08 January 2020, Iran has launched attacks on Iraqi bases housing US forces in retaliation for a US drone strike in Baghdad that killed a top Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani.
Video-1:
When the screenshots of the video were subjected to reverse image search, many search results were obtained. Tweets dated 05 January 2020, with the same video mentions that the video to be that of the airstrikes of rebels in Libya on a military college in Tripoli. Those tweets can be found here and here. The article of ‘ Guardian’ that reported about those airstrikes in Libya on 04 January 4 2020, can be read here.
This is the moment when an air strike in support of the warlord Khalifa Haftar kills several recruits on the military college in Hadba near the Libyan capital Tripoli. pic.twitter.com/sSc6PP0xMk
Video-2:
When the screenshots of the video were subjected to reverse image search, it was found that the same video is on the internet at least since 2011. So, it is not related to the recent Iranian attacks.
Photo-1:
Two out of the four photos in that collage were found to be old ones. The first photo is on the internet at least since May 2014 and the second photo is found in an article from 2004. So, it is not related to the recent Iranian attacks.
Photo-2:
When the image is subjected to reverse image search technique, it was found in the ‘Getty Images’ library. From the description of the photo, it was found that the photo was taken in August 2018
Also, another post (archived) with an image claiming it to be showing the bodies of American soldiers who died in Iranian airstrikes is also being shared on Facebook. But, when the image is subjected to reverse image search, it was found to be clicked in March 2006.
To sum it up, old andunrelated videos and photos are shared as that of casualties in the “Iran’s attack on American terrorists inIraq”.
Did you watch our video on the 10 Most Ridiculous Fake News of the Year 2019?

created: January 13, 2020


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Old unrelated videos are being falsely linked to the Israel-Palestine conflict - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 2, 2023
A viral video compilation claiming to be recent footage from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine is making rounds on various social media platforms. These videos depict the horrific destruction of what is claimed to be Israeli cities. Through this fact-check, we look at the authenticity of these claims.
Claim: The viral video compilation includes footage from the recent Israel-Palestine conflict.
Fact: Upon examination, it was found that the third and fourth video clips in the compilation are old footage of tornadoes from Italy in 2021 and 2023. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Although we could not find the source videos for the first two clips of the viral compilation, we found that the third and fourth clips are old and unrelated to the ongoing Israel and Palestine conflict.
To verify the clips in the viral video, a reverse image search technique was implemented on keyframes from the third and fourth videos. This search led us to several articles and videos reporting on tornado events in Italy and Milan.
The third video clip was traced back to a report (also this) from September 2021 by Italian news outlet La7 about a tornado hitting the Italian island of Capri.
Similarly, the fourth video was linked to the September 2023 tornado in Milan and its suburbs, as reported by Russian news agency Vesti.ru and Moroccan news outlet Tele Maroc.
A comparison between the original video reports and the viral clips leaves no doubt that the latter are merely old footage. Thus, the claim that these videos are from the recent Israel-Palestine conflict is incorrect.
To sum up, although the original context of the first two videos in the compilation could not be confirmed, the third and fourth videos are unrelated to the recent Israel-Palestine conflict.

created: November 2, 2023


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Old & Unrelated videos are being shared linking them to the Cheetahs brought from Namibia - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 12, 2022
Update (12 October 2022)
Another video is being shared attributing that the visuals show a Namibian cheetah brought to India is seen killing a deer.
However, a reverse search on the screentshots from the video led us to a YouTube video with similar visuals that was uploaded on 25 December 2021. This indicates that the video is not old and is not related to the Namibian cheetahs that were released into the wild at Kuno National Park by PM Modi on 17 September 2022.
Update (09 October 2022)
Another video that shows an injured man with a leopard lying dead in front of him is being shared with the description ‘Modi ke chite’, attributing it to the Namibian cheetahs that were released into the wild at Kuno National Park by PM Modi on 17 September 2022. The same video was earlier shared attributing it to an incident from Himachal Pradesh.
However, a keyword search on the internet led us to multiple reports published in February 2021, stating that the incident is from Karnataka. Rajagopal Naik, a resident of Karnataka’s Haasan district had strangled the leopard to death when it had attacked him and his family while they were returning home on a motorcycle. These reports can be seen here, here, and here.
Update (01 October 2022)
Another video of a group of tigers eating a lamb is being widely shared on social media claiming that the video shows newly brought Namibian cheetahs eating an Indian lamb. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of newly bought Namibian cheetahs in India eating an Indian lamb.
Fact: The animals seen in the video eating a lamb are not cheetahs at all, they are Siberian tigers. The video was uploaded 9 years ago and shows Siberian tigers eating a lamb at a Zoo Park in China. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE
Upon observing the video carefully, one can conclude that these are tigers but not cheetahs since tigers are huge predators with black vertical stripes while cheetahs have black or oval shaped spots all over the body. We then searched the internet using relevant keywords about the viral video and found that the extended version of the same video was  uploaded on YouTube on 24 July 2013. The title of the video says, “Harbin Tiger Park – Siberian Tigers vs Lamb”. The Chinese letters written on the truck reads “Siberian Tiger Forest Park”. It is a Zoological park located in Harbin, Northeast China.
Update (26 September 2022):
Another video of a group of 3 cheetahs hunting a deer is being widely shared on social media claiming that the visuals show Namibian cheetahs which were recently brought to India are killing an Indian deer. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of 3 cheetahs, which were brought to India recently from Namibia hunting an Indian deer.
Fact: This video was uploaded on YouTube on 17 August 2022. Video shows Kisaru, a mom cheetah and her cubs hunting a deer at Mara Ecosystem in Kenya. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE
We ran a reverse image search of the viral visuals and found that the same video was already uploaded by ‘Lemurt Wildlife tours’ YouTube channel on 17 August 2022. The title of the video says, “Kisaru one of the senior matriarch in the Mara ecosystem with her cubs killed an impala”.
However, cheetahs brought from Kenya to India were released into wild on 17 September 2022. We also found that the one of the cheetahs seen in the video is “Kisaru”, a mother of 6 cheetah cubs living in Mara ecosystem in Kenya. Reports about Kisaru can be seen here, here and here.
To sum it up, old visuals of cheetahs hunting a deer in Kenya are shared as newly brought Namibian cheetahs killing an Indian deer at Kuno national park
Published (20 September 2022):
In the context of the ‘Project Cheetah’, under which Prime Minister Narendra Modi released African Cheetahs into wild at Kuno National Park on 17 September 2022, several videos of big cats are being widely shared claiming them as the recent visuals of these cheetahs that were brought to India from Namibia. Let’s fact-check the claims made in each of these posts.
Video 1:
A video of a cheetah meowing is being widely shared claiming it as recent visuals of a cheetah brought to India under “Project Cheetah”. Let’s verify the claim made in the post
Claim: Visuals of a Cheetah meowing, that was brought to India from Namibia on 17 September 2022 under “Project Cheetah”
Fact: The Original video was first uploaded on Tiktok on 25 November 2021 by ‘The wild cat sanctuary’ located in Minnesota, USA. This video shows two 11-year-old cheetah brothers Kitu and Lavani brought from a zoo. Video doesn’t show the cheetahs brought to India. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE
We ran a reverse image search using the keyframes extracted from the viral video and found that the extended version of the same video was uploaded on Reddit on 26 November 2021. The extended version shows two cheetahs with the title “A bond between two brothers, kitu and Lavani”
Also, the watermark on the video shows it’s a TikTok video from the user “@Wildcatsanctuary”. Taking a cue from this, we then searched on Tiktok and found the original video posted by “The Wildcat sanctuary” on 25 November 2021.
The description reads, “Nothing encapsulates ‘thankfulness’ quite like kitu and Lavani’s sweet relationship”. According their  Website, Wildcat Sanctuary is a non-profit sanctuary located in Minnesota, USA. They provide a natural sanctuary to wild cats in need. The website also states that the two 11-year-old brothers kitu and Lavani were brought to their sanctuary in April 2021 from a Zoo. More about these cheetah’s can be seen here, here and here.
To sum it up, old videos of a cheetah in an American sanctuary are being shared as recent visuals of Indian cheetah brought from Namibia.
Video 2:
Another video of a big cat attacking a cow on the roadside is being shared that the wild animal seen in the video is the Cheetah that was recently brought to India. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of a newly re-introduced cheetah in India under ‘Project Cheetah’ attacking a cow.
Fact:  The animal attacking the cow is not cheetah, but a leopard. The rose-shaped spots seen on the big cat confirms it as Leopard. Cheetah’s have round or oval shaped spots. This video, recorded in August 2022, shows a leopard killing a cow near Ranikhet, Uttarakhand. Also, newly brought cheetah’s under ‘Project cheetah’ will be released in a specially designed enclosure where they will live for a month. Moreover, cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE
By looking at the spots of the big cat in the video, one can conclude that it is a leopard as leopards have rose-shaped spots called Rosettes, while cheetahs bear round and oval shaped spots on their bodies. More about how to identify cheetah, leopard and jaguar can be read here.
Also, according to ‘The Hindu’, newly brought cheetah’s will be released in a specially designed enclosure where they will live for a month. Also, the cheetahs are radio-collared, and their movements will be tracked by a dedicated tracking team. Also, according to the PIB press release, cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952.
Further research revealed that the incident of the leopard attacking the cow took place in August, 2022 near Ranikhet, Uttarakhand.
To sum it up, an old video of a leopard killing a cow is falsely shared as newly brought cheetah under ‘Project cheetah’ hunting a cow
Video 3:
Another video of a big cat attacking a cyclist is being shared with the claim that the big cat in the video is one of the three cheetahs that was released by Modi on 17 September 2022. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of a Cheetah released by PM Modi on 17 september 2022 under ‘Project Cheetah’, attacking a cyclist.
Fact: This video shows a leopard attacking a cyclist near Kaziranga National Park, Assam on 19 January 2022. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We ran a reverse image search and found that the same video was uploaded by ETV Bharat, ANI on their YouTube channels on 15 June 2022. The Independent also reported this incident 3 months ago.
According to these reports, the incident took place at Haldibari Animal Corridor near Kaziranga National Park, Assam on 19 January 2022. A leopard attacked a cyclist and knocked him off the cycle, but the leopard quickly disappeared back into the greenery. The man did not suffer any major injury in the attack.
To sum it up, an old video of a leopard attacking a cyclist in Assam is shared as that of attack made by cheetah released by Modi.

created: October 12, 2022


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Old & unrelated videos falsely shared in the context of Ayodhya Ram Temple foundation stone laying ceremony - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 4, 2020
A couple of videos are being shared widely on social media with a claim that they show decorations made for the foundation stone laying ceremony of Ram Temple at Ayodhya on 05 August 2020. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Videos showing decorations made for the Ayodhya Ram Temple foundation stone laying ceremony.
Fact: While it is true that Ayodhya is being beautified for the upcoming event, the posted videos are old. They are also not related to Ayodhya. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Video 1: (archived)
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image, the same video was found to be on the internet at least from February 2020. Also, a YouTube user has posted a video with similar visuals in January 2020 with the title – ‘Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Jiyaguda, Hyderabad’.
So, when searched with the keywords, it was found that the decoration was made for ‘Vaikunta Ekadasi 2020’ at a temple in Hyderabad. The related news report can be found here. Other videos related to the decoration and the event can be watched here and here. So, the video is not related to Ayodhya.
Video 2: (archived)
The same video was found to be uploaded on YouTube in April 2019 with the title – ‘LASER LIGHT SHOW||RAMNAVAMI||2019’. Also, a similar laser show video with the same surroundings was posted by a user in April 2019. When asked about the video by a user, the uploader has replied that the video was taken during a Ram Navami rally at Shahada in Maharashtra.
So, when searched with keywords, a video with the same visuals was found to be uploaded by a Marathi local channel as a video related to Ram Navami rally in Shahada (Maharashtra). So, this video is also old and not related to Ayodhya
While both the posted videos are not related to Ayodhya, the recent video related to Ayodhya can be watched here.  ‘ANI’ has reported that several parts of Ayodhya were illuminated ahead of foundation stone laying ceremony of Ram Temple on 05 August 2020.
#WATCH Several parts of Ayodhya illuminated, ahead of foundation stone laying ceremony of Ram Temple.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Ram Temple on 5th August. pic.twitter.com/G8eHNSj2NX
To sum it up, old & unrelated videos are falsely shared in the context of Ayodhya Ram Temple foundation stone laying ceremony.
Did you watch our new video?

created: August 4, 2020


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Old unrelated videos of Indian cricket players shared as recent ones following India’s loss to England in T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 11, 2022
Following India’s defeat in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Semi-final on 10 November 2022, several videos of Indian players are being widely shared with a claim that the players are apologizing for their bad performance against England in Semi-finals. Let’s verify the claim made in each case.
Claim: Videos of Indian cricket players after India lost to England in the semi-final match of T20 World Cup 2022 held on 10 November 2022.
Fact: These videos are old and are unrelated to this match. Kohli’s emotional video is from May 2018 regarding RCB’s bad performance in IPL 2018. Rohit Sharma’s video is from April 2021. Kohli’s retirement video is nothing but a normal press conference on 05 September 2022 after India’s loss to Pakistan in Asia Cup 2022 and Surya Kumar Yadav’s clip is a random gesture extracted from the Instagram live with fellow teammates uploaded in July 2022. Dhoni’s statement is from 2019. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING
Virat Kohli’s emotional message
A video of Indian batsman Virat Kohli is being widely shared as his emotional message to fans after team India was knocked out of T20 World Cup 2022. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Reverse Image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral video led us to the original video posted on Kohli’s official twitter account on 24 May 2018. Accompanying description of the video is shared with hashtags like @RCBTweets, #RCB, #IPL2018. Further, in this video, he addressed RCB fans and apologized for the team’s bad performance in IPL 2018.
I really believe in the concept of, "you either win or you learn". We fought hard and gave it our all but one thing is for sure, next season we definitely will bounce back stronger than ever with our learnings from this season.
Take care. @RCBTweets #RCB #IPL2018 pic.twitter.com/b0QM9chRAN
Rohit Sharma’s emotional message
A video of Indian captain Rohit sharma is being widely shared as his emotional message to fans after team India knocked out of T20 World Cup 2022. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Reverse Image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral video led us to the original video shared on Rohit Sharma’s official Facebook page on 30 April 2021. The description of the video says, “Thank you guys for your kind wishes. Let’s win this one for India together”. In this video, he can be seen thanking people who wished him on his birthday (30 April) and appealed to follow the COVID-19 guidelines.
Kohli’s & Rohit Sharma’s retirement announcement?
Another video of Virat Kohli is being shared claiming it as his retirement announcement at a press meet. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
An internet search with the relevant keywords led us to the original video posted by ‘PTV analysis’ on 06 September 2022. The title of the video says, “Virat Kohli Press Conference, Asia cup 2022”. In this video, Kohli talks to media after Team India lost to Pakistan in Asia Cup 2022. ANI’s Video of this press meet (05 September 2022) can be seen here.
Another video is being shared claiming Indian captain Rohit Sharma announced his retirement after the loss to England. However, this video is from the pre-match press conference before the semi-finals with England and has no announcement about his retirement.
Surya Kumar Yadav crying
Video of Indian batsman SuryaKumar Yadav is being shared claiming that it shows him crying after the match. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Reverse Image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral video led us to the full length video uploaded by ‘POST CRIC-CLASSICS’ YouTube channel on 26 July 2022 with the title “ Rishabh pant, Rohit sharma, Surya Kumar Yadav, chahal || Instagram Live”. In this video, Surya Kumar can be seen talking to fellow Indian players. A random gesture made by surya during this talk is falsely shared as him crying after the match.
Dhoni’s heart-breaking statement
Video of former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni is being shared as his heart-breaking statement after the match. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Internet search with the relevant keywords led us to Indian express article featuring the same video published on 07 august 2019. The said video was uploaded on YouTube on 12 July 2019 with the title, “MS Dhoni Motivational speech”. In this video Dhoni can be seen advising the viewers to focus on the process rather than the result.
According to Economic Times, Rohit Sharma was seen in tears after the humiliating loss while coach Rahul Dravid consoled him. However, Several Indian players, including Kohli, Surya Kumar Yadav , Hardik Pandya, etc., took to social media to express their despair over the loss and thanked fans for their support throughout the tournament.
We leave Australian shores short of achieving our dream and with disappointment in our hearts but we can take back a lot of memorable moments as a group and aim to get better from here on. pic.twitter.com/l5NHYMZXPA
To sum it up, old and unrelated videos of Indian cricket players are shared as recent videos following India’s defeat against England in semi-finals of T20 World Cup 2022.
Update (14 November 2022):
A video is being shared claiming that former Indian cricket captain Dhoni has burst into tears after the match and out of anger, he revealed 5 reasons for India’s poor performance. Let’ verify the claim made in the post.
We have gone through all the social media profiles of MS Dhoni, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, but couldn’t find any statements by him regarding the semi-final match. Also, there were no media reports about Dhoni bursting into tears and analysing the performance of team India. However, according to Zee News, #Dhoni was trending after the match as fans remember recalled the team India’s achievement under his captaincy.

created: November 11, 2022


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Old & unrelated videos shared as a recent incident of Muslim attack on railway properties in West Bengal - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 28, 2022
A set of social media posts accompanying videos of a mob vandalising buildings, trains, and railway tracks are being widely circulated with a claim that the visuals show Muslims vandalising these properties in Murshidabad, West Bengal as the sound of the train whistle is disturbing their prayers. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of Muslims vandalising public properties in Murshidabad, West Bengal.
Fact: Couple of these visuals are old and do not show any recent incident. These videos were shared back in 2019 as protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).  One of these videos is related to a recent incident of fight between students of two colleges in Chennai. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Video 1:
Upon careful observation, we can spot ‘Naopara Mahishasur’ written on a wall. Taking a cue from this, a Facebook search with relevant keywords yielded a lengthier version of the same video. This video was posted in December 2019 and the post claims that the visuals show Noapara Mahisashur Railway Station.
Few other visuals related to mob vandalizing the same station can be seen here, here & here. We could not independently verify the time and context related to the video. However, there are reports of protesters vandalising Noapara Mahisashur Railway Station during the anti CAA protests. Also, there are reports of protesters vandalising multiple railway stations in Bengal during these protests (here, here & here)
Video 2:
These visuals are related to a fight that broke out between students of two different colleges in Tamil Nādu. Google search with relevant keywords yielded multiple news reports that reported these visuals (here, here & here). As per these reports, the visuals show the fight between students of Chennai Pachaiyappa College students & Presidency college. Multiple news articles also reported these visuals as a students fight in Chennai.
Further, there are reports of students from these two colleges fighting previously on several occasions. News reports related to these incidents can be read here & here.
Video 3:
These are old visuals and are available on the internet from at least 2019. A local news report shared the same video with the title ‘The railway line was removed at Naopara Mahishasur station’.
Although we could not independently the location and context related to the visuals, the presence of the visuals on the internet proves that these visuals do not show any recent incident.
To sum it up, old & unrelated videos are being shared as a recent incident of Muslim attack on railway properties in West Bengal.


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Old & Unrelated visuals are being attributed to the recent bus accident in Uttarakhand - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 7, 2022
In light of the recent bus accident in Uttarakhand, in which 25 pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh were reportedly dead, a social media post accompanying a set of images attributing them to the recent accident in Uttarakhand is being widely circulated. Through this article let’s fact-check the veracity of the claim made in the post.
Claim: Images related to recent bus accident in Uttarakhand.
Fact: These images are not related to the recent bus accident in Uttarakhand, wherein 25 pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh are reportedly dead. While a couple of these images are related to an accident that happened in Uttarakhand in 2018, one image is related to an accident that happened in Himachal Pradesh earlier this year. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On 05 June 2022, a bus carrying pilgrims from Madhya Pradesh fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi leading to the death of 25 persons. Several News agencies have reported the visuals of this accident. However, the viral visuals shared in the post are not related to this incident.
Image 1:
Reverse image search if the photo led us to a news article which published the same image. The news article dates back to February 2022 and as per the article, the image is related to a bus accident that took place in Himachal Pradesh.
A Himachal state corporation bus fell into a gorge in Shimla district. All the passengers are safe and there were no reported deaths. Other news articles that reported the incident can be read here and here.
Image 2:
This image is related to an old incident of bus accident that happened in Uttarakhand. Reverse image search of this photo yielded few news articles that reported the same image. As per these reports, the image is related to a 2018 accident wherein a bus fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal district.
Few other news article that reported the incident and shared the images can be read here and here.
Image 3:
Even this image is related to an accident that happened in Uttarakhand in 2018. Reverse image search of the photo yielded multiple news reports that published the same image. As per these articles, the image is related to an accident, wherein a minibus fell into a gorge in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district.
Another news article that reported the same image as related to an accident in 2018 can be read here.
Thus, from the above explanation it is evident that the viral images are not related to the recent accident. Several news agencies have reported the visuals of the recent accident which can be viewed here and here.
To sum it up, old & unrelated visuals are being shared attributing them to the recent bus accident in Uttarakhand.