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This purported ‘Zee News’ video clip reporting arrest of PM Modi in a pornography case is doctored & fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 3, 2022
A purported video clip of the ‘Zee News’ channel is being shared on social media claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch police for allegedly making obscene or pornographic films. This video shows former ‘Zee News’ journalist Sudhir Chaudhary reporting the arrest of Narendra Modi in a pornography case. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘Zee News’ video clip showing Sudhir Chaudhary reporting the arrest of Narendra Modi in a pornography case.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a doctored one. This video was created by editing a ‘Zee News’ report related to the arrest of Mumbai businessman Raj Kundra. Raj Kundra was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch Police in July 2021 for allegedly producing pornographic films. This video was created by a meme-creating page named ‘sonu_shitposting’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was never arrested in a pornography case. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi was arrested in any pornography case as stated in the video, we could not find any such reports.
On observing the video carefully, one could see the ‘sonu_shitposting’ watermark at the bottom left of the video. On searching for the details of the video using these keywords, we found the same video posted on the ‘sonu_shitposting’ Instagram page on 13 October 2021. ‘sonu_shitposting’ described itself as a backup page for the ‘@sonusood_meme_service’ Instagram page. ‘@sonusood_meme_service’ published several similar memes and satirical videos on their Instagram page.
When we searched for further sources, we found that the video shared in the post was created by editing a video published by ‘Zee News’ related to the arrest of Mumbai Businessman Raj Kundra. Raj Kundra was arrested by the Mumbai Crime Branch Police in July 2021 for allegedly producing pornographic films.  Reporting the arrest of Raj Kundra in a pornography case, from 2:51 minutes of the video, Sudhir Chaudhary said, “kal raath mumbai police ke crime branch ne raj kundra ko ashleel filme banane ke aarop me giraphtar kiya” (when translated from Hindi to English: “Yesterday ,Mumbai Crime Branch Police arrested Raj Kundra on the allegations of producing pornographic films”). This video was created by editing the audio of the original ‘Zee News’ video related to the arrest of Raj Kundra.
To sum it up, this purported ‘Zee News’ video clip reporting the arrest of Narendra Modi in a pornography case is a doctored one & fake.

created: October 3, 2022


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This quote endorsing the King’s honesty in the face of united opposition is misattributed to Chanakya - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 26, 2023
A social media post attributing a quote to ancient Indian scholar Chanakya (also known as Kautilya) is being widely shared across social media platforms. The Hindi quote attributed to Chanakya loosely translates to “when the entire opposition unites, then understand that the king of the country is honest”. Through this article, let’s fact-check the authenticity of the quote attributed to Chanakya.
Claim: “When the entire opposition unites, then understand that the king of the country is honest”- Chanakya
Fact: The viral quote is being shared against the backdrop of opposition parties boycotting the inauguration of the new Parliament building. However, the viral quote is misattributed to Chanakya. There are no authentic sources or references attributing the quote to Chanakya. Moreover, in Arthashastra, Chanakya proposed alliances and the concept of joining forces with the enemies of one’s opponents. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Opposing the decision of Prime Minister Modi to inaugurate the new Parliament building instead of the President, nineteen opposition parties announced their decision to boycott the inauguration of the new building earlier this week. Most likely it is in this context, the alleged Chanakya’s quote is being shared, referring to the unity of opposition parties in boycotting the inauguration.
While Chanakya provided numerous insights on politics, governance, and statecraft, the specific quote mentioned in the viral post did not find mention in any of his literary works. An internet search also did not yield any authentic sources or references attributing the quote to Chanakya.
In Arthashastra, Chanakya addresses strategies to handle a united opposition, however, he refrains from endorsing the King’s honesty in the face of the united opposition.
On the other hand, Chanakya did propose alliances and the concept of joining forces with the enemies of one’s opponents. Reflecting the idea that if you have a common adversary with someone, it can be advantageous to align with them temporarily to achieve a common goal. This contradicts the negative depiction of coming together against a shared adversary.
All these establish that the viral quote is misattributed to Chanakya and is being shared against the backdrop of the current political scenario.
To sum up, this quote endorsing the King’s honesty in the face of united opposition is misattributed to Chanakya.

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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This registration link alluring free smartphones in the name of a government scheme is a fraudulent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 20, 2022
A registration link is being shared on social media claiming that the Government of India has introduced a new application portal for providing free smartphones to financially backward students. This post claims that in addition to the ongoing Students Laptop scheme, GOI introduced the student smartphone scheme 2022. Sharing the link, this post asks students to enrol on the application portal so that they can get free smartphones being provided by the government. The same registration link was sent to our WhatsApp Tipline (+91 92470 52470) number recently making a similar claim. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: GOI introduced a new application portal for providing free smartphones to financially backward students.
Facts: The registration link shared in the post is a fraudulent one. The link redirects the user to a blog and asks for personal details. It also asks the user to share the message until the blue bar provided below in the portal gets filled. Previously, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) debunked many such fake blogs offering smartphones, laptops, and scholarships. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On clicking the link given in the post, it redirects the user to a blog-“ https://smartph0nes-for-students22.scholarshub.online/”. If the government is providing free smartphones, it does the registration through an official portal, not through a blog. Upon filling the details in the first registration form, it redirects again to a different page asking to fill up many more personal details like phone number, home address, and date of birth. Finally, after filling up this form, it redirects to the final page, where the user is asked to share the registration link with their friends until the blue bar provided below the page gets filled. No government initiative or scheme asks people to share a link on WhatsApp to complete the registration. It is a fraudulent website.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has previously debunked the claim when a similar website link went viral in March 2020. Also, recently, the PIB debunked the claim when an advertisement allegedly from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs claimed that, under COVID-19 Online Education Purpose, students from 8th class to PUC 1 will be given laptops at ₹3,500.
#FraudAlert
A Message with a website link is circulating on Social media claiming that the Govt. is offering free laptops for youth & to click on the provided link to book it. #PIBFactCheck: The circulated link is a Spoof website to trick users perpetrated in the name of Govt. pic.twitter.com/lU10VUcoXO
In August 2021, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has promised to provide free smartphones or tablets to the one-crore youth in the state. The Uttar Pradesh government launched the ‘Free Smartphone Yojana’ in December 2021 and asked students to register in the ‘Digi Shakthi’ portal for getting free smartphones. Yogi Adityanath’s government was distributing these smartphones to the students in the state saying these phones are being linked with the GOI schemes like PM Mudra, PM Yuva Swarozgar, and others.
To sum it up, this registration link alluring free smartphones in the name of a government scheme is a fraudulent one.


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This road full of potholes is from Madhya Pradesh, not Uttar Pradesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 27, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as the pathetic condition of roads in Yogi Adityanath ruled Uttar Pradesh. This photo shows the visuals of a road full of potholes. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing the visual of a road with potholes in Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows the condition of the Ujjain-Agra-Kota national highway in Madhya Pradesh. This photo was shot near the Ghosla bus stand in the Ujjain district. This photo has nothing to do with the Uttar Pradesh. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in the ‘Dainik Bhaskar’ Facebook post published on 18 August 2021. They reported it as the visuals of potholes on the Ujjain- Agra-Kota National Highway in Madhya Pradesh. The National Indian Youth Congress (IYC) President Srinivas BV tweeted the same photo with a similar description on  18 August 2021.
Reporting the complete details of the photo, the ‘Dainik Bhaskar’ news website had published an article. This photo was reportedly shot near the Ghosla bus stand in Ujjain district, Madhya Pradesh. According to the article, the 52 km road from Ujjain to Tanodiya was filled with around 427 small and big potholes. Reporting the situation of potholes on the Ujjain- Agra-Kota highway, the ‘Naiduniya’ news website published an article on 20 August 2021.
Recently, several news websites published articles reporting the potholes situation in the Uttar Pradesh state. They can be seen here and here. But the photo shared in the post shows the potholes in Madhya Pradesh, not from Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier, when a potholed road in Bihar was shared as the visuals of the pathetic road condition in Uttar Pradesh, FACTLY published a fact-check article. It can be seen here.
To sum it up, this road with potholes is from Madhya Pradesh, not from the Uttar Pradesh state.


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This rock carving doesn’t depict Lord Rama and Hanuman; It shows Mesopotamian ruler Tardunni - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 19, 2023
An image of a rock carving is being widely shared on social media claiming it depicts images of Lord Rama and Hanuman carved in Iraq 6000 year ago. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: 6000-year-old rock carving of Lord Ram and Hanuman found in Iraq.
Fact: This rock carving doesn’t show Lord Rama and Hanuman. Though this site is in Iraq, according to archaeologists, the carving depicts the armed Mesopotamian ruler Tardunni who lived there 4000 years ago, and the images of people kneeled before Tardunni show the defeated Hurrian soldiers. Further, there is no archaeological evidence to prove that these carvings depict Lord Rama and Hanuman. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search of the viral image led us to a 2015 article written by Osama S. M. Amin, an Iraqi neurologist and historian, on etc.worldhistory.org website. As per the article, the carving seen in the viral post is called ‘Relief of Tardunni” or “Belula Pass Rock Relief”. It is located near the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq. Based on the Akkadian inscriptions, this rock relief depicts the armed ruler/king Tardunni(Lisir Pirini), son of Ikki(Ikkid Samad), who lived in this region some 4000 years ago.
Archaeologists suggest that the images of people kneeled before Tardunni show the defeated Hurrian soldiers. YouTube video of this rock relief uploaded by Osama S. M. Amin can be seen here. There is no archaeological evidence to prove that these carvings depict Lord Rama and Hanuman.
To sum it up, unrelated images of rock reliefs belonging to Mesopotamian civilization are falsely linked to Lord Rama and Hanuman.

created: January 19, 2023


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This Rubik cube mosaic of Sai Baba shown in the video was not listed in the Guinness Book of World Records - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 28, 2023
A video of a girl depicting a Rubik’s cube mosaic of Sai Baba is being shared on social media claiming that she was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the act. The post claims that the girl had created this Sai Baba mosaic at the Shri Sai Spiritual Centre in Tyagaraj Nagar in Bangalore. Many users shared the same video in 2021, mentioning the girl’s name as Aruna Sairam. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of the girl who was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for depicting the Rubik’s cube mosaic of Sai Baba.
Fact: The Rubik’s cube mosaic of Sai Baba shown in the video is not listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. There is no record listed with the name Aruna Sairam on the Guinness Book of World Records website. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Many YouTube channels and Facebook pages posted the same video in 2021 stating that 15 years old Aruna Sairam entered the Guinness Book of World Record for creating the Sri Saibaba image with Rubic Cubes. Those old social media posts can be seen here and here. When we searched to check whether any girl had achieved a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for depicting the Rubik’s cube mosaic of Sai Baba, we could not find any such record on the official website or social media handles of the Guinness Book of World Records. Various records achieved in the category of Rubik’s cubes can be seen here.
There is no record with the name Aruna Sairam listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. A rotating puzzle cube mosaic depicting the portrait of Prince Harry had achieved a place in the Guinness Book of World Records in the category of “Most contributions to a rotating puzzle cube mosaic”. Different mosaic records listed in the Guinness Book of World Records can be seen here.
A 15-year-old Tamil Nadu kid Shanat Dheepak Ram achieved a place in the Magic Book of Record for designing more than 20 portraits using a minimum of 500 Rubik’s cubes to a maximum of 750 Rubik’s cubes. The portraits include Gods and Goddesses like Sai Baba, Ganesha, Jesus Christ, Andal and others. There are many achievements in other International World Records including the smallest portrait rangoli of Sai Baba and creating Sai Baba Rangoli Portrait on 40,000 square area. But there is no record of the Rubik’s cube mosaic of Sai Baba included in the Guinness Book of World Records.
To sum it up, this Rubik’s cube mosaic of Sai Baba shown in the video was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.


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This Saraswati idol was accidentally damaged a couple of years ago, not now - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 9, 2020
A post with the image of a damaged idol of Goddess Saraswati is being widely shared on social media with the claim that the vandalization took place recently in Narasaraopet, Andhra Pradesh. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of Goddess Saraswati which is recently vandalized in Narasaraopet, Andhra Pradesh.
Fact: Guntur police enquiry revealed that the idol was accidentally damaged a couple of years ago when the college administration demolished the building in which the idol was present. Guntur police through a press note and Guntur SP through a press meet confirmed the same. The damage was not done recently.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Google search with relevant keywords led us to a tweet by Guntur Rural Police through which they cleared the air surrounding the damage of the idol. In the tweet, they shared a video of the owner of the land in which the idol is located. In the video, the owner can be heard saying that the land premises was leased to Krishnaveni college and the idol was accidentally damaged a couple of years ago when the college administration demolished the building. Also, the owner of the land ruled out the news of the idol being damaged in recent times.
𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬….
ఉదయం నరసరావు పేట లో సరస్వతీ దేవీ విగ్రహము ను ధ్వంసం చేస్తున్నట్లు వచ్చిన న్యూస్ పూర్తిగా సత్యదూరం, కావాలని దుష్ప్రచారం చేస్తున్నారని, ఆ విగ్రహం ధ్వంసం గురించి ఆ స్థల యజమాని యొక్క వివరణ. @APPOLICE100 @IPR_AP @OpIndia_com pic.twitter.com/5EOVytp7qa
In a press release regarding the issue, Guntur police stated that the Principal and lecturers of the Krishnaveni college have admitted that the idol was damaged four years ago and has been lying there since then.
As the images of the damaged idol went viral on social media, Guntur Rural SP addressed a press meet in which he categorically stated that the idol is not damaged recently. In another press meet, Guntur police confirmed the same. News articles which reported this can be read here and here.
When FACTLY reached out to Narasaraopet one town police station regarding a clarification, they have also confirmed the same.
In the wake of the Antarvedi temple chariot being burnt to ashes and the series of events which unfolded following the incident, posts like the one in the post are being shared on social media with misleading claims.
To sum it up, Saraswati idol accidentally damaged a couple of years ago is shared as the one being intentionally vandalized recently.

created: October 9, 2020


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This screengrab of Zee News bulletin saying Putin called PM Modi his childhood friend is morphed - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 2, 2022
Amidst the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, a screengrab of Zee News that quotes Russian President Vladimir Putin referring to PM Modi as his childhood friend, is being widely shared on social media. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of a screengrab of Zee News saying Putin called Modi his childhood friend.
Fact: There is no evidence to show that Zee News had reported that Vladimir Putin referred to PM Narendra Modi his childhood friend. The image of the screengrab is altered as there were couple of inconsistencies in the Hindi words used. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We could not find any news reports from Zee News which say that Vladimir Putin had referred to PM Narendra Modi as his childhood friend. We could not find any credible news reports which say that Putin had called Modi his childhood friend. Such a report was not published by Zee News in YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter.
When the image in the post is carefully looked at, the Hindi words used in the image have been spelled incorrectly. The words PM (पीएम) and Ukraine (यूक्रेन) have been spelled wrongly as पिएम and युक्रेन. There are even inconsistencies in the written text. It was written as ‘पिएम’ in the main headline, whereas it was written as ‘पीएम’ in the scrolling below. Zee News used consistent language when it reported on Modi’s phone call with Putin on the Ukraine issue. And there was no mention of Putin calling PM Modi as his childhood friend.
Amidst the Russia-Ukraine crisis, India has mostly remained neutral. India has maintained best of relations with the countries concerned and it has been in favour of diplomatic dialogue as the only way forward. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately after Russia’s military operations on Ukraine and appealed for an ‘immediate cessation of Violence’.
To sum it up, morphed image is shared as Zee News report stating that Putin referred to PM Modi as his childhood friend.


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This screenshot of a ‘BBC News’ article linking the Black Fungus infections to cow urine is a morphed one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 27, 2021
A screenshot of an article purportedly published by the ‘BBC News’ is being shared on social media with a claim that Indian scientists have discovered 9,000 rare black fungus infections in persons who drink cow urine every day. The purported ‘BBC News’ article was published with a title, ‘Black Fungus: Indian Scientists find link with cow urine 9,000 cases of rare infection’. A few other users shared a clear image of this article on their social media handles. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Screenshot of the ‘BBC News’ article linking the black fungus infection with cow urine.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is a morphed one. BBC did not publish any news article linking the Black fungus infections to cow urine. The difference in alignment and grammatical errors in the screenshot confirms that it is a morphed picture. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether BBC had published such an article on their website, we could not find any such article linking the Black fungus infections to cow urine on the ‘BBC News’ website. On searching for the Black fungus related articles on the ‘BBC News’ website, we found several news articles about the increasing number of black fungus cases in India. One such article was published with the title, ‘Black Fungus: India reports nearly 9,000 cases of rare infection’. This article was also written by Soutik Biswas, the man who was mentioned as the author in the screenshot of the alleged article.
On comparing the article shared in the post with the actual published on the ‘BBC News’ website, we could observe differences in alignment in both the articles. The line dividing the article and headline in the screenshot article is much darker when compared with the normal article published on the ‘BBC News’ website. Also, the grammatical errors in the screenshot confirm that it as a morphed picture.
On 09 May 2021, BBC had published an article explaining the causes of Mucormycosis, the Black fungus infection.  In the article, Mucormycosis was mentioned as a very rare infection that is caused by exposure to mucor mold. This article mentioned that mucor mold was commonly found in soil, plants, manure, decaying fruits, and vegetables. The black fungus infection reportedly affects the sinuses, the brain, and the lungs and can be life-threatening in diabetic or severely immunocompromised individuals, such as cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS. This article has never mentioned the effects of cow urine in spreading the black fungus infection.
When this morphed article went viral on social media, Soutik Biswas, the BBC Correspondent had responded through his Twitter handle. Soutik Biswas shared the fact-check article published by ‘Boom Live’ on his Twitter handle. In the fact-check article published by ‘Boom Live’, it is clearly stated that BBC had not published any news article by linking the Black fungus infection to cow urine. FACTLY has also mailed to ‘BBC News’ for clarification regarding this viral screenshot. This article will be updated once we get a response from the ‘BBC News’.
https://t.co/MYwiPTWNqq
To sum it up, ‘BBC News’ did not publish an article linking the Black Fungus infections with cow urine.


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This screenshot showing Rana Ayyub's tweet about Pranab Mukherjee’s death is digitally created - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 1, 2020
A photo of a tweet purportedly made by Rana Ayyub, a journalist, on Afzal Guru and the death of former President Pranab Mukherjee is being shared widely on social media. In the tweet, it is written that Afzal Guru will be at peace as the man (Pranab Mukherjee) who rejected his mercy petition is dead. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Rana Ayyub’s tweet saying Afzal Guru will be at peace as Pranab Mukherjee has died.
Fact: The tweet in the photo is digitally created. There are many differences in the posted tweet and how an actual tweet looks on the Twitter platform.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we looked for the tweet on Rana Ayyub’s official Twitter account, no such tweet was found. Also, many differences were found between the posted tweet and how an actual tweet looks on the Twitter platform. The alignment is wrong, Pranab’s photo comes out of the designated area and there is no date/time. So, it can be concluded that the tweet in the photo is digitally created.
Also, replying to a similar post, Rana Ayyub has clarified that it is a ‘fake, photoshopped tweet’. Her clarification can be found here and here.
This woman quoting a fake, photoshopped tweet to attack me is followed by Modi on social media @TwitterIndia https://t.co/vT7QqAcwcJ
To sum it up, the screenshot of Rana Ayyub’s tweet saying Afzal Guru will be at peace as Pranab Mukherjee has died is digitally created.
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created: September 1, 2020


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This Shiva Lingam decorated with diamonds is from Murugan temple in Sivakasi, not Ekambaranathar temple in Kanchipuram - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 10, 2021
A video is being shared on social media claiming that it shows the visuals of a diamond decorated Shiva Lingam at Ekambaranathar temple in Kanchipuram. Let’s verify the claims made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of Ekambaranathar temple Shiva lingam decorated with 1,00,008 diamonds.
Fact: This video shows an old event that took place at Murugan temple in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. In 2018, celebrating the occasion of Pradosham, diamond Kavacham (armour) was decorated on the Shiva Lingam at Murugan temple in Sivakasi. This Shiva lingam is not part of the Ekambaranathar temple in Tamil Nadu. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots shared in the video, similar visuals were found in the old videos published on social media. Most of these videos were published in August 2018. They can be seen here and here. These social media users mentioned them as visuals of Diamond Kavacham (Armour) on the Shiva Lingam at Murugan Temple in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. Reporting the same, the ‘Sri Sri Rashasthali’ YouTube channel had shared the same video on 24 August 2018.
When we searched for more information using these keywords, a video with similar visuals was found on the ‘News 18 Telugu’ news website, published on 22 September 2018. This article reported that it shows the Diamond armoured Shiva Lingam visuals from Murugan temple in Sivakasi. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post shows the old Pradosham day celebrations at the Sivakasi Murugan temple.
To sum it up, this Shiva Lingam decorated with diamonds is from Murugan temple in Sivakasi, not Ekambaranathar temple in Kanchipuram.


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This short film named 'Sorry' did not win an Oscar award - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 28, 2023
A social media post accompanied by a video claims that it is a short film titled – Sorry, which allegedly won an Oscar award. Let’s check the accuracy of this claim through this article.
Claim: A short film titled ‘Sorry’ won an Oscar award.
Fact: No, this short film directed by Saunak Mitra did not win an Oscar Award. Till now, no Indian film has won an Academy Award (Oscar) in the Best live action short film category. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
A basic keyword search on the Internet revealed that this short film is actually a part of 10 short stories (‘The Complete Life’ is the film’s name) directed by Saunak Mitra and is available on YouTube.
To find out whether the short film ‘Sorry’ won an academy award, we checked the official academy awards database available on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ website. But, ‘Sorry’ is not listed as a winner or nominee.
Except for ‘The Elephant Wisperes’, which won an academy award for Best Documentary Short in 2023, no other Indian short films have won an Academy Award (animated, live action, or documentary).
To sum up, this short film titled ‘Sorry’ did not win an Oscar award.


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This speech of Narendra Modi ruling out the privatisation of Indian Railways was made after he became the Prime Minister - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 9, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as old visuals of how Narendra Modi had ruled out the privatisation of Indian Railways before he became the Prime Minister of the country. In the video, Narendra Modi proclaims Railways as an integral part of his life and said he won’t let Railways get privatised till his last breath. This post claims Narendra Modi had made these comments during the previous Congress government in the country. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Narendra Modi’s statement about privatisation of Indian Railways before he became the Prime Minister of the country.
Fact: Narendra Modi made these comments in December 2014, after he became the Prime Minister of the country. On 25 December 2014, while addressing a rally in Varanasi, Narendra Modi ruled out the rumours of privatisation of Railways and said that people must not be wary of foreign and private capital that is being just utilised for improving the infrastructure of the Indian Railways. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched for the credible details of the video using relevant keywords, we found the same video published on the ‘NDTV’ news YouTube channel on 25 September 2014. ‘NDTV’ reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a rally in Varanasi had ruled out the privatisation of Railways. A few other news channels have also published the same visuals with a similar description. They can be seen here and here.
Reporting the complete details of Narendra Modi’s speech at the Varanasi rally, several news websites published articles in December 2015. They can be seen here and here. According to the reports, Narendra Modi said, “There is a misunderstanding that Railways is being privatised. However, I want to make it clear that we are not privatising Railways. We cannot go in this direction. You don’t have to worry. It is neither our wish nor thinking”. Narendra Modi had ruled out the rumours of privatisation of Railways and said that people must not be wary of foreign and private capital that is being just utilised for improving the infrastructure of the Indian Railways.
In 2020, the Narendra Modi government had made a first move to privatise Railways by inviting private players to run 151 trains. Lately, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw reiterated in Lok Sabha that the Centre has no policy to privatise the national transporter but, emphasised the need for the sector to accept the latest technology to meet the aspirations of the passengers, especially in terms of safety and comfort. Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the technology should be indigenous like the contribution of Integral Coach Factory (ICF) to Vande Bharat Express, and take the sector forward.
To sum it up, this speech of Narendra Modi ruling out the privatisation of Railways was made after he became the Prime Minister of the country.


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This story of a Catholic priest converting to Islam after being in coma for 17 months is fictional - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 18, 2022
A screenshot of a newspaper article is being shared on social media claiming that an 87-year-old Spanish Catholic priest living in Indonesia has converted to Islam after being in a coma for 17 months. The article reported that the priest after waking up from coma claimed that Allah had spoken to him and showed him the beauty of the heavens. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: News story about a Catholic priest who converted to Islam after being in coma for 17 months.
Fact: The story reported in the article originated from a satirical story published on the ‘World News Daily Report’ website. It is not a real incident. In the disclaimer section, the ‘World News Daily Report’ website described itself as a satirical website that publishes fictional content. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check the veracity of the story using relevant keywords, we found a tweet made by the ‘Utusan Online’ news website, related to this story of a Catholic priest who converted to Islam after being in a coma for 17 months. ‘Utusan Online’ through the tweet confirmed that the report of a priest embracing Islam after waking up from coma is a fake story. In the tweet, ‘Utusan Online’ shared a link to their clarification article related to this story. This article reported that the news report quoted from the ‘World News Daily Report’ website about a Catholic priest converting to Islam after 17 months of being in a coma is untrue.
When we searched for further details using these keywords, we found the original article published on the ‘World News Daily Report’ website. According to the article, the priest suffered a cardiac arrest while helping local volunteers fix the roof of his church and fell from an incredible two-storey building. This article reported that the priest had managed to survive and came out of his coma, in brittle shape, yet a changed man.
The ‘World News Daily Report’ provided a disclaimer in the ‘About us’ section of their website that states, “World News Daily Report assumes all responsibility for the satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content. All characters appearing in the articles in this website – even those based on real people – are entirely fictional and any resemblance between them and any person, living, dead or undead, is purely a miracle”. So, this implies that the story of a Catholic priest converting to Islam after waking up from a coma is also a satirical story.
In 2006, Victor Fenter, a Catholic Priest from the US has converted to Islam after being influenced by the 13-century Islamic scholar, poet, and Sufi mystic Mevlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi. Before converting to Islam, Fenter used to teach religion classes at US Universities for a decade. After learning about Rumi and Islam, Fenter was very much impressed with the stories, the Sufi dance and the spiritual atmospheres during the ceremonies and converted to Islam. He has also changed his name to Ismail and started living in Konya, Turkey. But the story shared in the post is fictional and was taken from the ‘World News Daily Report’ satirical website.
To sum it up, this story of a Catholic priest converting to Islam after being in coma for 17 months is a satirical one.


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This story of Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's involvement in the 1971-72 Thalassery communal riots, and Ajit Doval arresting him is FAKE - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 21, 2020
A post is widely shared on social media claiming that a goonda by the name Vijay Koran is the man behind the communal riots in Thalassery in Kerala (1971-1972) and that he is none other than current Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The post also states that he was threatened and put behind the bars by the young IPS Ajit Doval (the current National Security Advisor), who was posted as ASP, Kannur back then. Through this article, let’s verify the claims made in the post.
Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan (Goonda Vijan Koran) is the man behind the 1971-1972 Thalassery communal riots was put behind the bars by Ajit Doval.
Fact: Communal riots did break out in Thalassery, Kerala in 1971-1972. Also, Ajit Doval was sent there to bring the situation back to normalcy, but there is no evidence regarding Ajit Doval threatening ‘Gunda Vijayan Koran’. Also, Pinarayi Vijayan was already MLA during the time of riots, ‘Koran’ is his father’s name. Hence the claim made is FALSE.
When we searched for the information regarding the incident, we found that communal riots did break out Thalassery, Kerala during 1971-1972, and Ajit Doval was roped in to bring the situation back to normalcy. Various newspaper articles regarding this news can be seen here and here. Also, in a book written based on Kannur riots, Ajit Doval’s name was mentioned. But no evidence was found anywhere regarding the incident mentioned in the post.
In the post, it is mentioned that during that period when communal riots took place, Pinarayi Vijayan was a goonda, but we found that he was already elected as MLA from Kuthaparamba constituency where he won in the 1970 elections.
Also, in the post, it is said that Pinarayi Vijayan’s real name is ‘Vijayan Koran’, and after these riots, he changed his name to ‘Pinarayi Vijayan’. But the official records of 1970 general elections results of Kerala mention his name as Pinarayi Vijayan and not as Vijayan Koran as alleged in the post. According to Kerala Chief Minister’s official website and Pinarayi Vijayan’s election affidavit, his father’s name is ‘Koran’. So, the claim that he changed his name after 1970 is also not true.
Information available in the government records regarding the 1971-1972 communal riots in Thalassery, Kerala can be read here and here.
In a nutshell, this story of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan being involved in the 1971-72 Thalassery communal riots, and Ajit Doval arresting him is FAKE.
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This Tata Motors contest about winning a Tata Safari is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 7, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that Tata Motors is celebrating sales exceeding 30 million and that through a questionnaire you can get a chance to win Tata Safari. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Tata Motors contest gives people a chance to win Tata Safari.
Fact: Facebook and Twitter posts from the official accounts of ‘Tata Motors Cars’ state that ‘certain posts in the guise of contests and free merchandise from Tata Motors are being circulated with malicious intent of enabling data pilferage and phishing of anyone who opens the links’. When the link is opened, the web address of the link is seen to be fraudulent because the official website of Tata Motors Cars is cars.tatamotors.com. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for any contests that Tata Motors had recently organised, we found no such contests in their official website or in any news articles published recently. We found posts from Tata Motors Cars’ official Facebook and Twitter accounts stating that ‘it has come to our attention that certain posts in the guise of contests and free merchandise from Tata Motors are being circulated on social media with malicious intent of enabling data pilferage and phishing of anyone who opens the links’. They cautioned the general public that Tata Motors has not announced any such contest and asked the public to refrain from clicking or engaging with such links/ messages. Tata Motors Cars strongly suggested that such fraudulent messages should not be spread further on social media and be deleted immediately.
pic.twitter.com/ksOmByz81s
When we opened the link that is going viral on various social media platforms that free gifts are given through a questionnaire from Tata Motors Cars, the web address of the link is seen to be fraudulent because the official website of Tata Motors Cars is cars.tatamotors.com.
Regarding the sales figures of Tata Motors for May 2021, we found press release from Tata Motors website which says Tata Motors reports domestic sales of 24,552 units in May 2021. Tata Motors sales in the domestic and international market for May 2021 stood at 26,661 vehicles. Domestic Passenger Vehicles for May 2021 sold were 15,181 registering a 40 percent drop month-over-month and Commercial Vehicles sold were 11,401 registering a 32 percent drop month-over-month. News articles about the sales of Tata Motors can be seen here and here. The press release does not state that the overall sales have exceeded 30 million.
To sum it up, the Tata Motors contest about winning Tata Safari is fake.


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This TIME magazine cover page featuring PM Modi with 'Delete ‘Fascism’ icon is a morphed image - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 12, 2021
A purported image of a ‘TIME’ magazine cover page featuring PM Narendra Modi with an illustration of ‘Delete ‘Fascism?’ icon is being shared on social media claiming that the ‘TIME’ magazine had described PM Narendra Modi as a Fascist on its new magazine cover page. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of ‘TIME’ magazine’s new cover page that features PM Narendra Modi with a “Delete ‘Fascism?” icon.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is a morphed one. The original ‘TIME’ magazine cover page had featured Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s photo with a “Delete Facebook?” icon. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On observing the photo carefully, we could see the date ‘Oct. 25/Nov. 1, 2021’ on the ‘TIME’ cover page. When we searched for this ‘TIME’ magazine cover page using these details, we found the original version of this cover page on the ‘TIME’ official Twitter handle. The original ‘TIME’ magazine cover page featured Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with a mobile deletion icon. This illustrated mobile deletion icon has “Delete ‘Facebook?” written on it by providing two options ‘Cancel’ or ‘Delete’. Sharing the original magazine cover page photo, the ‘TIME’ website published an article on 07 October 2021.
How Facebook forced a reckoning by shutting down the team that put people ahead of profits https://t.co/xm1uu7SCfl
Also, when we compare both cover pages, we could see that the articles and the author names mentioned on both cover pages are same. Billy Perrigo, one of the authors mentioned on these cover pages had tweeted the original Mark Zuckerberg version cover page on his Twitter handle.
Recently, Frances Haugen, a former product manager with Facebook’s civic misinformation team, accused Facebook management of prioritizing profits over the public and children safety. Empathizing Haugen statements, ‘TIME’ published this article by extensively reporting on Facebook’s civic integrity team and pointing out how the social media giant’s decisions alienated many members of the critical team that fights misinformation and hate. Reporting the complete details of this ‘TIME’ magazine cover page, ‘NDTV’  published an article on 08 October 2021.
Earlier, when similar morphed images of ‘TIME’ magazine cover pages were shared on social media to degrade PM Modi, FACTLY published fact-check articles debunking those claims. They can be read here and here.
To sum it up, this ‘TIME’ magazine cover page featuring Narendra Modi photo with a “Delete ‘Fascism?” icon is a morphed image.

created: October 12, 2021


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This Times Business newspaper clipping alleging loss in 5G auction is an edited one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 5, 2022
In the context of recently held auctions for 5G spectrum allocation in India, a Facebook post carrying an image of newspaper clipping is being widely shared. The headline of the article says, “₹2800000000000000- 5G spectrum auctions suffer a record loss of ₹2.8 lakh Cr”. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Times of India published an article with headline, “5G spectrum auctions suffer a record loss of ₹2.8 lakh Cr”.
Fact: The original newspaper article regarding the same issue has the headline- “5G spectrum auctions earn Centre record Rs 1.5 lakh crore”. It was published by Times of India in its Business Page on 02 August 2022. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE
We searched for the Times of India reports on the 5G spectrum allocations and came across this article published on its website on 02 August 2022. Taking the cue from this, we searched for the e-paper edition of the same date. After through the e-paper, we found that the news about the 5G spectrum allocations was published in “TIMES BUSINESS” page. But the headline reads, “5G spectrum auctions earn Centre record Rs 1.5 lakh crore” which is completely different from the headline shown in viral image.
The comparison of the two images can be seen below with the highlighted similarities:
By comparing the two images, it is evident that the headline in the viral news paper clipping is an edited one. Also, there is no mention of the 2.8 lakh crore losses in the original article. Moreover, the edited headline contradicts itself by writing 2.8 lakh crore in numbers as 2800000000000000, which should actually be 2800000000000.
Further investigation lead us to this article, where former Telecom minister A.Raja says, “The auction did not meet the expectation of up to ₹5 lakh crore, which was projected by the government. “But now the 5G has been auctioned for only ₹1.5 lakh crore. There is a huge scam in this”.
However, the minister of communications, Ashwini Vaishnaw condemned the remarks by clarifying that, of the total spectrum put on auction, the sold spectrum was valued at ₹1,50,173 crore and the unsold spectrum was valued at ₹2,81,432 crore. Spectrum bands of 600 MHz and 2300 MHz remained unsold entirely, and Mr. Vaishnaw said this was due to the weak ecosystem of mobile telephony in these segments. More about the spectrum allocations in India can be read here. The complete details of the 5G spectrum auctions can be found here.
To summarise, this Times Business newspaper clipping alleging loss in 5G auction is an edited one.

created: August 5, 2022


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This Turkey man who bought a car with the money saved after he quit smoking has not lost his life in a car accident - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 29, 2022
A post is being shared on social media with a picture of a man with currency notes and coins around him. The post claims that the man stopped smoking for six years, saved money, and purchased a car. According to the post, he eventually died in a car accident. Let’s verify this claim through his article.
Claim: This man who bought a car with the money he saved after he quit smoking has lost his life in a car accident.
Fact: The name of the person in the post is Mehmet Tok; he is from Turkey. Based on news reports from 2017, he saved money for eight years, which he used to spend on smoking. He started this after doctors advised him to quit smoking when he visited a hospital with a heart condition. Mehmet Tok, who is in the air conditioning service business, has an active Facebook account on where he last posted on 18 September 2022.  A news report by Demirören News Agency, also features his story. It was posted on their YouTube channel in 2020. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Performing a reverse image search on YANDEX led us to several other social media posts with the same claim, some of which were in Arabic. These posts can be seen here, here and here. Further search on Yandex led us to an article titled ‘ Many Reasons to Quit: The Man Who Saved Fortune By Quitting Smoking.’
According to this 2017 article published on Yemek.com, the man in the viral post is Mehmet Tok ‘One day, because of the pain in his chest and numbness in his arm, he goes to the doctor and has to have an Angiogram.’ Based on his doctor’s advice, he quit smoking and started saving the money which he would spend on two packets of cigarettes per day. He purchased 2 light commercial vehicles and 1 Motorcycle with the money he saved.
In a video from 2016, Mehmet Tok is seen opening his piggy bank. The picture in the post is also in this video.
In 2017, a few other news websites also covered this story. They can be seen here, here and here. Although old, the story of Mehmet Tok saving money is true. Since the post also claims that he lost his life in a car accident, we started searching for news reports on this but found no credible information. A 2020 news report by a Turkish news agency Demirören, contained his story and also featured him.
We found that his Facebook account is active, and the latest post was made on 18 September 2022. Although the story of Mehmet Tok saving money after quitting cigarette smoking is true, he losing his life in a car accident is clearly not true.
To sum up, this Turkey man who bought a car with the money he saved after he quit smoking has not died in a car accident.

created: September 29, 2022


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This ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ opinion poll predicting SP lead is only for the second phase of UP elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 10, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as a screenshot of the ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ opinion poll that predicts more seats for the Samajwadi Party than the BJP in the upcoming 2022 Uttar Pradesh Elections. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ opinion poll predicting more seats for Samajwadi Party than the BJP in the 2022 UP elections.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows the ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ opinion poll prediction only the second phase of the Uttar Pradesh Elections. The ‘Final Opinion Poll’ survey of ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ had predicted a majority of 205-221 seats for BJP and 144-158 seats for Samajwadi Party in the 2022 UP elections. The ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ opinion poll survey results show Samajwadi Party in the second place after the BJP in the 2022 UP elections. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched to check whether the ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ had telecast any such opinion poll prediction, we found that the screenshot shared in the post was taken from a video published by ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ on 07 February 2022. This video reported the opinion poll predictions for the second phase of the Uttar Pradesh Elections. This ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ opinion poll survey predicted that the Samajwadi Party would win more seats than BJP in the second phase of UP elections. But this is not the opinion poll survey results for all the phases of the UP elections.
The ‘Final Opinion Poll’ survey of ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ had predicted a majority of 205-221 seats for BJP and 144-158 seats for Samajwadi Party in the 2022 UP elections. The ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ opinion poll survey results show Samajwadi Party in second place after the BJP. Reporting the complete details of the opinion poll survey, ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ published an article on 07 February 2022.
Recently, when edited versions of opinion polls were shared in favour and SP and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) on social media, FACTLY published fact-check articles debunking those claims. They can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, this ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh’ opinion poll predicting SP lead is only for the second phase of UP elections.

created: February 10, 2022


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This tweet about family planning is from a parody account of Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 7, 2020
The screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by the Former Chief Justice of India and Rajya Sabha member Ranjan Gogoi is being shared on social media. In the tweet, he questions that ‘when people demand no restrictions on giving birth to as many they wish, why do they question Government if their children starve?’. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi’s tweet about family planning in India and the government responsibility on children starving
Fact: Former CJI and present Rajya Sabha member Ranjan Gogoi does not have an account on twitter. Screenshot in the post shows a tweet made from a fan page (parody) account. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for the official twitter handle of Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi on twitter, we found that he has no account on twitter. Using the username mentioned in the screenshot, we found the twitter account (archived) that posted this tweet. The twitter account (@SGBJP) from which the tweet is made clearly states that it is a parody account of Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi. This account is now temporarily restricted by the twitter.
To sum it up, the screenshot of a tweet made from a parody account is falsely shared as Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi’s tweet about family planning and starving children in the country.

created: September 7, 2020


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This tweet about farmers protest is made from a fan page (Parody account) of Ranjan Gogoi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 11, 2021
The screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by the former Chief Justice of India and Rajya Sabha member Ranjan Gogoi is being shared on social media. In the tweet, Ranjan Gogoi alleges that farmers’ who are protesting against the new farm laws are actually enjoying the benefits from ‘Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana’. Sharing this tweet, a user claims that Ranjan Gogoi has become a puppet of BJP and criticizing the farmers. Let’s verify the claims made in the post.
Claim: Former CJI and Rajya Sabha member Ranjan Gogoi’s tweet highlighting the hypocrisy of protesting farmers.
Fact: Former Chief Justice of India and Rajya Sabha Member Ranjan Gogoi does not have an official account on Twitter. This tweet is made by a fan page (Parody) account of Ranjan Gogoi. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for the official Twitter handle of former CJI Ranjan Gogoi, we found that he has no account on Twitter. Using the username mentioned in the screenshot, we found the Twitter account that made this tweet. In the description of the account, it is mentioned as the fan page (Parody) account of former CJI Ranjan Gogoi. This user posted this tweet on ‘07 January 2021’.
In the wake of ongoing farmers protest over the new farm laws, few BJP leaders made statements about farmers getting misguided by Political agendas. They can be read here and here. This post is also shared in this context.
To sum it up, the screenshot of a tweet shared as the one by Ranjan Gogoi is actually from a parody account.

created: January 11, 2021


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This tweet about PM Modi attributed to Manmohan Singh is from a fan page account - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 25, 2021
A social media post claiming that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he failed as a leader is being shared widely. The post also questions when other Heads of State didn’t cry, why did Modi cry. Manmohan Singh is claimed to have said, ‘India needs vaccine and not your (Modi) tears, please do something or resign’. This post is being shared in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi getting emotional while virtually reviewing the COVID-19 situation in Kashi with doctors and frontline workers. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Manmohan Singh’s tweet criticising PM Modi on COVID-19 crisis.
Fact: The tweet on PM Modi was made from a fan Account of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Manmohan Singh does not hold an official account on Twitter. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched for the tweet made from @PManmohansingh twitter handle, we found the exact same tweet that was mentioned in the post. However, in the description of the Twitter handle, it has been clearly mentioned that the account is a fan Account of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Earlier when few similar tweets were falsely attributed to Manmohan Singh, Saral Patel, National Convener of Congress Social Media Department tweeted that both Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi do not hold an account on Twitter, and when they decide to come on Twitter, they will have a verified Twitter account. He urged people to not follow fake accounts.
Tired of people asking, If this account is authentic or not. This is not the first time and won't be the last, so making it clear for once and all.
If Sonia Ji or MMS Ji decides to come on Twitter, They will have a VERIFED twitter account.
So please don't follow fake accounts. https://t.co/O7vwVrYaxX
To sum it up, this tweet about PM Modi’s failure being attributed to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is actually from his fan page account.


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This tweet accusing BJP Government policies is not made by Bollywood actor & former MP Shatrughan Sinha - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 25, 2021
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by the veteran Bollywood actor and former Lok Sabha MP Shatrughan Sinha is being shared on social media. The tweet accuses the BJP Government’s policies and Narendra Modi’s extravagant dressing. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Bollywood veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha’s tweet accusing the BJP Government policies and Narendra Modi’s extravagant dressing.
Fact: This tweet was not made from the official Twitter handle of Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha. There is no account with the user-ID ‘@sirshatrughanji’ on Twitter. Also, there is no verified symbol visible on the tweet shared in the post. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for this tweet on the official Twitter handle of Shatrughan Sinha, we couldn’t find any such tweet. On observing carefully, it is found that the user id (@sirshatrughanji) mentioned in this tweet is different from the user id (@ShatruganSinha) of Shatrughan Sinha’s official Twitter handle. Also, there is no verified symbol visible on the tweet shared in the post.
When we searched for the account with this user id (@sirshatrughanji), it is found that there is no account with such a user id on Twitter. From all these pieces of evidence, it is concluded that the tweet screenshot in the post is a fake one.
Criticising the functioning of BJP Government under PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha resigned from the BJP and joined the Congress party in March 2019. News articles published on Shatrughan Sinha tweets slamming the BJP Government and Narendra Modi can be seen here and here. Shatrughan Sinha recently tweeted about the hike in petrol prices and the arrest of Disha Ravi. They can be seen here and here. But, the tweet shared in the post is not made from the official Twitter handle of Shatrughan Sinha.
To sum it up, this tweet of veteran Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha about the Narendra Modi led BJP Government is a fake one.

created: February 25, 2021


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This tweet asking Muslims to offer prayers through a WhatsApp group is made from a parody account of Ranjan Gogoi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 17, 2022
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by the former Chief Justice of India and Rajya Sabha Member Ranjan Gogoi is being shared on social media claiming it as Gogoi’s recent tweet comparing Triple Talaq and Namaz practices of Muslims. This purported tweet of Ranjan Gogoi questions Muslims that when they can give Talaq on the telephone, why could not they offer prayers through a WhatsApp group. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Claim: Former CJI and Rajya Sabha Member Ranjan Gogoi’s tweet comparing the Talaq and Namaz practices of Muslims.
Fact: Former CJI and present Rajya Sabha member Ranjan Gogoi does not have an account on Twitter. The screenshot in the post shows a tweet made from a fan page (parody) account. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for the official Twitter handle of Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi on Twitter, we found that he has no account on Twitter. Using the username mentioned in the screenshot, we found the Twitter account (archived) that posted this tweet. The Twitter account (@SGBJP) from which the tweet is made clearly states that it is a fan page of former CJI Ranjan Gogoi.
If Ranjan Gogoi had made any such public statement asking Muslims to offer Namaz through a WhatsApp group, several mainstream news websites would have published articles reporting that information. We could not find a single news report attributing these comments to Ranjan Gogoi.
Earlier, when tweets made by parody (fan page) Twitter accounts of Ranjan Gogoi were shared on social media, FACTLY published fact-check articles debunking those claims. They can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, this tweet asking Muslims to offer prayers through the WhatsApp group is made from a parody account of Ranjan Gogoi.


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This tweet attributed to Rani Mukherji is from a parody account - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 17, 2019
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by Rani Mukherjee is being shared by many users on Facebook. The text in the tweet reads as follows- “My country-men expect me to celebrate Independence Day at a time when they have caged over 14 million Kashmiris. How can you celebrate your independence by snatching autonomy of millions of people? Atleast I CAN’T. #15AugustBlackDay”. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the tweet in the screenshot.
Rani Mukherji has tweeted- “My country-men expect me to celebrate Independence Day at a time when they have caged over 14 million Kashmiris. How can you celebrate your independence by snatching autonomy of millions of people? Atleast I CAN’T. #15AugustBlackDay”.
Fact: The tweet attributed to Rani Mukherji is from a parody account. Rani Mukherji doesn’t have any official Twitter account. So, the claim made in the post stands FALSE.
The screenshot posted is from the twitter handle ‘@RANIMUKHERJI’. When looked for this account on Twitter, it was found that it is a ‘parody’ account (clear from the description). This account even had the tweet seen in the screenshot.
Rani Mukherji doesn’t have an official Twitter account.  Even earlier, when tweets supposedly made by Rani Mukherji went viral, her office issued a statement– “This is to reiterate that Rani Mukerji is not on any social media platform and has never been in the past. There are several imposters who are operating various handles in her name, so we request you to disregard the same”.
To conclude, this tweet attributed toRani Mukherji is from a parody account. Rani Mukherjee doesn’t have anyofficial Twitter account.
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This tweet of Abhilipsa Panda accusing Muslim singer for taking credit of ‘Har Har Shambhu’ song is from a fake account - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 8, 2022
In the context of her recent song ‘Har Har Shambhu’, a screenshot of a tweet in the name of the singer Abhilipsa Panda is being widely shared through a social media post. The tweet says, “A Muslim girl is killing my rights. I have written and sung ‘Har Har Shambhu’. She is taking all the credit; Media is with her too. Need you all”. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Singer Abhilipsa Panda’s tweet accusing a Muslim singer of taking all the credit regrading ‘Har Har Shambhu’ song.
Fact: The tweet is made from a fake twitter account. The only official accounts of Abhilipsa Panda are @Abhi_30_Lipsa and @Abhilipsaoff. Moreover, in an interview with ABP news, she said that she was feeling happy because people of all religions and ages are loving this song. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
First, we searched for the Twitter handle mentioned in the post, we found the tweet was real and was posted on 04 August 2022.
एक मुस्लिम लड़की, मेरा हक मार रही है।
'हर हर शंभू' मैंने गाया लिखा है l
सारा क्रेडिट खुद ले रही है मीडिया भी उसी के साथ है ।
आप सबका साथ चाहिए ।
However, this twitter account has no verified badge. So, we couldn’t conclude if it’s her official handle. Further, we searched for interviews of Abhilipsa Panda regarding this issue and found her interview with ABP news. In this interview, when asked about how she felt when Farmani Naaz sang the same song, Abhilipsa replied, “I feel happy that the people of all religions and ages are loving this song a lot”. The interview can be seen here
Taking the cue from this, we searched for other twitter handles with her name and found an account where the description says that this is her official account and other accounts are fake.
As this account is also not verified, we couldn’t confirm it as her official account. We further searched for her interviews and found a clarification by her spokesperson Lakhvir singh on Aaj tak. Regarding the tweet controversy, he said that two Twitter accounts named ‘@Abhi_30_Lipsa’   and ‘@Abhilipsaoff’ are real and rest all are fake. Of these, efforts are on to get ‘@Abhi_30_Lipsa’ verified. Abhilipsa Panda had tweeted through this account stating that she has no problem with the singer and asked the other fan page accounts not to tweet false news.
Please do not write like this! I've no problem with the singer! If You're my fan then please do not write like this. I will never have an issue with any person 😊 🙏🏻
Hence, the tweet of Abhilipsa Panda accusing Muslim singer for taking credit of ‘Har Har Shambhu’ song is made from a fake account.

created: August 8, 2022


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కర్ణాటక ఎన్నికల విజయంపై పాకిస్తాన్ ప్రధాని షాబాజ్ షరీఫ్ కాంగ్రెస్‌ను అభినందిస్తూ ట్వీట్ చేయలేదు. ఇది ఫేక్ ఫోటో - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 16, 2023
కర్ణాటక అసెంబ్లీ ఎన్నికల్లో కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీ విజయానంతరం, పాకిస్థాన్ ప్రధాని షాబాజ్ షరీఫ్ 13 మే 2023న ఆ పార్టీని అభినందిస్తూ ఒక ట్వీట్ చేశారనే క్లైముతో ఓ స్క్రీన్‌షాట్ సోషల్ మీడియాలో వైరల్ అవుతోంది.  కర్ణాటకలో ఇస్లామ్ మతం ప్రభావాన్ని పెంపొందించటానికి, సోషల్ డెమోక్రటిక్ పార్టీ ఆఫ్ ఇండియా (ఎస్‌డిపిఐ)తో కాంగ్రెస్ సహకారం కోసం ఆశాభావం వ్యక్తం చేస్తున్నట్లు, ఈ ట్వీటులో ఉంది. అసలు ఈ ట్వీట్ వెనుక ఉన్న నిజానిజాలు ఏంటో ఈ ఆర్టికల్ ద్వారా చూద్దాం.
క్లెయిమ్: కర్ణాటక అసెంబ్లీ ఎన్నికలలో కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీ విజయం సాధించినందుకు అభినందిస్తూ 13 మే 2023న పాకిస్తాన్ ప్రధాని షాబాజ్ షరీఫ్ ట్వీట్ చేసారు. కర్ణాటకలో ఇస్లాం ప్రభావాన్ని బలోపేతం చేయడానికి SDPIతో కలిసి కాంగ్రెస్ పని చేయవచ్చని తను అందులో చెప్పారు.
ఫాక్ట్(నిజం): 13 మే 2023న గానీ, ఇంకెప్పుడైనా గానీ కర్ణాటకలో కాంగ్రెస్ విజయం లేదా SDPIకి సంబంధించి షాబాజ్ షరీఫ్ ఎటువంటి ట్వీట్ చేయలేదు. కావున పోస్ట్‌లో చేసిన క్లెయిమ్ తప్పు.
మొదటగా, ఈ క్లెయిమ్ గురించి భారత్  లేదా పాకిస్తాన్‌లోని విశ్వసనీయ మీడియా సంస్థలు ఏమైనా వార్తా కథనాలు ప్రచురించాయా అని ఇంటర్నెట్‌లో వెతికాము. కానీ మాకు ఎటువంటి ఆధారాలు లభించలేదు. ఆ తర్వాత, మేము పాకిస్తాన్ ప్రధాని యొక్క ట్విట్టర్ ఖాతాలో ఈ ట్వీటు కోసం పరిశీలించి చూసాము. కర్ణాటక ఎన్నికలలో కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీ విజయం గురించి లేదా SDPI గురించి మే 13న గానీ, ఇంకెప్పుడైనా గానీ ఎటువంటి ట్వీట్ ఆయన చేసినట్లు అందులో లేదు.
13 మే నాటి అతని ట్విట్టర్ ప్రొఫైల్ యొక్క ఆర్కైవ్ చేసిన స్నాప్‌షాట్‌లో కూడా అలాంటి ట్వీట్ ఏదీ లభించలేదు.
ఇంకా, ట్రూత్ నెస్ట్ మరియు సోషల్ బ్లేడ్ వంటి సోషల్ మీడియా అనలిటిక్స్ టూల్స్ ఆయన 13 మే 2013న కేవలం మూడు ట్వీట్లు మాత్రమే చేశారని సూచిస్తున్నాయి, అవన్నీ పాకిస్తాన్ అంతర్గత వ్యవహారాలకు సంబంధించినవి. వైరల్ పోస్టులో చెప్తున్న ట్వీట్ అసలు ఆయన ఎప్పుడూ చేయలేదని ఈ పరిశోధనల ద్వారా మనం స్పష్టంగా అర్థం చేసుకోవచ్చు. అంతే కాక అది ఒకప్పుడు చేసి ఇప్పుడు డిలీట్ చేసారు అనే అవకాసం కూడా లేదు, ఎందుకంటే 13న తను మూడు ట్వీట్లు మాత్రమే చేసారు గనుక.
చివరిగా, పాకిస్తాన్ ప్రధానమంత్రి షాబాజ్ షరీఫ్, కర్ణాటక ఎన్నికల్లో విజయం సాధించినందుకు  కాంగ్రెస్ పార్టీని అభినందిస్తూ మరియు SDPIతో సహకారాన్ని ప్రతిపాదిస్తూ ట్వీట్ చేసారని క్లెయిమ్ చేస్తూ, ఈ పోస్టు ఒక నకిలీ స్క్రీన్‌షాట్‌ని షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు.


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This Tweet of Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif congratulating Congress over the Karnataka Election victory is FAKE - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 15, 2023
In the wake of the Congress Party’s recent victory in the Karnataka Assembly elections, a screenshot allegedly depicting a tweet dated 13 May 2023 from Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is being circulated on social media. This alleged tweet portrays Sharif congratulating the Congress Party on their win and expressing hope for their collaboration with the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), a move he implies could bolster Islamic influence in Karnataka. In this article, we will investigate the veracity of this claim.
Claim: A tweet by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on 13 May 2023 congratulating the Congress Party on their win in the Karnataka Assembly elections and suggested that they could work with SDPI to strengthen the influence of Islam in Karnataka.
Fact: Shehbaz Sharif has not made any such tweet related to congress victory in Karnataka or SDPI on 13 May 2023. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We first searched the internet for any mention of this issue from reliable media sources in either India or Pakistan, but our search yielded no results. Then, we looked through the Twitter account of the Pakistani Prime Minister but found no tweet relating to the Congress Party’s victory in the Karnataka elections or about the SDPI dated May 13.
An archived snapshot of his Twitter profile from the same day also did not display any such tweet.
Furthermore, social media analytics tools like Truth Nest and Social Blade indicated that he made only three tweets on 13 May 2013, all of them concerning the internal affairs of Pakistan. These findings strongly suggest that the alleged tweet may never have existed, effectively ruling out the possibility of it being deleted.
To sum it up, a fake tweet allegedly from the Pakistani Prime Minister is circulating, which falsely credits him with congratulating the Congress Party on their Karnataka election win and proposing a collaboration with the SDPI.


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This tweet of Prashant Bhushan's fight against BJP agents in Supreme Court is Fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 25, 2020
Screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by Lawyer and Activist Prashant Bhushan is being shared on social media.  The tweet states that Prashant Bhushan fight is only against the BJP Agents sitting in the Supreme Court, not against the institution. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Prashant Bhushan tweeted that his fight is only against the BJP Agents in the Supreme Court, not against the institution.
Fact: Screenshot in the post shows a tweet posted from the parody account of Prashant Bhushan, not from the official twitter handle of Prashant Bhushan. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for this tweet on the official twitter handle of Prashant Bhushan, we did not found any such tweet made by Prashant Bhushan. The user name mentioned in the screenshot is different from that of the username mentioned on the official twitter handle of Prashant Bhushan. The user name on the official handle as ‘@pbhushan1’, whereas the tweet in the screenshot shows the username ‘@P_Bhushan1’.
The twitter account (@P_Bhushan1) from which the tweet is made clearly states that it is a parody account of Prashant Bhushan.
The Supreme Court of India ruled senior advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty for the two tweets posted on his official twitter handle that made comments about the CJI. The Court concluded that his tweets about the Supreme Court Judges are a ‘serious contempt of court’. The Supreme Court asked Prashant Bhushan to apologize, but Bhushan responded saying that  ‘Any apology will be contempt of my conscience’. As on date, the Supreme Court has reserved the verdict about his sentencing in this case.
To sum it up, screenshot of a tweet posted from the parody account is falsely shared as Prashant Bhushan’s tweet about BJP agents in Supreme Court.
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This tweet of Sambit Patra comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Ertugrul is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 18, 2020
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra is being widely shared on social media. The text in the tweet is as follows – ‘I am watching Ertugrul nowadays & I see narendra modi has similar leadership qualities as Ertugrul .His Strong belief in God, his Courage to not give up, His conviction to Stand on his principles even when everyone is against him. @narendramodi #Ertugrul’. Let’s verify if Sambit Patra has made that tweet.
BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra tweeted comparing Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Ertugrul.
Fact: There is no such tweet on the official twitter account of Sambit Patra comparing Narendra Modi with Ertugrul. When the tweet in the screenshot is compared with the formatting of an original tweet on Twitter, many differences can be seen. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Ertugrul was a 13th-century warrior. He is the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. Ertugrul had established a principality centred at Sögüt. With Sögüt as their base, Osman and the Muslim frontier warriors (Ghazis) under his command waged a slow and stubborn conflict against the Byzantines, who sought to defend their territories in the hinterland of the Asiatic shore opposite Constantinople (now Istanbul).
When we performed Twitter Advanced Search on the official Twitter account of Sambit Patra using keywords from the screenshot, no relevant result was obtained in the search process. But, when we compared the tweet in the screenshot with an actual tweet made by Sambit Patra on Twitter, many differences were found.
1. ‘Following’ button is misplaced:In a normal tweet, ‘following’ button will be shown on the right side of a tweet, below the heading ‘relevant people’. But, the tweet in the screenshot has the ‘following’ button inside the tweet.
2. Differences in the timestamp portion of the tweet:In a normal tweet, between ‘time’ and ‘date’, there will be a ‘dot symbol (.)’. But the tweet in the screenshot has ‘hyphen symbol (-)’ between ‘time’ and ‘date’.
3. Tweet in the screenshot doesn’t have information about the device used to post the tweet:
For every tweet on Twitter, information about the device used to post the tweet (like ‘Twitter for iPhone’, ‘Twitter for Android’ etc.,) is mentioned. But, the tweet in the screenshot does not have that information.
To sum it up, a tweet of Sambit Patra comparing Prime minister Narendra Modi with Ertugrul is photoshopped and is fake.
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‘Twitter tere thukde honge’ gang and the ‘Lollipop Lagelu’ Bhojpuri song tweets were made from parody account of Elon Musk - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 15, 2022
Update (15 November 2022):
Another screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by Elon Musk is being shared on social media claiming that Elon Musk has tweeted “Kamariya Kare Lapalap, ki lollipop lagelu”, a Bhojpuri song lyric, countering the backlash over his 8 dollars for blue tick verification and mass layoffs decisions after the Twitter takeover. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Elon Musk’s tweet referring to the Bhojpuri song lyric “Kamariya Kare Lapalap, ki lollipop lagelu”.
Fact: This tweet was also made from the same parody Twitter handle of Elon Musk.  Ian Woolford, a Melbourne-based Hindi professor, changed his profile name and picture to make it look like the Twitter handle of Elon Musk and published this Hindi tweet posing as a parody account of Elon Musk. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On observing the screenshotted tweet carefully, one could see the username ‘@iawoolford’ in the tweet shown in the photo.  When searched for this tweet using these keywords, we found the same tweet in the archived Twitter account of ‘@iawoolford’. Ian Woolford, a Melbourne-based Hindi professor, changed his profile name and picture to make it look like the Twitter handle of Elon Musk and published this Hindi tweet posing as a parody account of Elon Musk. Lately, Ian Woolford’s Twitter handle was suspended for publishing satirical Hindi memes impersonating Elon Musk. Reporting the suspension of this parody account of Elon Musk, several news websites published articles, which can be seen here and here.
Published (08 November 2022):
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by Twitter’s sole Director Elon Musk is being shared widely on social media. This purported tweet of Elon Musk states, “Twitter Tere Tukde Honge” gang will also have to pay $8 dollars” (when translated from Hindi). This post claims that Elon Musk tweeted in Hindi and informed that the Tukde gang who wish to break Twitter must also pay $8 dollars. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Elon Musk’s tweet in Hindi stating that ‘Twitter Tere Tukde Honge’ gang should also pay $8.
Fact: The screenshot shared in the post shows a tweet made from a parody account of Elon Musk. Ian Woolford, a Melbourne-based Hindi professor, changed his profile name and picture to make it look like the Twitter handle of Elon Musk and published this Hindi tweet posing as a parody account of Elon Musk. Elon Musk did not publish any such Hindi tweet about charging $8 to the ‘Twitter Tere Tukde gang’. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether Twitter’s sole Director Elon Musk had published any such Hindi tweet referring to the ‘Twitter Tere Tukde Honge’ gang, we could not find any such Hindi tweet on the official Twitter handle of Elon Musk. The username mentioned in the purported tweet is ‘@iawoolford’, whereas the actual username of Elon Musk’s official Twitter handle is ‘@elonmusk’.
When we searched to find this tweet on the Twitter handle with the username ‘@iawoolford’, we found that this Twitter account (@iawoolford) was suspended for violating Twitter rules. On searching for further details, we found that the account was recently suspended for publishing multiple hilarious Hindi lyrics and memes posing as a parody account of Elon Musk. The account belongs to Ian Woolford, a Hindi professor working at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. By changing the profile name and picture to make it look like the Twitter handle of Elon Musk, Ian Woolford published this Hindi tweet posing as a parody account of Elon Musk. Several news websites published articles about this parody account of Elon Musk that published hilarious Hindi lyrics and memes in the name of Elon Musk. They can be seen here and here.
Elon Musk in a tweet on 07 November 2022, said, “Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying “parody” will be permanently suspended.”.
Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying “parody” will be permanently suspended
To sum it up, this tweet in Hindi stating that ‘Twitter Tere Tukde Honge’ gang should also pay $8 is made from a parody account of Elon Musk.

created: November 15, 2022


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This tweet reporting the suspension of Twitter India operations is from a parody account of ‘ANI’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 27, 2021
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by the news agency ‘ANI’ is being shared on social media claiming that the ‘Twitter global communication’ team has decided to suspend its operations in India from 26 May 2021. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘ANI’ made a tweet about Twitter stopping its operations in India from 26 May 2021.
Fact: The tweet was made from the fan page (parody) account of ‘ANI’ news agency. Neither Twitter officials nor the Government of India has announced the suspension of Twitter operations in India. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for this tweet on the official Twitter handle of ‘ANI’ news agency, we could not find any such tweet reporting the suspension of Twitter operations in India. When we searched to check whether Twitter global communication team has made any official announcement regarding the suspension of Twitter India operations, it is found out that they did not make any such announcement.
The username (@ANINewsIndia) mentioned in the purported tweet is different from the official Twitter handle username (@ANI) of the ‘ANI’ news agency. When we searched for the Twitter account that posted this tweet, we could not find any Twitter handle with the username @ANINewsIndia.
‘The Print’ news website had published an article about this tweet being shared on social media. This article reported that a fake Twitter handle in the name of ‘ANI’ was spreading false news about Twitter suspending its operations in India. The parody Twitter handle was suspended after this fake tweet went viral on social media.
Twitter has been at the centre of a controversy after it labelled BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra’s tweet as ‘Manipulated media’. The Centre has asked Twitter to remove ‘Manipulated media’ tags on BJP leaders tweets about an alleged Congress tool kit. The Government of India has asked Twitter and other social media handles to strictly abide by the new intermediary guidelines introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, on 25 February 2021. Responding to this, Twitter has requested the Government of India to consider a minimum of three months extension for it to implement the new rules and also expressed concern about recent events regarding their employees in India and the potential threat to freedom of expression for the people they serve.  The Government of India termed Twitter’s statement as totally baseless, false and an attempt to defame India to hide their own follies.
🧵Twitter is deeply committed to the people of India. Our service has proven vital for the public conversation and a source of support for people during the pandemic. https://t.co/9oDbVM6IjM
To keep our service available, we will strive to comply with applicable law in India.
To sum it up, this tweet reporting the suspension of Twitter India operations is made from a parody account of ‘ANI’ news.


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This tweet ridiculing his party workers is not made by Akhliesh Yadav, it is created digitally. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 16, 2022
In the wake of the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh assembly general elections wherein the Samajwadi party lost to BJP, a social media post accompanying a screenshot of a purported tweet by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav ridiculing his party workers is being circulated widely. The tweet ridicules Samajwadi Party workers as if they attend the rallies only to have free liquor and chicken. Through this article let’s fact-check the veracity of the tweet shared in the post.
Claim: Akhilesh Yadav’s Tweet ridiculing the party workers following the loss of his party in the 2022 UP Assembly elections
Fact: The viral screenshot is created digitally, as it is evident by the twitter handle and profile name of the purported tweet. Also, Akhilesh Yadav did not make any comments ridiculing his party workers. In fact, following the election results he tweeted thanking the party workers. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The Twitter handle through which the purported tweet is made is not the official Twitter account of Akhilesh Yadav. This is evident by the Twitter handle and the username of the purported tweet. The username and profile name of the purported tweet is ‘@yadavakalesh’ and ‘AkalLesh Yadav’, whereas the username and profile name of the official Twitter account of Akhilesh Yadav is ‘@yadavakhilesh’ and ‘Akhilesh Yadav’
On comparing a screenshot of a tweet made by the official Twittera handle of Akhilesh Yadav with that of the viral screenshot, it is evident that the viral screenshot is created digitally by using the profile photo and profile name of the official account of Akhilesh Yadav. Most likely, the screenshot of a tweet by the official Twitter handle could have been digitally edited, to add the purported text.
Moreover, Akhilesh Yadav did not make any such derogatory comments about the party workers following the party’s defeat in the elections. In fact, following the election result, he tweeted thanking the party workers for working day and night.
इम्तिहान बाकी है अभी हौसलों का
वक़्त आ गया है अब ‘फ़ैसलों’ का
मतगणना केंद्रों पर दिन-रात सतर्क और सचेत रूप से सक्रिय रहने के लिए सपा-गठबंधन के हर एक कार्यकर्ता, समर्थक, नेतागण, पदाधिकारी और शुभचितंक को हृदय से धन्यवाद!
‘लोकतंत्र के सिपाही’ जीत का प्रमाणपत्र  लेकर ही लौटें!
To sum it up, this tweet ridiculing the party workers is not made by Akhilesh Yadav, it is created digitally.


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This tweet stating that Ajit Anjum would leave journalism if Yogi Adityanath government comes back to power in 2022, is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 7, 2022
A photo of Journalist Ajit Anjum’s alleged tweet is being widely shared on social media claiming that he would leave journalism if Yogi Adityanath government comes back to power in 2022. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Journalist Ajit Anjum’s tweet stating that he would leave journalism if Yogi Adityanath government comes back to power in 2022.
Fact: The tweet in the photo had a verified blue tick whereas the official account of Ajit Anjum does not have a verified blue tick yet. Ajit Anjum had clarified through his social media accounts that it was a fake tweet. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo in the post is seen clearly, one can see that the account has a verified blue tick. However, the official twitter account of Journalist Ajit Anjum does not have a verified blue tick yet.
When we looked for news articles, and tweets made through his official Twitter account regarding him leaving journalism if Yogi Adityanath government comes back to power in 2022, we could not find any. In fact, through his social media accounts – Twitter, Facebook, YouTube – Ajit Anjum, posted the photo saying that it was a ‘photoshop’, and it was ‘propaganda’ against him.
मेरे बारे में दुष्प्रचार का नया फोटोशॉप .
मेरे नाम से कुछ भी लिखकर वायरल किया जा रहा है .
इसी से पता चलता है कि भक्तों की जमात मुझ पर कितनी बौखलाई हुई है .
मेरा ट्वीटर हैंडल वेरिफाइड नहीं है लेकिन ब्लू टिक वाला फोटोशॉप करके खेल चालू है .
ये फर्जी लोग हैं . pic.twitter.com/jolZFCznCD
To sum it up, this tweet stating that Ajit Anjum would leave journalism if Yogi Adityanath government comes back to power in 2022, is fake

created: February 7, 2022


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This vegetable vendor who hired bouncers to guard tomatoes is a Samajwadi Party worker. He did this as an act of protest - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 12, 2023
In the wake of skyrocketing tomato prices across the country, a photo of a vegetable vendor in Varanasi who allegedly hired bouncers to prevent customers from touching and stealing tomatoes has gone viral on social media. A social media post that shares this picture credits PTI as the source of this information. Let’s check the veracity of this photo and its claim through this article.
Claim: A vegetable vendor in Varanasi hired bouncers to protect tomatoes from getting stolen.
Fact: The person in this photo is Ajay Fauji, who, as per reports, is a Samajwadi Party worker. He hired bouncers to stage a protest against the rising prices of tomatoes. PTI covered Ajay’s story and later retracted it by saying they did not properly check the motives of Ajay behind giving them this information. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
We searched the internet with relevant keywords to learn more about the viral photo. This search led us to various news reports (here and here) that validated the part of the claim that a vegetable vendor in Varanasi hired bouncers to prevent confrontation at his stall in the context of rising tomato prices. But further research revealed that it’s just one side of the coin, and the story has more to it.
We learned that PTI tweeted on 09 July 2023, about them running the same story, which they retracted later.
In their tweet, PTI said, ‘Earlier today, PTI tweeted a story about a vegetable vendor in Varanasi hiring bouncers in light of the high price of tomatoes. It has since come to our notice that the vendor is a worker of the Samajwadi Party, and his motive for giving us the information was questionable. We have, therefore, removed the tweet.’
Earlier today, PTI tweeted a story about a vegetable vendor in Varanasi hiring bouncers in light of high price of tomatoes. It has since come to our notice that the vendor is a worker of the Samajwadi Party, and his motive for giving us the information was questionable. We have,…
Moreover, we also learnt that the UP Police had registered an FIR (No 0271, P.S-Lanka, Commissionerate Varanasi) under various sections against Ajay Fauji and two others.
‘A vegetable shop owner, who had deployed bouncers to guard tomatoes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency of Varanasi, and his son were arrested by the police on various charges including promoting hatred, enmity, or ill will between classes,‘ Deccan Herald reported.
Ajay is absconding while the shopkeeper Raj Narayan Yadav and his son Vikas Yadav were arrested.
Piyush Rai, a journalist with ‘The Quint,’ posted videos on Twitter in which Ajay was seen with the bouncers, associating himself with the Samajwadi Party.
In UP's Varanasi, a local Samajwadi Party leader Ajay Fauji, in a viral video, can be seen deploying two bouncers to protect tomatoes at a vegetable shop in what is seen as a protest against skyrocketing prices of tomatoes. pic.twitter.com/ktEeKt76cE
Piyush described it as a protest, and later, when the complaint was lodged against Ajay and the two others, he posted a copy of the FIR on his Twitter.
This protest against price of tomatoes organised by Samajwadi Party leader Ajay Fauji in UP's Varanasi has cost the shopkeeper dearly. He has been arrested by police. An FIR under section 153A, 295 and 505(2) was registered against 3 named accused. Fauji is absconding. pic.twitter.com/R9zcRAIk46
To sum up, a video of a Samajwadi party worker who hired a pair of bouncers as a mark of protest against rising tomato prices is being shared with a misleading narrative.


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This video actually shows a recent protest against fuel price hike by Congress workers in Maharashtra - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 26, 2022
A video through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that public are responding to PM Narendra Modi’s rhetorical questions about reduction in petrol and diesel prices. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of public responding to PM Modi’s questions about petrol and diesel prices.
Fact: The video is from an agitation by congress workers in Dhule, Maharashtra. This unique agitation of using megaphones was done under the leadership of Congress MLA from Dhule Rural, Kunal Patil. Prime Minister’s earlier speech (from Delhi) about lower fuel prices in 2015 was played in the loudspeakers alongside their screams of denying such a decline in fuel prices. Congress and other political parties are holding protests against this fuel price hike. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
There are congress party flags in the video. ‘Dhule’ is written on the megaphones seen in the viral video. Dhule is a district in Maharashtra.
When reverse image search is done on the screenshots of the video with relevant keywords, the same video was found in a tweet by Nana Patole, President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee. According to his tweet, the video is from an agitation by Dhule Congress workers against rising inflation.
धुळे काँग्रेसच्या कार्यकर्त्यांनी मोदींच्याच भाषेत महागाईचे भोंगे वाजवून असह्य झालेल्या महागाई विरोधात आंदोलन छेडले pic.twitter.com/UCDAlu5waq
According to news reports, this unique agitation of using megaphones was done under the leadership of Congress MLA from Dhule Rural, Kunal Patil. Prime Minister’s earlier speech (from Delhi) about lower fuel prices in 2015 was played in the loudspeakers alongside their screams of denying such a decline in fuel prices.
The Congress and other political parties are holding protests against this fuel price hike.
To sum it up, this video actually shows a recent protest against fuel price hike by congress workers from Dhule, Maharashtra.


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This video shows Khalistan supporters tearing off Indian flag outside the UN in New York during PM Modi's address - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 5, 2021
In the light of the recent incidents of violence where a car mowed down protesting farmers in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri, that led to the death of the farmers and BJP workers, a social media post accompanying a video of a group of Khalistan supporters tearing the Indian flag is being shared widely. The post claims that these protests are linked to the farmers’ protest and the Uttar Pradesh incident. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Protesting farmers in Uttar Pradesh tearing off the Indian flag.
Fact: The video actually shows protests organised by Khalistan supporters outside the UN building in New York during PM Modi’s UN address last month. Few online news portals reported the same video. The video has nothing to do with India or the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Google search with relevant keywords led us to a tweet by NRI Herald which shared the same video. The video is shared with a description which reads ‘Khalistani Sikh extremists spotted at New York during PM Modi’s visit tearing off Indian National flag while shouting  extremist slogans.’ NRI Herald is an Australia-based web news portal that mostly carries news related to India. NRI Herald also shared the same video on their Facebook page.
NRI Herald Australia reports: Khalistani Sikh extremists spotted at New York during PM modi’s visit tearing off Indian National flag while shouting  extremist slogans. pic.twitter.com/7qVVoYgVKw
Taking a cue from the above tweet, further search yielded a couple of online news articles (here & here) which reported the protests outside the UN in New York while PM Modi was addressing the UN General Assembly last month (September 2021). These articles published images related to the protests, in which we can spot the same two Sikh protesters who are seen desecrating the Indian National Flag in the viral video.
A YouTube channel live-streamed the above-mentioned protests during Modi’s UN address last month. Even in this video, we can spot the same two persons who are seen in the viral video.  Further, mainstream news agencies have also reported the protests during PM Modi’s UN address (here & here). Hence, from all these, we can infer that the viral video shows protests organised by Khalistani supporters during PM Modi’s UN address last month in New York and have nothing to with India or Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
To sum it up, a video of Khalistan supporters tearing off the Indian national flag outside the UN building in New York during PM Modi’s UN address is passed off attributing it to the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

created: October 5, 2021


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This video alleging milk being a significant contributor to osteoporosis disease is misleading - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 21, 2023
A video circulating on social media asserts that milk contains significant levels of calcium and animal protein, and claims that the calcium absorbed from a single glass of milk is primarily utilized to counterbalance the waste produced by the milk’s animal proteins in the body. The post claims that the net calcium absorption after drinking a glass of milk will be zero because of the sulphur waste generated by animal protein. Also, the post states that the countries that are the highest dairy consumers have the highest incidence of Osteoporosis. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The animal protein in cow milk is a significant contributor for Osteoporosis disease.
Fact: Although it’s true that calcium absorbed from milk is employed to offset the urinary calcium losses caused by milk’s animal protein, the precise ratio between calcium intake and its utilization for compensating urinary calcium losses remains uncertain. While drinking milk can improve bone density and prevent osteoporosis in elderly people, some research studies suggest that consuming excessive amounts of milk could lead to increased calcium excretion in the urine that could potentially weaken bones over time. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
On searching for the details related to the claims made in the post, it is found that cow’s milk consists of approximately 87% water, with the remaining 13% comprising protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Milk contains high amounts of calcium, animal proteins, phosphorous, and other nutrients.  One Kilogram of milk contains around 35 grams of proteins and around 1200 milligrams of calcium.
As per the research studies, the high amounts of calcium in milk are used to compensate for urine calcium losses generated by milk protein. Excessive protein consumption leads to greater excretion of calcium in urine without a corresponding increase in calcium absorption. This impact of dietary protein on calcium balance is due to the acid content of animal protein. However, the precise ratio between calcium intake and its utilization for compensating urinary calcium losses remains uncertain. A research study showing the relationship between the calcium-to-protein ratio in milk and the urinary calcium excretion in healthy adults can be seen here.
While drinking milk can improve your bone density and prevent Osteoporosis in elderly people, some research studies contradict these statements and suggest that consuming excessive amounts of milk could lead to increased calcium excretion in the urine, potentially weakening bones over time. Christopher Gardner, a researcher at Stanford, emphasized that milk is indeed a valuable source of calcium but may not be the critical factor in maintaining bone health. However, it is nowhere reported that the limited intake of milk could lead to Osteoporosis or any other bone diseases.
Countries with the highest annual consumption of cow milk, such as the United States, India, and various European nations, are among the prominent countries significantly impacted by osteoporosis. However, numerous factors contribute to the prevalence of osteoporosis in these regions. The International Osteoporosis Foundation released a factsheet explicitly debunking the misconceptions linking milk and other dairy products as contributors to bone health issues.
To sum it up, this video alleging animal protein in cow’s milk is a significant contributor to the development of osteoporosis is misleading.

created: September 21, 2023