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This news clip about central government lowering the retirement age is old. Government refuted the claim. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 6, 2023
A social media post accompanying a news clip speculating that the central government would soon reduce retirement age of employees is being widely circulated. The Hindi title of the news clip loosely translates to ‘government employees will be retired after 33 years of service or at the age of 60 years.’ The viral clip is reportedly published by Amar Ujala and carries the date as 01 April 2023. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Central government considering lowering retirement age of employees says a news clip
Fact: Amar Ujala published the news back in September 2019. However, the government on multiple occasions denied the claims stating that no such proposal of changing the retirement age of the employees is under consideration. This old news clip is being shred now by digitally editing the date, as if it is a recent news clip. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Old news:
The viral clip shared in the post is very old, most likely published in September 2019. Online edition of Amar Ujala carrying similar news was published on 17 September 2019.
Online blogs published the same news clip back in September 2019.
The original news clip did not carry any date. Comparison of the actual clip with that the recently viral clip establishes that the viral news clip is not a recent report and that the date carried on the clip is digitally edited, to show it as a recent clip.
Government denied the news:
Back in September 2019, multiple news agencies reported the same news, speculating about the government’s decision of lowering retirement age. These news reports can be viewed here and here.
However, the government did not propose any such change in retirement age since then. Refuting all these claims, the central government has clarified in Rajya Sabha, stating that there is no such proposal to reduce retirement age below 60 years.
As the news went viral on social media, PIB through a tweet, sharing the same news clip denied the claim and rated the news as false in 2019. The tweet clarified that no such announcement has been made by the Government of India.
#PIBFactCheck
फे़क न्यूज़  : केंद्र सरकार द्वारा रिटायरमेंट की उम्र और सेवा की उम्र में बदलाव किया गया है
सही ख़बर  : भारत सरकार द्वारा ऐसी कोई भी घोषणा नहीं की गई है जिसमें 33 साल की सेवा अथवा 60 साल की उम्र में सरकारी कर्मचारी सेवानिवृत्त किए जाएंगे
निष्कर्ष: #fakenews pic.twitter.com/90BC9tcqR1
No change in Government’s stand:
Later on multiple occasions, the central government reiterated its stand of not changing the retirement age of the central government employees.
Responding to question in March 2022, the government has clarified that there is no such proposal under consideration of the Government to increase the retirement age of Central Government employees
In fact, in September 2022, EPFO, the retirement body, proposed raising the retirement age to ease pressure on pension funds. EPFO was of the view that retirement age should be changed relative to life expectancy. It further argued that the pension system could be made more robust if the retirement age of the employee is increased.
However, as of today, the central government has not made any changes with respect to the retirement age of central government employees. Further, we could not find any reports stating that central government is contemplating lowering the retirement age.
To sum it up, this news clip about government lowering the retirement age is very old. Government refuted the claim.


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This news of the Rajasthan government claiming that Maharana Pratap won the ‘Battle of Haldighati’ is an old one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 16, 2022
A post is being shared widely with a claim that the Rajasthan government would be changing the result of the ‘Battle of Haldighati’. In the post, it can be read that the result of that battle was believed to be inconclusive till now but based on the latest research of Dr. Chandrashekar, the Rajasthan government now claimed that Maharana Pratap won that battle. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recently, the Rajasthan government claimed that Maharana Pratap won the ‘Battle of Haldighati’ and would be changing the syllabus accordingly.
Fact: The news in the post is from 2017 when the BJP was in power in Rajasthan. There are also some changes made by the current Congress government in the syllabus regarding Maharana Pratap. These led to some controversies. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched for the posted information on the internet with some keywords, the same news was found to be published by news agencies in 2017. Some of the news reports from 2017 can be seen here, here, and here. In the ‘India Today’ article, it can be read – “the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education has approved a change in the history section of the Class X social science books. The revised books will now teach students Maharana Pratap conclusively defeated Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th-century Battle of Haldighati”. The BJP was in power in Rajasthan in 2017 whereas the Congress party is in power now.
The current Congress government has also made some changes to the syllabus with respect to Maharana Pratap. They led to some controversies also. Some of the news reports regarding the changes made by the Congress government can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here. The Class X textbook of the Rajasthan Education Board can be read here.
To sum it up, this news of the Rajasthan government claiming that Maharana Pratap won the ‘Battle of Haldighati’ is an old one.

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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This news report on the breakthrough invention of joint pain medicine by an Indian doctor is digitally fabricated - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 28, 2023
A video claiming that an Indian doctor has developed a remedy for joint pain is circulating extensively on Facebook. The video, seemingly presented as a news report by renowned journalist Anjana Om Kashyap, also asserts that pharmaceutical companies are exerting pressure to conceal information regarding this medication. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: News report claiming that an Indian doctor has developed a remedy for joint pain.
Fact: The video has been digitally fabricated by superimposing a voiceover onto unrelated visuals featuring the news journalist. There are no news reports or medical journals about any breakthrough medicine for joint pains or arthritis, by an Indian doctor. Further, the website link provided is also inactive, suggesting that the news is not authentic. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral video asserting the existence of a joint pain remedy lacks essential information about both the doctor and the medicine. Additionally, the website link shared in the viral Facebook post is inactive, raising doubts about the authenticity of the claim. Furthermore, a comprehensive keyword search on the internet failed to produce any news reports or scientific journal articles of an Indian doctor discovering a groundbreaking solution for joint pain. If such an invention had genuinely been made, it would likely have garnered media attention. Nonetheless, no credible reports confirming this claim were discovered.
Furthermore, the video appears to be a news report presented by a journalist, but we could not find any report by the said journalist covering such a joint pain remedy. This strongly suggests that the video has been digitally fabricated by superimposing a voiceover onto unrelated visuals featuring the news journalist.
Moreover, the video includes visuals of Deepak Chopra, an Indian American author and proponent of alternative medicine, seemingly endorsing the alleged remedy. Nevertheless, our search yielded no evidence of him endorsing or discussing such a medicine. The visuals of Deepak Chopra are extracted from one of his interviews, where he talks about varied topics.
To sum it up, this news report on the breakthrough invention of joint pain medicine by an Indian doctor is digitally fabricated.

created: September 28, 2023


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This news story of a Delhi man winning 70 lakh rupees in a mobile casino is a work of fiction - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 30, 2022
Update (30 September 2022):
Another video is being shared on social media with a similar claim about a man named Rajesh winning 70 Lakh rupees in a mobile casino.
We noticed that the video contains the same audio from the earlier post but with a different news reader’s video clip. The photo of a boy used in this video is an image taken by a photographer named Igor when he travelled to India (here). The rest of the video contains the same audio clip as the earlier video in this fact-check,  the details of which can be seen below. With all this evidence, we can conclude that the claim made in the viral post is False.
Published (13 September 2022):
A video is being shared through a social media post about a Delhi man named Rajesh Meena. As per the video, Rajesh has won 70 lakh rupees in a mobile casino app and purchased a car and a house with that money. Let’s fact-check this video through this article.
Claim: Rajesh Meena, a Delhi man, has won prize money of 70 lakh rupees after gambling on a casino mobile app.
Fact: Firstly, there are no news reports about this incident. The photo of the person in the video belongs to an engineer named Hormazd Patel. The visuals of a man from Tamil Nadu purchasing his dream car are used in this video. Unrelated photos and videos have been used to create this story. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We searched the internet for relevant news reports about the person Rajesh Meena winning 70 lakh rupees, but we did not find any. The video news report of the post contains a logo of India Today, and we did not find any article or a video report by India Today on Rajesh’s story. Upon reverse image search of the image of the so-called Rajesh Meena, we were led to an article published on poetsandquants.com titled ‘Overcoming The Male Indian Engineer Hurdle.‘ The same picture of the man from the viral post can be seen in this article, and the person’s name is mentioned Hormazd Patel, not Rajesh Meena. According to this article published in 2017, Hormazd Patel is an assistant manager at Bajaj.
We found his Linkedin profile, which confirms his identity, and his Facebook account has his pictures, with which we could conclude that he is the same person from the poets and quants article and whose picture is seen in the viral post.
The video also contains a clip of an old couple buying a Mercedes-Benz car. Through a keyword search on the internet, we found that the visuals are of a Tamil Nadu man buying a Benz car, which was his childhood dream. News reports on this story can be read here, here and here.
With all this evidence, we can conclude that the news report of Rajesh Meena winning huge prize money has been created using multiple different & unrelated visuals available on the internet.
To sum up, this news story of a Delhi man winning 70 lakh rupees in a mobile casino is pure work of fiction created with the magic of video editing.

created: September 30, 2022


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ఆంధ్రజ్యోతి ఎండీ రాధాకృష్ణ కుటుంబానికి సంబంధించి షేర్ చేస్తున్న ఈ ABN బ్రేకింగ్ న్యూస్ వీడియో ఎడిట్ చేయబడినది - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 13, 2023
ABN ఆంధ్రజ్యోతి సంస్థల ఎండీ రాధాకృష్ణ భార్య మరియు కూతురు ముంబై రెడ్ లైట్ ఏరియాలో పట్టుబడ్డారంటూ ABN న్యూస్ ఛానెల్ టెలికాస్ట్ చేసిన న్యూస్ రిపోర్ట్ వీడియో అంటూ సోషల్ మీడియాలో ఒక వీడియో షేర్ అవుతోంది. అంతేకాదు, 100 కోట్ల పాలసీ ఇన్సూరెన్స్ డబ్బుల కోసమే రాధాకృష్ణ తన భార్యను చంపేసినట్టు ఈ పోస్టులో ఆరోపిస్తున్నారు. ఆ పోస్టులో ఎంతవరకు నిజముందో చూద్దాం.
క్లెయిమ్: ముంబై రెడ్ లైట్ ఏరియాలో ABN ఆంధ్రజ్యోతి ఎండీ రాధాకృష్ణ భార్య మరియు అతని కూతురు పట్టుబడినట్టుగా షేర్ చేస్తున్న ABN న్యూస్ చానెల్ వీడియో.
ఫాక్ట్ (నిజం): ఆంధ్రజ్యోతి సంస్థల ఎండీ రాధాకృష్ణ యొక్క కుటుంబానికి సంబంధించి అటువంటి రిపోర్ట్ ఏది ABN న్యూస్ ఛానెల్ పబ్లిష్ చేయలేదు. 2021లో రాధాకృష్ణ సతీమణి కనకదుర్గ గుండెపోటుతో మరణించారు. ఆమెది సహజ మరణమే అని పలు వార్తా సంస్థలు రిపోర్ట్ చేశాయి. కనకదుర్గ మరణానికి సంబంధించి రాధాకృష్ణకు అతని కొడుకు మధ్య వాగ్వాదం చోటుచేసుకుందని గానీ, ఆమె మరణంపై అనుమానాలు వ్యక్తపరుస్తూ రాధాకృష్ణపై కేసు నమోదు చేసినట్టు గానీ  ఎక్కడా సమాచారం లేదు. కావున, పోస్టులో చేస్తున్న క్లెయిమ్ తప్పు.
పోస్టులో చేస్తున్న క్లెయింకు సంబంధించిన వివరాల కోసం కీ పదాలను ఉపయోగించి వెతికితే, ఆంధ్రజ్యోతి  ఎండీ రాధాకృష్ణ కుటుంబానికి సంబంధించి అటువంటి రిపోర్ట్ ఏది ABN న్యూస్ ఛానెల్ టెలికస్ట్ చేయలేదని తెలిసింది. పోస్టులో షేర్ చేసిన ABN న్యూస్ వీడియోలో ముంబై పేరుని ముంబాయి అని తప్పుగా రాసి ఉండటాన్ని మనం చూడవచ్చు. అంతేకాదు, వీడియోలో కనిపిస్తున్న బ్రేకింగ్ న్యూస్ టెంప్లేట్, ప్రస్తుత ABN న్యూస్ ఛానెల్ బ్రేకింగ్ న్యూస్ టెంప్లేట్‌తో పోలి లేదు. ఈ వివరాల ఆధారంగా పోస్టులో షేర్ చేసినది ఎడిట్ చేయబడిన వీడియో అని తెలుస్తుంది.
2021లో వేమూరు రాధాకృష్ణ సతీమణి కనకదుర్గ అనారోగ్యంతో బాధపడుతూ అపోలో ఆసుపత్రిలో చికిత్స పొందుతూ గుండెపోటుతో మరణించారు. ఆమె మరణాన్ని రిపోర్ట్ చేస్తూ పలు వార్తా సంస్థలు ఆర్టికల్స్ పబ్లిష్ చేశాయి. కనకదుర్గ మరణానికి సంబంధించి రాధాకృష్ణకు అతని కొడుకు మధ్య వాగ్వాదం చోటుచేసుకుందని గానీ , ఆమె మరణంపై అనుమానాలు వ్యక్తపరుస్తూ రాధాకృష్ణపై కేసు నమోదు చేసినట్టు గానీ ఏ ఒక్క వార్తా సంస్థ రిపోర్ట్ చేయలేదు.
సోషల్ మీడియాలో ప్రస్తుతం వైరల్ అవుతున్న ఈ వీడియోకి సంబంధించి మరింత సమాచారం కోసం  మేము ABN న్యూస్ ఛానెల్‌కు మెసేజ్ పెట్టము. వారి నుండి సమాధానం వచ్చిన వెంటనే ఈ ఆర్టికల్‌ను అప్డేట్ చేస్తాము.
ఇదివరకు, ABN న్యూస్ ఛానెల్ టెంప్లేట్లను ఎడిట్ చేసి రూపొంధించిన పలు ఫేక్ వీడియోలు లేదా ఫోటోలకు సంబంధించి ఫాక్ట్‌లీ ఫాక్ట్-చెక్ ఆర్టికల్స్ పబ్లిష్ చేసింది. అవి ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ చూడవచ్చు.
చివరగా, ఆంధ్రజ్యోతి సంస్థల ఎండీ రాధాకృష్ణ కుటుంబానికి సంబంధించి షేర్ చేస్తున్న ఈ ABN బ్రేకింగ్ న్యూస్ వీడియో ఎడిట్ చేసినది.

created: September 13, 2023


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This newspaper clipping reporting Rahul Gandhi's arrest in Boston Airport is digitally created, not real - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 2, 2021
An image of what looks like a newspaper clipping is being shared on social media claiming that Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi was arrested in Boston Airport on charges of drugs possession and carrying unaccountable cash in 2001. This purported newspaper clipping with the title “India Politician Arrested” was claimed to be published on 30 September 2001. The newspaper text states, “An Indian politician was detained at Boston airport when the airport security found him in possession of banned drugs and unaccounted cash. As per our sources, he is the son of a former Indian Prime Minister. He was later released after the intervention of the Indian ambassador to the U.S. reports AFP”. This post claim that Rahul Gandhi was released only after the intervention of the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Screenshot of an old newspaper clip reporting Rahul Gandhi’s arrest in Boston Airport.
Fact: The newspaper clip shared in the post was created using the newspaper clipping generator website ‘fodey.com’. It is not a real clipping. In September 2001, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was detained for “about an hour” in Boston Airport as part of the security precautions in the aftermath of ‘9/11’ terrorist attack in the U.S. The Boston Airport authority had not detained Rahul Gandhi on the charges of drug possession. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE
When we searched to check whether the ‘AFP’ news agency had reported any such news about an Indian politician’s arrest in the Boston Airport, we could not find any such news report on the AFP’s archives. But it is found that the AFP had published a fact-check article regarding this newspaper clip titled, “Indian Politician Arrested”. AFP clarified that the newspaper clipping reporting Rahul Gandhi’s arrest in Boston Airport was created using an online website, ‘fodey.com’.
‘fodey.com’ is an online newspaper clipping generator website that enables users to create newspaper clippings with their own headlines and story. ‘FACTLY’ was able to re-create a similar newspaper clipping using the ‘fodey.com’.
When we searched for more details regarding this claim made in the post, we found out that Rahul Gandhi was temporarily detained at Boston Logan International Airport in September 2001. Reporting this information, ‘The Hindu’ had published an article on 30 September 2001. According to the details provided in the article, FBI officials had detained Rahul Gandhi for ‘about an hour’ in Boston Airport, as part of the security measures taken in the aftermath of the ‘9/11’ terrorist attacks in the United States. Rahul Gandhi was immediately released after a general interrogation. The Boston Airport Authority had not detained Rahul Gandhi on the charges of drugs possession or carrying unaccountable cash.
To sum it up, this newspaper clipping reporting Rahul Gandhi’s arrest in Boston Airport is digitally created, not real.

created: November 2, 2021


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This newspaper clipping titled '7100 Acres of Indian territory occupied by Nepal' was published in 2018 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 6, 2022
A post sharing a newspaper clipping with the headline ‘7100 acres of Indian territory occupied by Nepal’ is being shared widely as a report on the recent incident. Let’s see how true it is through this article.
Claim: Newspaper clipping stating Nepal recently occupied 7100 acres of Indian territory.
Fact: Dainik Bhaskar’s article titled ‘7100 acres of Indian territory occupied by Nepal’ was published three years ago. This news was published in 2018, not recently. There are no recent news articles about Nepal occupying 7100 acres of Indian territory. So, what the post says is MISLEADING.
When we searched for this news item on the internet with the subject mentioned in the post, Dainik Bhaskar’s news article was found. The article actually says ‘7100 acres of Indian territory occupied by Nepal’. But, this article was written in 2018, not in 2021.
The article says that Nepal has acquired about 7100 acres of land in the West Champaran district of Bihar. The article states that illegal encroachment was taking place in some areas including Susta in Valmiki Nagar, Valmiki Tiger Reserve forests and Shivalik hills in Govardna. This was also reported by Janasatta.
We have not found any official response from the Government of India regarding this news report at that time. However, in 2020, when the government of Nepal released a revised map that included Indian territory, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs condemned it. Recently, Nepal once again claimed three villages in Uttarakhand as their own, according to the press.
To sum it up, this newspaper clipping titled ‘7100 acres of Indian land occupied by Nepal’ is an old one published in 2018 and not a recent report.


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This Nita Ambani’s tweet regarding the Palghar mob lynching incident is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 27, 2020
A post with the screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by Nita Ambani is making rounds on social media. The tweet is from Twitter handle ‘@0NitaAmbani’ and has a profile picture of Reliance Foundation Chairperson Nita Ambani. In the tweet, the opposition party leaders and Bollywood actors were criticized for their silence on the death of sadhus in the Palghar mob lynching incident. FACTLY has found that the account ‘@0NitaAmbani’ does not exist. As per Twitter policy,  accounts are taken down on the grounds of authenticity, safety, and privacy. And, when searched if Nita Ambani has an account on Twitter, it was found that she does not have any official Twitter account. So, Nita Ambani did not tweet in the context of the Palghar mob lynching incident and the tweet is from an impersonating account. Earlier, when screenshots of tweets on the name Nita Ambani went viral, FACTLY has debunked them and those fact-checks can be read here and here.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. Twitter account – https://twitter.com/0NitaAmbani
2. FACTLY Fact-check – https://factly.in/nita-ambani-did-not-tweet-supporting-nrc-and-cab-the-tweets-are-from-a-fake-twitter-handle/
3. FACTLY Fact-check – https://factly.in/no-nita-ambani-did-not-tweet-on-religious-conversion-it-was-from-a-fake-twitter-handle/
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This notice instructing all universities to conduct exams offline is not issued by UGC - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 17, 2021
A social media post accompanying an image that appears to be a notice by the University Grants Commission (UGC) instructing all the universities to conduct exams offline following COVID-19 protocols, is being shared widely across platforms. Let’s fact-check the authenticity of the viral notice shared in the post.
Claim: UGC notice instructing all the universities to conduct offline exams.
Fact: UGC did not issue any notice instructing universities to conduct exams offline. The viral notice is created digitally. UGC through another notice has categorically stated that the viral notice has not been issued by them. Further, PIB and many other news agencies have reported the viral notice as fake. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
While UGC has been issuing notices regularly on different issues which are made public on their official website, we could not find any letter as claimed in the viral post instructing universities to conduct offline exams.
In fact, UGC has issued a notice on 13 December 2021 clearing the air around the viral notice, categorically stating that the viral notice has not been issued by them. Further, this notice clarified that all the public notices issued by UGC are regularly uploaded on the UGC website www.ugc.ac.in.
Upon juxtaposing the viral notice with that of a real notice of UGC, it is evident that the viral notice is created using digital tools. We can observe a few errors in the viral notice like file no, font style of certain titles, etc.
UGC India and PIB have also clarified the same through Twitter. Their tweets have categorically rated the viral notice as fake. Further, Multiple news agencies have also reported the viral notice and the clarification issued by the UGC in this regard here, here, and here)
A public notice regarding offline examinations in universities is circulating on social media & claims to be issued by @ugc_india#PIBFactCheck:
➡This public notice is #FAKE!
➡University Grants Commission has NOT issued any such notice.
For info 🔗https://t.co/7iXW8wa5Ep pic.twitter.com/DxY6QbQtmg
In fact, through another notice dated 13 December 2021, UGC has left it to the colleges to take a call on reopening of the universities, conduct of classes, and examinations. The circular reads ‘HEIs may take appropriate decision with regard to opening of campuses; conducting classes and examinations in offline/online/ blended mode in accordance with the guidelines-issued by the UGC and following COVID Appropriate Behavior and necessary protocols /guidelines /directions /advisories issued” by the Central/state Governments or competent authorities from time to time, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.’
To sum it up, this notice instructing all universities to conduct exams offline is not issued by UGC.

created: December 17, 2021


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This offensive-worded math problem circulating on social media is not from any West Bengal textbook - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 17, 2023
A Facebook post carrying an image of a math problem is being shared on social media claiming it is from the West Bengal class III textbook. The question, when translated to English, reads- “A mujahid killed 24 enemies on the first day, 18 on the second day and 12 on the third day. In total, how many enemies did he kill?”. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of an offensive worded math problem from West Bengal class III Text book.
Fact: Image shows a math problem in the book ‘Ideal Muslim Mathematics Education Class I’. It is published by Qawmi Madrasa Publications- Dhaka and is meant for class I Madrasa students in Bangladesh. West Bengal Class III Math Textbook ‘Amar Ganit’ doesn’t contain any such words as claimed in the viral post. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
First, We searched for the class III math textbook on the official website of the School Education Department, Government of West Bengal. The title of the book is ‘Amar Ganit’. However, after a complete review of the book, covering its contents from the beginning to the end, we were unable to locate any such math problem in the entire book as claimed in the post.
We then searched the internet with relevant keywords and found that the same picture has been uploaded by one Babu Mredha on Facebook on 10 April 2020 objecting to the inappropriate language used in the book. However, he mentioned that the name of the book is “Ideal Muslim Math Education Class I” and posted a cover image of the same.
Taking a cue from this, we searched the internet and found that this book is actually meant for Madrasas in Bangladesh. The book, which is sold on several Bangladeshi e-commerce sites is published by ‘Qawmi Madrasa Publications- Dhaka’
Moreover, the header text in the viral image matches with the title of the book.
To sum it up, from the above evidence, we can conclude that the image shared in the viral post doesn’t show the contents of the West Bengal Class III Math Textbook. The book is published for Class I students of Madrasas in Bangladesh.

created: February 17, 2023


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This old photo of a catfish spill from a truck in China is falsely shared as ‘Rain of fish’ in Honduras - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 4, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that the photo shows the “Rain of fish” event in Yoro, Honduras. The post even claims that “Rain of fish” is an annual weather event in which hundreds of fish rain from the sky onto the city of Yoro in Honduras. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing “Rain of fish” event in Yoro, Honduras.
Fact: The photo is from China and not Honduras. The door of a truck carrying 6,800 kgs of catfish was accidently opened on a street in Kaili, Guizhou province in China in 2015. The people were seen picking up catfish that have fallen from the truck. “Rain of Fish” or Lluvia De Peces is said to be an event that occurs at least once or sometimes twice in a year in the town of Yoro, in Honduras. There are various scientific and religious explanations given to the event. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, a Firstpost article with the same image was found. The article titled, ‘Fish! Chinese city’s streets filled with hundreds of catfish after accident’ was published on 20 March 2015. The door of a truck carrying 6,800 kgs of catfish was accidentally opened on a street in Kaili, Guizhou province. In the image, the people were seen picking up catfish that have fallen from the truck. News articles that reported about the same incident with similar images from China can be seen here and here.
“Rain of Fish” or Lluvia De Peces is said to be an event that occurs at least once or sometimes twice in a year in the town of Yoro, in Honduras (a country in Central America). Hundreds of fish supposedly rain from the sky onto the streets during this event, which has varying explanations. According to a legend, the event is attributed to the prayers of Manuel de Jesus Subirana, a Catholic missionary from Spain who in the mid-1800s asked God to help ease Yoro’s hunger. The fish rain, according to the legend, started soon after the prayers.
One scientific explanation given is the Waterspouts which are little tornadoes formed over a body of water. These can lift small animals from the water and into the air. In the 1970s, National Geographic witnessed the event and suggested the fish came up from under the ground rather than falling from the sky. Articles about this event can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, this old photo of a catfish spill from a truck in China is falsely shared as ‘Rain of fish’ in Honduras.

created: August 4, 2021


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This old video from Amravati violence is falsely linked to protests after Kishan Bharwad’s murder - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 7, 2022
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows the reaction of Hindus against Muslims after the murder of Kishan Bharwad, who was killed in Dhandhuka (Gujarat) by a group of men over a social media post. The accused in the murder case are Muslims. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post
Claim: Video shows the reaction of Hindus against Muslims after the murder of Kishan Bharwad.
Fact: The posted video is old and not related to any recent protests after the murder of Kishan Bharwad. The video shows mob violence in Amravati (a city in Maharashtra) which happened in November 2021. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, a similar video was found in the search results. It was posted in November 2021. So, the video is not related to any recent protests after the murder of Kishan Bharwad. Also, on the video, it is written that it is related to Amravati (a city in Maharashtra).
The same shops seen in the posted video can be found in the photo published by the ‘Business Standard’ in its article on the Amravati mob violence, which happened in November 2021 during a bandh.
Also, when other unrelated videos are shared recently in the context of the murder of Kishan Bharwad with a similar claim, FACTLY has written a fact-check article debunking them. The fact-check article can be read here. However, some protest rallies after Kishan Bharwad’s murder, like in Rajkot, had turned violent.
To sum it up, an old video from Amravati mob violence is falsely shared as a reaction of Hindus against Muslims after Kishan Bharwad’s murder.

created: February 7, 2022


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This old video of a doctor suffering a massive heart attack while on duty is from Bengaluru, not Mumbai - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 31, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming it shows CCTV visuals of a cardiologist suffering a massive heart attack while on rounds recently in Vinayak Hospital in Mumbai. This post mentions the woman as Dr. Sunitha, a cardiologist working in Vinayak hospital. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent video of a cardiologist suffering a massive heart attack while on duty in Vinayak Hospital in Mumbai.
Fact: The video shared in the post shows an old incident that took place at Vinayak Hospital in Bangalore, Karnataka. On 26 November 2017, Heart Specialist Dr. Sunitha while on duty had a massive heart stroke and passed away in Vinayak Hospital. This incident did not take place in Mumbai. Hence the post is MISLEADING.
When you observe the video carefully, we could see the date 11-26-2017 at the top of the CCTV footage. So, it can be confirmed that the footage shows an old incident that took place in November 2017. On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, the same video was found in a Facebook post made on 14 December 2017. Sharing the video, this post mentioned that Heart Specialist Dr. Sunitha had died of a massive heart attack while on duty in Vinayak hospital in Bangalore, Karnataka. A few other social media users have also shared this video with a similar description in December 2017.
The ‘Newsflare’ shared the same video in an article published in December 2017. Reporting the details of this incident to the ‘Newsflare’, Vinayak hospital said, “We rushed her to the ICU and gave her the best possible treatment including an intracardiac injection. But she failed to respond and passed away”. A few other news websites have published articles reporting this incident in 2017. They can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, this old video of a doctor suffering a heart attack while on duty is from Bengaluru, not from Mumbai


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This old video shows Jharkhand BJP leader Rajdhani Yadav hitting and arguing with a District Transport Officer - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 23, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming that the person seen hitting another man in the video is a BJP MLA from Bihar. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Video shows a Bihar BJP MLA hitting a DC (District Collector)
Fact: The video shared in the post shows an incident from January 2018. According to news reports, Rajdhani Yadav, a BJP leader from Jharkhand, assaulted a District Transport Officer (DTO) for removing the nameplate on his car. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Based on the claim, we searched the internet with relevant keywords, looking for relevant media reports. This led us to a video news report published on the YouTube channel ‘V6 News Telugu’. The description of this video which contained the same visuals as the viral video, reads ‘Jharkhand BJP Leader Beats Up District Transport Officer For Removing Number-plate From Car.‘
Based on this, we searched further for news reports on this incident, leading us to various media reports from 2018. You can access them here, here, and here. According to Indian Express, Rajdhani Yadav, a district-level leader of Jharkhand’s Latehar District, assaulted the District Transport Officer (DTO) for removing the nameplate on his car. The nameplate contained the name of his post, which is against the law. This evidence clearly shows that the viral post shares this video with a false claim.
To summarise, an old video of Jharkhand BJP leader Rajdhani Yadav hitting and arguing with a District Transport Officer is falsely shared as BJP MLA from Bihar hitting a District Collector.

created: December 23, 2022


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This opinion poll screenshot is edited using – ‘News 24’ template, ‘Manorama News’ anchor photo, ‘News 7 Tamil’ edited logo - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 1, 2022
A screenshot of an opinion poll purportedly reported by the ‘News 7’ channel is being shared on social media. It is being claimed that Aam Aadmi Party is predicted to get more seats than Congress and BSP in Uttar Pradesh elections as per the opinion poll. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of an opinion poll on ‘News 7’ channel showing that AAP might win more seats than Congress and BSP in UP.
Fact: The posted screenshot is an edited one. It is a combination of three different items– template from News 24, an anchor photo from ‘Manorama News’ (2016), the edited logo of ‘News 7 Tamil’. There is no Aam Aadmi Party in the opinion poll numbers reported by ‘News 24’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On running the photo through Google Reverse Image Search, no useful information was found in the search results. So, when we searched with specific keywords from the photo, a video by ‘News 24’ was found in the search results. In the video, the same template can be seen. However, the logo, anchor, and opinion poll numbers are not the same. They have been edited. In the video, ‘News 24’ reported about opinion polls conducted by various agencies but none of the graphics had any numbers about the Aam Aadmi Party.
The anchor photo was picked from a video published by ‘Manorama News’ (a Malayalam News Channel) in 2016.
Also, the ‘News 7 Tamil’ logo has been edited and inserted in the posted photo.
So, three different things (template, anchor photo, channel logo) were combined to make the edited photo in the post. Some have also edited the original ‘News 24’ screenshot to falsely suggest that BSP is getting a majority in the opinion polls.
To sum it up, the posted opinion poll screenshot is an edited one. It is a combination of three different items – a template from News 24, an anchor photo from ‘Manorama News’ (2016), the edited logo of ‘News 7 Tamil’.

created: February 1, 2022


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This Oxford study does not say that fully vaccinated healthcare workers carry 251 times viral load compared to the unvaccinated - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 8, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media claiming that an oxford study found that fully vaccinated healthcare workers carry 251 times the viral load compared to the unvaccinated, proving that the COVID-19 vaccines make you worse. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: An Oxford University study finds fully vaccinated healthcare workers carry 251 times viral load compared to the unvaccinated proving that COVID-19 vaccines make you worse.
Fact: The study is about the Delta variant and explaining ‘breakthrough cases’ among vaccinated healthcare workers because of the Delta variant. There is no focus on unvaccinated versus the vaccinated cases. According to the study, ‘Viral loads of breakthrough Delta variant infection cases were 251 times higher than those of cases infected with old strains detected between March-April 2020’. According to CDC and another recent Oxford University study, infected people who are doubly vaccinated carry the same amount of viral load (for Delta variant) as the unvaccinated people. Obtaining two vaccine doses remains the most effective way to ensure protection against COVID-19 Delta variant. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched on google about such an Oxford University study, with the same claim made in the post, two articles (here and here) were found. The articles make the same claim (as made in the post) and cite a preprint paper by the Oxford University Clinical Research Group, published on 10 August 2021 in ‘The Lancet’.
However, according to the findings of the paper, ‘Viral loads of breakthrough Delta variant infection cases were 251 times higher than those of cases infected with old strains detected between March-April 2020’. The paper does not say that there was a difference between viral loads in vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
According to the paper, the authors are investigating breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant infections among double-vaccinated healthcare workers of a major infectious diseases hospital in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. This is a Preprint paper that is not yet peer-reviewed (generally, a peer-reviewed paper is more credible). According to this Lancet page, Preprints “should not be used for clinical decision making or reporting of research to a lay audience without indicating that it is preliminary research that has not been peer-reviewed”.
Reuters had written a fact-check article on a similar claim and approached Chi Ngo, senior communications officer for the Centre for Tropical Medicine at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit for comment. According to Ngo in the article, “This study is about the Delta variant and explaining ‘breakthrough cases’ among vaccinated healthcare workers because of the Delta variant, there is no focus on unvaccinated versus the vaccinated cases.”
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Delta variant is highly contagious and more than twice as contagious as previous variants. ‘For people infected with the Delta variant, similar amounts of viral genetic material have been found among both unvaccinated and fully vaccinated people. However, like prior variants, the amount of viral genetic material may go down faster in fully vaccinated people when compared to unvaccinated people.’
According to a recent Oxford University – Office for National Statistics (ONS) study, infected people who are doubly vaccinated carry the same amount of viral load (for Delta variant) as the unvaccinated people. However, the COVID-19 vaccines offer protection against symptomatic infection, and fully vaccinated people are less likely to contract COVID-19 in the first place.
To sum it up, this Oxford study does not say that fully vaccinated healthcare workers carry 251 times viral load compared to the unvaccinated.

created: September 8, 2021


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This person advising Hindus to look into their religious texts is not a Muslim Scholar. His name is Acharya Prashant Sharma, a Hindu - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 19, 2023
A video is circulating on social media that features a bearded man advising Hindus to read their religious texts to protect themselves. The claim accompanying the video suggests that the man is a Muslim scholar. Let’s examine the truthfulness of this claim through this fact-checking article.
Claim: The video depicts a Muslim scholar making provocative statements against Muslims and advising Hindus to read their religious texts to learn how to protect themselves.
Fact: The individual in the video is not a Muslim scholar but Acharya Prashant Sharma, a Hindu affiliated with the Arya Samaj Hindu organization. Therefore the claim made in the post is False.
While skimming through the comment section, we found a user mentioning that the person in the viral video is not a Muslim scholar. Instead, they identified the person as Acharya Prashant Sharma. Another user said he belongs to the Arya Samaj, a Hindu organization.
Upon searching for Acharya Prashant Sharma on the internet, we found a Facebook page which contains videos and photos of the same man featured in the viral video. Acharya Prashant Sharma posts content on Hinduism on this page. The page’s introduction, translated from Hindi, states, “The aim is to make Vedic philosophy accessible to you.”
On Acharya Prashant Sharma’s Facebook page, we discovered the original longer version of the viral video titled “Udaipur Hatyakhand” (Killing of a Hindu Tailor Kanhaiya Lal by two Muslim men). In the video, he advises Hindus to read their religious texts to protect themselves. A portion of this video, starting from 1.47 Seconds, is what we see in the viral post. Acharya Prashant also uploaded a smaller version of this video on Twitter, where he said, ‘They have learned terror from Quran, what have you learned from Vedas? Don’t be afraid, have to fight.’
This evidence establishes that the person in the viral video is Acharya Prashant Sharma, who makes content related to the Hindu religion and posts on social media. Further research by us also revealed that he is not a Muslim scholar.
Acharya Prashant Sharma’s clarification
Videos with similar claims went viral on social media last year, after which Acharya Prashant Sharma shared a post on his Facebook page where he attached screenshots of social media posts and WhatsApp forwards that refer to him as a Muslim scholar. In this post, he questions the claim, stating, “Hey brother, which Muslim recites Veda mantras in Hindi and Sanskrit like this?” He further mentions that the media organization Aaj Tak contacted him for a fact check.
In an interview with Boom Live, Acharya Prashant Sharma confirmed that he is a Hindu and is associated with the Arya Samaj. He clarifies that it is incorrect to associate him with any other religion.
To sum up, it is evident that the man featured in the video is not a Muslim scholar but Acharya Prashant Sharma, a Hindu associated with the Arya Samaj Hindu organization.


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This person who passed away recently was a kabaddi player from Pakistan, not an Afghanistan cricketer - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 22, 2022
A photo is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows an Afghanistan cricketer who passed away recently. His name is Muzammil Bota. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo shows Muzammil Bota, an Afghanistan cricketer who passed away recently.
Fact: While it is true that the name of the person in the photo is Muzammil Bota, he is not an Afghanistan cricketer. He is a kabaddi player from Pakistan. It is reported that he passed away recently. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A logo with the name – ‘Thru Media’ can be seen on the photo. The uncropped version of the same photo can be found on the ‘Thru Media’ social media page. On reading the comments on that post, it was found that he is Muzammil Bota, a kabaddi player from Pakistan. The ‘International Kabaddi Club’ Facebook page has also made a lot of posts regarding the death of Muzammil Bota. Those posts can be seen here, here, and here.
Sohail Imran, a Sports correspondent for Geo TV network, tweeted saying – “ Sad news: According to Pakistan Kabaddi Federation, International Kabaddi player Muzamil Botha has passed away due to heart attack” (translated). The other posts regarding the death of Muzammil Bota can be seen here, here, here, and here. All those reports referred to him as a kabaddi player from Pakistan, not a cricketer from Afghanistan.
To sum it up, the person in the posted photo who passed away recently was a kabaddi player from Pakistan, not an Afghanistan cricketer.

created: September 22, 2022


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చేగువేరా చిత్రపటం చెత్తకుప్పలో పడి ఉన్న ఫోటోని తీసింది స్పెయిన్ దేశంలో, క్యూబాలో కాదు - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 16, 2021
క్యూబా ప్రజలు చేగువేరా చిత్రపటాన్ని చెత్తకుప్పలో పడేసిన దృశ్యం, అంటూ సోషల్ మీడియాలో ఒక ఫోటో షేర్ అవుతుంది. క్యూబా దేశంలో ప్రభుత్వ వ్యతిరేక నిరసనలు వెల్లువెత్తుతున్న ప్రస్తుత నేపథ్యంలో, ఈ ఫోటో సోషల్ మీడియాలో షేర్ అవుతుంది. ఆ పోస్టులో ఎంతవరకు నిజముందో చూద్దాం.
క్లెయిమ్: క్యూబా ప్రజలు చేగువేరా చిత్రపటాన్ని చెత్తకుప్పలో పడేసిన ఫోటో.
ఫాక్ట్ (నిజం): పోస్టులో షేర్ చేసిన ఫోటోని 2020లో స్పెయిన్ దేశ రాజధాని మాడ్రిడ్ నగరంలో తీసారు. ఈ ఫోటోని అలెజాండ్రో ఒలియా అనే ఫోటోగ్రాఫర్ తీసారు. ఈ ఫోటో క్యూబా దేశానికి సంబంధించినది కాదు. కావున, పోస్టులో చేస్తున్న క్లెయిమ్ తప్పు.
పోస్టులో షేర్ చేసిన ఫోటోని రివర్స్ ఇమేజ్ సెర్చ్ చేసి వెతికితే, ఇదే ఫోటోని షేర్ చేస్తూ ‘LA RAZÓN’ న్యూస్ వెబ్సైటు 17 సెప్టెంబర్ 2020 నాడు ఆర్టికల్ పబ్లిష్ చేసినట్టు తెలిసింది. ఈ ఫోటోని స్పెయిన్ దేశ రాజధాని మాడ్రిడ్ నగరంలో తీసినట్టు ఈ ఆర్టికల్‌లో తెలిపారు. మాడ్రిడ్ నగరంలో ఒక స్ట్రీట్‌లో కమ్యూనిస్ట్ ఉద్యమకారుడు చేగువేరా చిత్రపటం చెత్తకుప్ప కంటైనర్లో పడేసినట్టు ఈ ఫోటో వివరణలో తెలిపారు. ఈ ఫోటోని ‘LA RAZÓN’ న్యూస్ సంస్థ ఫోటోగ్రాఫర్ అలెజాండ్రో ఒలియా తీసినట్టు ఈ ఆర్టికల్‌లో క్రెడిట్ ఇచ్చారు.
‘AFP Factual’ ఫాక్ట్-చెకింగ్ సంస్థ ఈ ఫోటోపై స్పష్టత కొరకు అలెజాండ్రో ఒలియాని సంప్రదించారు. అలెజాండ్రో ఒలియా, తను ఈ ఫోటోని 14 జూన్ 2020 నాడు మాడ్రిడ్ నగరంలోని స్ట్రీట్ కాస్టేలర్ లో తీసినట్టు AFP కి తెలిపారు. అలెజాండ్రో ఒలియా ఈ ఫోటోకి సంబంధించి ఇచ్చిన స్పష్టతను ‘AFP Factual’ వెబ్సైటు రిపోర్ట్ చేస్తూ ఫాక్ట్-చెక్ ఆర్టికల్ పబ్లిష్ చేసింది.
క్యూబా ప్రభుత్వ వ్యతిరేక నిరసనలో భాగంగా చేగువేరా చిత్రపటాన్ని క్యూబా ప్రజలు చెత్తకుప్పలో పడేశారని ఒక యూసర్ ఈ ఫోటోని ట్విటర్‌లో షేర్ చేసినప్పుడు, ఈ ఫోటో స్పెయిన్ దేశంలో తీసిన పాత ఫోటో అని CPI(M) పుదుచెర్రి అధికారిక ట్విట్టర్ హేండిల్ ట్వీట్ పెట్టింది. ఈ ఫోటో క్యూబా దేశంలో తీసినది కాదని వారు స్పష్టం చేసారు.
How #fakenews is born: A painting with the image of Che Guevara deposited in a rubbish and garbage container on a street in the center of Madrid in Spain.
– CECILIA GARCIA @ ce67cigarcia https://t.co/lmugofTnfj
క్యూబా ప్రభుత్వం కరోనా మహమ్మారిని నియంత్రించడంలో విఫలం అవడం, పౌర స్వేచ్ఛపై ఆంక్షలు, క్యూబా ఆర్థిక వ్యవస్థ పతనాన్ని నిరసిస్తూ వేలాది మంది నిరసనకారులు దేశ రాజధాని హవానాతో పాటు మరికొన్ని నగరాలలో ఇటీవల పెద్ద ఎత్తున ఆందోళనలు చేపట్టారు. ఈ నిరసనకి సంబంధించి పబ్లిష్ అయిన న్యూస్ అర్టికల్స్‌ని ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ చూడవచ్చు.
చివరగా, చేగువేరా చిత్రపటం చెత్తకుప్పలో పడి ఉన్న ఫోటోని స్పెయిన్ దేశంలో తీసారు, క్యూబాలో తీసినది కాదు.


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This photo collage is falsely shared to give the impression that students faked their injuries amidst the violence in JNU on Ram Navami - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 12, 2022
A photo collage through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that students from JNU were faking their injuries amidst the violence in JNU on Ram Navami. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo collage proving that JNU students faked their injuries amidst the violence in JNU on Ram Navami.
Fact: There was a gap of six minutes between the two photos. The photo where the woman in the blue dress was unconscious was taken at 8:15 pm. The other photo of a woman bleeding was taken at 8:21 pm after she was hit by a rock. There was violence in JNU after the members of the ABVP & Left affiliated student organizations fought with each other on Ram Navami. The left affiliated student groups alleged that ABVP tried to stop cooking of non-vegetarian food on Ram Navami. An FIR was registered against some unknown members of the ABVP by the Delhi police. The ABVP also alleged that a Ram Navami puja was disrupted by left groups on campus. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When a reverse image search is done on the photo collage, a similar photo collage, though in a different sequence, was found in an article by the wire. According to the article, there was violence in JNU after the members of the ABVP allegedly tried to stop non-vegetarian food that was being cooked on Ram Navami. An FIR was registered against some unknown members of the ABVP by the Delhi police. The ABVP also alleged that a Ram Navami puja was disrupted by left groups on campus.
According to a report by NDTV, the woman bleeding in the picture is ‘Akhtarista Ansari’. She later said that she had been discharged from AIIMS. When we searched online with relevant keywords, we found a tweet from Kavita Krishnan CPI-ML leader. From the tweet, it could be inferred that the other woman in the photo, who was wearing a blue dress, is Madhurima Kundu.
#NDTVExclusive | "ABVP goons heckled the food supplier, not allowing him to supply chicken… They tried to grab female students, and brutally attack with anything they could find… I was attacked with a rock to my head": Akhtarista Ansari, injured in JNU clashes last night pic.twitter.com/Q14rrI779q
Madhurima Kundu tweeted about the photos that were taken during the incident. She posted the photos along with their metadata, saying that there was a gap of 6 minutes between the two photos. She even said, “I got unconscious after being hit. After I got control over myself, and we started moving out, Akhtarista was hit by a big rock.” Multiple fact-checking agencies accessed the original images and verified the metadata to confirm the sequence of events.
To sum it up, the photo collage is shared to give the impression that students faked their injuries amidst the violence in JNU on Ram Navami.


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This photo collage of elderly women is falsely shared as Bilkis Dadi visiting Ayodhya. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 10, 2021
A post with a photo collage is being widely shared on social media claiming that the woman in the photos is Bilkis Dadi who is on a visit to Ayodhya. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo collage of Bilkis Dadi visiting Ayodhya.
Fact: The photo collage does not show Bilkis Dadi visiting Ayodhya. The first photo is of an elderly woman (not Bilkis Dadi) being greeted by Arvind Kejriwal, who was on a pilgrimage to Ayodhya under ‘Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana’ of the Delhi government. The second photo is of Mohinder Kaur, an octogenarian farmers’ union member, taken in 2020. Bilkis Bano or Bilkis Dadi rose to fame after she was involved in the anti-CAA protests held in Shaheen Bagh. There are no recent articles which say that Bilkis Dadi was going to visit Ayodhya. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When reverse image search is done on the photo collage, the first photo (left side) of the collage was found in a tweet posted by Arvind Kejriwal. The tweet was made on 03 December 2021 when Arvind Kejriwal was at the Safdarjung Railway Station to flag off a train for the pilgrims visiting Ayodhya. It was the first train to Ayodhya under the ‘Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana’ launched by the Kejriwal government in 2019. There was no mention of Bilkis Bano (or Bilkis Dadi) in any of the news reports about the event.
कुछ दिन पहले अयोध्या जी में श्री रामलला के दर्शन किए तो मन में एक विचार आया, दिल्ली के अपने सभी बुजुर्गों को भी भगवान श्री राम के दर्शन कराउं
दिल्ली से अयोध्या के लिए आज तीर्थयात्रा की पहली ट्रेन को रवाना किया। ये मेरे लिए बेहद भावुक पल थे, सबकी यात्रा मंगलमय हो।
जय श्री राम। pic.twitter.com/rO0dsv0m2b
When reverse image search is done on the second photo (right side), a similar photo was found in a tweet by a journalist. The tweet made on 25 November says that she was a woman farmer marching to Delhi for the farmers’ protest. Even a news report that carried the same photo, mentioned her as an elderly woman. There was no mention of Bilkis Dadi here.
Age is just a number! Salute to this woman farmer who is marching to Delhi to #Protest against #AgricultureLaws #ChaloDilli @SardarVm @AbjinderSangha @ramanmann1974 @_YogendraYadav @Devinder_Sharma pic.twitter.com/Z6s9iKKFaX
When a similar claim went viral in 2020 saying that the woman in the photo is Bilkis Dadi, Boom had written a fact-check article identifying the woman as “Mohinder Kaur, an octogenarian farmers’ union member”.
Bilkis Bano or Bilkis Dadi rose to fame after she was involved in the anti-CAA protests held in Shaheen Bagh. There are no recent articles that say  Bilkis Dadi was going to visit Ayodhya. We were not able to independently identify the women in the photo collage.
To sum it up, this photo collage of elderly women is falsely shared as Bilkis Dadi visiting Ayodhya.

created: December 10, 2021


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This photo contains unrelated images captured at various places to spread a false narrative. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 9, 2022
An article that narrates the tale of two elephants that fought in Kerala was published by vartamanjari.in. The title of this article in Kannada translates to ‘Look At The Story Of The Leopard That Went To The Elephant’s Trunk.’ It contains a thumbnail in which an elephant can be seen on top of a leopard while a monkey, seemingly wailing, sits and watches with a baby in its hands. There is also a youtube video link provided in the article, claiming that it was a rare incident in Kerala. Let’s verify the details of this video.
Claim: A story of a leopard that went under an elephant’s trunk and a fable of a fight that erupted between two elephants in Kerala.
Fact: The article’s title, its thumbnail, the story, and the contents provided in the video linked in the article do not correlate. The thumbnail is created using old images. There are no news reports of two elephants that fought in Kerala recently, and the video linked is from March 2022. There are multiple online videos with a thumbnail similar to the articles. Hence the claim made in the post is False.
We ran a reverse image search on the internet and found that the images used in the article’s thumbnail have been used in the past to make other thumbnails (here and here). The elephant’s image is a stock photo captured in Thailand (here), and photographer Avinash Lodhi (here and here) has captured the picture of the crying monkey. Clearly, the article’s thumbnail is edited.
We performed a basic keyword search to know if any news reports were published about the incident where two elephants fought in Kerala. This did not lead us to any credible resources.
The article also provides a link to a video, and in its last paragraph, mentions it is the video of a rare incident that happened in Ka. The video is titled ‘ ‘Herd Of Elephants Rescues Baby Monkey From Leopard Hunting – Elephant vs Lion, Rhino, Crocodile.‘
This Youtube video was uploaded in March 2022. Here Ka can be the state code of Karnataka. We looked for news reports about a herd of elephants rescuing a baby monkey in Karnataka, but that led us to no relevant information. This article clearly uses a photoshopped image as a thumbnail. It contains a story which is unrelated to the thumbnail and the title, and an old video about an incident that was not reported by any reputed organization. With this evidence, we can conclude that it is a clickbait story concocted with various unrelated elements.
This photo contains unrelated images captured at various places to spread a false narrative.

created: December 9, 2022


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This photo crediting PM Modi for the Mirabai Chanu’s Olympic medal is a morphed one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 2, 2021
A photo of the banner from the Indian Weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu’s felicitation ceremony is being shared on social media claiming that the Government of India had credited PM Narendra Modi for the Olympic medal. The text on the banner reads, “धन्यवाद मोदी जी मीराबाई चानू को मेडल दिलाने के लिए” (English translation: “Thank you Modi Ji for getting a medal to Mirabai Chanu”). Indian Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu had recently bagged a silver medal in the Women’s 49 kg weightlifting category in the ongoing Tokyo Olympics 2020.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A banner displayed at Mirabai Chanu’s felicitation ceremony credited the Olympic medal to PM Modi.
Fact: Photo of the banner shared in the post is a morphed one. The text crediting PM Modi for Mirabai Chanu’s Olympic medal was not visible on the original banner displayed at the felicitation ceremony of Mirabai Chanu. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for the photo using the appropriate keywords, a similar photo was found in a ‘PIB’ press release on 27 July 2021.  ‘PIB’ reported that Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and other Union Ministers had felicitated Saikhom Mirabai Chanu after she returned to India with the silver medal at Tokyo Olympics 2020. But the text crediting PM Modi for Mirabai Chanu’s Olympic medal was not visible on the original banner photo published in the ‘PIB’ press release.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted the same photo from his Twitter handle. The banner visible in this photo has no text crediting PM Modi for the Olympic medal.
Several news websites have published videos reporting Mirabai Chanu’s felicitation ceremony. They can be seen here and here. It is nowhere reported that the Government of India had credited Mirabai Chanu’s Olympic medal to PM Narendra Modi.
Earlier, when a morphed photo of the ‘Aaj Tak’ bulletin was shared with a similar claim, FACTLY published a fact-check article. It can be read here.
To sum it up, this banner picture crediting PM Modi for Mirabai Chanu Olympic medal is a morphed one.

created: August 2, 2021


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This photo depicting the day and night regions of Earth is a digital composite, not real - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 21, 2023
A photo depicting Earth’s night and day regions at a time, over African and European continents, is being shared on social media, claiming it as a rare pic. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Calim: A rare photo depicting the Earth’s day and night regions.
Fact: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) described this photo as ‘a digital composite of archived images taken by several Earth-orbiting satellites and ocean-faring ships.‘ Hence the claim made in the post is Misleading.
The line that separates the sunlit side and the night side regions of the Earth is called the Terminator. This photo is an example of the terminator line from the space. This is depicted in the viral photo.
We conducted a reverse image search on the internet to check if this is a rare picture of the Terminator line on Earth. This search led us to an article published by NASA in 2003, which contained a viral photo with a caption that reads ‘A Digital Sunset Over Europe and Africa.’
In the article, NASA explained that a single spacecraft or an astronaut did not capture the image. ‘It is a digital composite of archived images taken by several Earth-orbiting satellites and ocean-faring ships.’ NASA wrote.
According to NASA, such images can be generated for any location on the Earth using the Earth and Moon Viewer web tool. Such images are used by scientists to ‘interpret complex data and communicate their understanding to others.’ Read this article by NASA to learn more about how this image was made.
To sum up, this photo which shows day and night regions of the Earth at a time is a digital composite, not real.


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This photo does not show a Hindu family who converted to Islam in the US - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 8, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming that four members of the same Hindu family have recently converted to Islam in the United States. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a Hindu family who converted to Islam in the United States.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows an old picture of a German family who converted to Islam at the Al-Tawhid Mosque in Hurghada, Egypt. The photo does not show a Hindu family who converted to Islam  in the US. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, similar pictures were found in a Facebook post published on 07 November 2015. Sharing these photos, the Facebook user mentioned that a German named Donel Clause had converted to Islam along with his family in Hurghada, Egypt.
When we searched for further sources using these keywords, the same photo was found in an article published by the ‘youm7.com’ website on 06 November 2015. This article reported it as the picture of a German family who converted to Islam at Al-Tawhid Mosque in Hurghada. According to the details reported in the article, Donel Clause along with his wife and two children have converted to Islam at Al-Tawhid Mosque in Hurghada. The photo was reportedly taken after Al-Tawhid Mosque’s Imam had distributed a copy of the Quran to each of the family members. We could not find the past religious background of this family.
Lately, there are no news reports about a Hindu family converting to Islam in the US. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the post shared an old picture of a German family who converted to Islam in Egypt.
To sum it up, this photo does not show a Hindu family who converted to Islam in the US.


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This photo does not show an old image of Tamil Nadu Minister E. V. Velu pulling the rickshaw of late Karunanidhi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 8, 2023
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is an old picture of E. Vachira Velu, the DMK politician and the present Tamil Nadu Minister for Public Works Department, pulling the rickshaw of the late Karunanidhi, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. In the wake of ED’s recent raids on properties allegedly linked to E. V. Velu in Tamil Nadu, the post alleges that a rickshaw puller now owns thousands of crores and has become the cabinet minister in the DMK government in Tamil Nadu. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Old picture of DMK politician E. V. Velu pulling the rickshaw of the late Karunanidhi.
Fact: The rickshaw puller seen in the picture is not E. V. Velu. The photo was taken during a campaign for the 1991 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections in Chennai. E. V. Velu graduated in Tamil literature and initially worked as a bus conductor before contesting for the first time and won on behalf of the AIADMK Party in the 1984 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. E. V. Velu joined the DMK party in the year 2000 and there are no news reports about E. V. Velu’s involvement in the DMK Party’s campaign for the 1991 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections.. A few Journalists from Tamil Nadu too confirmed that the rickshaw puller seen in the photo was not E. V. Velu. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the same photo was found in an article (archived) published by ‘The Hindu’ on 28 November 2018. The description of the photo states, “On the road: During the campaign for the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in Harbour constituency in Chennai on May 11, 1991.” It is nowhere mentioned in the description that the rickshaw puller seen in the photo was E. V. Velu.
The Vikatan news site published an article reporting the political journey of E. V. Velu. According to the article, E. V. Velu graduated in Tamil literature and initially worked as a bus conductor before contesting for the first time and winning on behalf of the AIADMK Party from the Thandarampatu Assembly constituency in the 1984 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
E. V. Velu then supported Janaki faction of the AIADMK after M. G Ramachandran’s death in 1987 and later, served as a policy secretary for the MGR Party founded by K. Bhagyaraj. As per the article published by the BBC News, E. V. Velu joined the DMK party in 2000 and recorded victories in the 2001 and 2006 assembly elections from the Thandarambattu constituency.
Later, E. V. Velu shifted his constituency to Tiruvannamalai and won consecutive elections in the 2011, 2016, and 2021 Assembly elections. No news reports have verified E. V. Velu’s involvement in the DMK Party’s campaign for the 1991 Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections. A few Journalists from Tamil Nadu too confirmed that the rickshaw puller seen in the photo was not E. V. Velu.
To sum it up, the man pulling the rickshaw of the late Karunanidhi in this photo is not Tamil Nadu Minister E. V. Velu.

created: November 8, 2023


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This photo does not show Nicole Kidman’s reaction to Will Smith’s onstage altercation with Chris Rock at the Oscars - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 30, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as the picture of Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman’s shocking reaction to Will Smith’s onstage altercation with Chris Rock at the Oscar Award ceremony. On 28 March 2022, during the 94 Academy Awards ceremony, Hollywood actor Will Smith slapped comedian and Oscar Award ceremony presenter Chris Rock onstage for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance at the Oscars ceremony. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing Nicole Kidman’s reaction to Will Smith and Chris Rock incident at Oscars.
Fact: The photo shared in the post was taken and published on Getty Images hours before Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscar Awards ceremony.  This photo shows Nicole Kidman’s animated reaction after seeing actress Jessica Chastain during the un-televised first hour of the ceremony reserved for craft awards. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman really made such a shocking reaction after Will smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, we could not see Nicole Kidman’s reaction in any of the videos that captured uncensored moments of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscar Awards Ceremony. On reverse image search, the same photo was found published on the Getty Images website on 27 March 2022. The description of the photo states, “Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban during the show at the 94th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday”. The image was credited to the ‘Los Angeles Times’ photographer Myung Chun.
The ‘Vulture’ news website contacted Myung Chun for more clarification regarding this Nicole Kidman’s reaction to Will Smith’s onstage confrontation with Chris Rock. Speaking to the ‘Vulture’, Myung Chun said, “Yes, the picture of Nicole Kidman was taken during the non-televised portion. It appeared that she was excited to see Jessica Chastain across the room. Kidman then reached out her arms and waved to her with both hands”. The ‘Vulture’ confirmed that the photo was taken hours before Will Smith and Chris Rock’s onstage altercation, during the un-televised first hour of the Oscar Awards ceremony.
Reporting the same, several news websites published articles. They can be seen here, here, and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the photo shared in the post shows Nicole Kidman’s exciting reaction to Jessica Chastain during the un-televised first hour of the ceremony reserved for craft awards.
To sum it up, this photo does not show Nicole Kidman’s reaction to Will Smith’s onstage altercation with Chris Rock at the Oscars.


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This photo does not show people following Bharatiya culture in New Zealand - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 20, 2020
A photo of people sitting on the floor to have a meal on banana leaves is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows people following ‘Bharatiya’ (Indian) culture in New Zealand. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Photo of people in New Zealand following ‘Bharatiya’ (Indian) culture of sitting on the floor and eating in banana leaves.
Fact: The photo was taken in India, not New Zealand. The photo is related to ‘Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram’ in Kerala (India). Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the image was run through Yandex Reverse Image Search, a similar photo was found on a travel website. The website mentions that the photo is related to ‘Sivananda Ashram in Kerala’. The flooring, pillars, window design and ceiling etc. look the same in both the photos. Also, similar visuals can be seen in the Google Images of ‘Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram’, which is located at Trivandrum in Kerala (India). Few more photos of the same place can be found here and here.
To sum it up, the posted photo was taken at an ashram in India. It does not show people following Indian tradition in New Zealand.
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This photo does not show Smriti Irani’s daughter Zoish Irani getting engaged - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 27, 2022
A photo is being widely shared on social media claiming it is a picture taken at Union Minister Smriti Irani’s 18-year-old daughter’s engagement ceremony held in December 2021. Following the Congress party’s allegations about Smriti Irani’s daughter Zoish Irani running an illegal bar in Goa, Smriti Irani held a press meet and asserted that her 18-year-old daughter is a first-year college student and does not run any bar. The post accuses Smriti Irani of committing the crime of arranging a child marriage to her 18-year-old daughter. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Engagement photo of Smriti Irani’s 18-year-old daughter Zoish Irani.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows the engagement picture of Smriti Irani’s stepdaughter Shanelle Irani, not of Zoish Irani whom Smriti Irani mentioned as her 18-year-old daughter in the press meet. This photo has nothing to do with the latest controversy surrounding Smriti Irani’s daughter Zoish Irani. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, we found the same photo published on Smriti Irani’s official Instagram handle on 25 December 2021. Smriti Irani published this photo announcing her first daughter Shanelle Irani’s engagement with Arjun Bhalla.
As per reports, Shanelle Irani is the daughter of Smriti Irani’s husband Zubin Irani and his first wife Mona Irani. Apart from Shanelle, Zubin has two more children with Smriti Irani, son Zohr Irani and daughter Zoish Irani. Shah Rukh Khan has revealed on Instagram that he had named Shanelle, daughter of his friend Zubin Irani and stepdaughter of Union Minister Smriti Irani
A post shared by Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk)
Smriti Irani shared multiple photos of her family on her official social media handles. They can be seen here, here and here.  According to the reports, Shanelle Irani graduated from Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai. She received a degree in law from the Government Law College in Mumbai, followed by an LLM degree from Georgetown University Law Centre, Washington DC.
Shanelle & Zoish – I’m proud to be their mother .. one a lawyer, the other hoping to follow her sister’s footsteps. Ever caring & confident, my daughters are my pride.
Join us in celebrating your blessings, your daughter’s achievements using #MeriBetiMeraGarv pic.twitter.com/YaERecWmrW
In April 2022, Smriti Irani took to Instagram to share food writer Kunal Vijaykar’s positive review for the Silly Souls Restaurant, allegedly run by her daughter Zoish Irani. Sharing the review, Smriti Irani reportedly said, “so proud @zoishirani @sillysoulsgoa”. The full video showing Kunal Vijaykar reviewing Silly Souls Goa restaurant while eating along with Zoish Irani can be seen here. The photo shared in the post does not show Zoish Irani, whom Smriti Irani mentioned as her 18-year-old daughter studying graduation first year in a college.
To sum it up, this photo shows the engagement of Smriti Irani’s stepdaughter Shanelle Irani, not of Zoish Irani whom Congress accused of running an illegal bar.


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This photo does not show Supriya Sule reciting Quran prayers in a Sahitya Sammelan event in Maharashtra - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 9, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as visuals of National Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule offering Quran prayers at the inauguration of a Sahitya Sammelan event in Maharashtra. Sharing the photo, this post claims that the Maharashtra Government had started a new practice of inaugurating any cultural event with Quran prayer, which earlier used to be done with the Saraswathi prayer. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Supriya Sule offering Quran prayers before inaugurating a Sahitya Sammelan event in Maharashtra.
Fact: This photo was shot recently when NCP leader Supriya Sule attended the wedding ceremony of Sameer Shamim Khan, son of her party colleague Shamim Khan. This photo was not taken during the Sahitya Sammelan event in Maharashtra. Supriya Sule did not attend the recent Sahitya Sammelan event held in Nashik, Maharashtra. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar visual was found in a live Facebook video shared by NCP leader Supriya Sule on 04 December 2021.  The visuals of this video confirm that Supriya Sule was recording a Muslim wedding ceremony. Supriya Sule shared multiple images of this wedding ceremony on her Facebook and Instagram pages greeting the couple, “Heartiest Congratulations Sameer Shamim Khan and Family”.
When we searched for more sources using this information, a video with similar visuals was found to be published by the ‘Aapka Prahar Times’ news channel on 07 December 2021. This news channel reported it as the visuals from NCP leader Shamim Khan’s son Sameer Shamim Khan’s wedding ceremony. According to this news report, Supriya Sule attended Sameer Shamim Khan’s wedding ceremony on 04 December 2021 and greeted Shamim Khan’s family. As part of the event, Supriya Sule reportedly had offered dua along with the other members in the Sameer Shamim Khan’s wedding ceremony.
On 03 December 2021, the three-day festival of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahithya Sammelan began in Nashik, Maharashtra. The inaugural proceedings of this ceremony can be seen here and here. It is nowhere found that Quran prayers were recited in this ceremony. Also, it has not been reported that NCP leader Supriya Sule attended this event held in Nashik. The Maharashtra government did not announce any such decision of reciting Quran prayers at the inauguration of every cultural event. If the Maharashtra government had announced any such decision, several news organizations would have published articles reporting this information. But we could not find a single news article reporting this information.
To sum it up, this photo does not show Supriya Sule reciting Quran prayers in a Sahitya Sammelan event in Maharashtra.

created: December 9, 2021


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This photo does not show the first Iftar party of Independent India; this lunch was hosted by Sardar Patel - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 15, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that it shows the first Iftar party of Independent India hosted by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing first Iftar party of Independent India hosted by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
Fact: The photo was from a lunch hosted by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to the Indian Cabinet after C. Rajagopalachari became the Governor-General of India in 1948. Abul Kalam Azad, the first minister of Education in Independent India, was also present at the event. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo is found in a stock photo website – Alamy. According to the photo description, a dinner was hosted by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to the Cabinet after C. Rajagopalachari became the Governor-General of India in June 1948.
A website had shared some of the rare photos taken by Homai Vyarawalla. Homai Vyarawalla is an Indian woman photojournalist. In one of her rare pictures, the photo of the lunch hosted by Sardar Patel after C. Rajagopalachari became Governor-General in 1948 can be seen, though from a different angle. This picture taken by Homai Vyarawalla is like the viral photo but from a different angle.
To sum it up, this photo does not show the first Iftar party of Independent India; this lunch was hosted by Sardar Patel.


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This photo does not show the Prasad served at Vaishno Devi temple; it is from a ‘Bhandara’ in Haryana - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 10, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that it shows the Prasad served at Vaishno Devi temple. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing the Prasad served at Vaishno Devi temple.
Fact: The photo is part of ‘Kabir Parkat Diwas Bhandara’ by Sant Rampal on 09 June 2017 in Rohtak, Haryana not from the Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir. It was a free meal served to people who were invited to the event. Kabir Prakat Diwas was celebrated ‘to commemorate the manifestation of God Kabir in 1398 in Kashi (Varanasi), India’. The occasion is celebrated along with a Bhandara (meal), the first such Bhandara was organised in 2017 in Rohtak, Haryana. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, similar photos were found on Facebook posted in June 2017. According to the Facebook post, the laddus prepared were for an event that they were celebrating on 09 June 2017. The photos were from Rohtak in Haryana, not from Vaishno Devi temple is in Jammu and Kashmir.
There were Facebook posts (here and here) showing similar pictures of laddus, celebrating Sant Kabir. When searched online with relevant keywords, couple of video stories (here and here) were found about the event held in Rohtak, Haryana during that time. The visuals were part of ‘Kabir Parkat Diwas Bhandara’ by Sant Rampal on 09 June 2017. It was a free meal served to people who were invited to the event.
According to Satlok Ashram (organisation involved in the event), Kabir Prakat Diwas was celebrated ‘to commemorate the manifestation of God Kabir in 1398 in Kashi (Varanasi), India’. The occasion is celebrated along with a Bhandara (meal), the first such Bhandara was organised in 2017 in Rohtak, Haryana.
To sum it up, this photo does not show the Prasad served at Vaishno Devi temple; it is from a ‘Bhandara’ in Haryana.


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This photo does not show the wreckage of MH370, a Malaysian Airlines plane that has been missing since 2014. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 5, 2023
A social media post with a photo of an aircraft submerged underwater is being shared with a claim that it belongs to the plane wreckage of the Malaysian Airlines plane MH370 which disappeared on 8 March 2014 with 239 people onboard. Let’s verify the claim made in this post.
Claim: The photo shows the plane wreckage of the missing Malaysian Airlines plane MH370.
Fact: The photo shows the Lockheed Martin L1011 Tristar aeroplane, which was sunk into the Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan, to promote dive tourism and Coral growth. Besides, the plane wreckage of MH370 has not been found yet. Hence the claim made in the post is False.
We performed a keyword search on the Internet to learn if the plane wreckage of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has been found. This search did not lead us to any credible news reports validating this information.
Over the years, several parts, possibly belonging to the MH370 plane, were found, but the whole wreckage still needs to be located to date. So, what exactly is the plane shown in the viral photo? To know this, we performed a reverse image search and were led to a Facebook post which contained images of an aircraft submerged underwater. The post’s description reads ‘Tristar plan(e) wreck. Red Sea, Aqaba, Jordan.’ A Pinterest post also contains a similar image of a plane wreckage.
According to these, the plane is a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, located in Aqaba, Jordan—these photos of the aircraft match the one in the viral post. The Pinterest post led us to an Instagram post of the handle named deep blue dive center, which contains a video of the Tristar plane wreckage. The viral photo matches the keyframe of its initial portions; It is a cropped version of this keyframe.
According to a report by CNN   about the Tristar aircraft plane wreck, ‘it  was sunk into Jordan’s Gulf of Aqaba with the aim of encouraging dive tourism and coral growth…’ From all these evidences, it is pretty clear that the viral post wrongly claims the Tristar plane wreckage a that of MH370.
To sum up, this photo does not show the wreckage of MH370, a Malaysian Airlines plane that has been missing for nine years.


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This photo does not show US army soldier who had undergone an ear reconstruction surgery on forearm - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 14, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it to be the picture of a US soldier who lost an ear in a car crash and underwent an ear reconstruction surgery on arm. This post claims that US Army doctors have created a new ear and performed first-of-its-kind surgery transplanting an ear inside a soldier’s arm. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a US soldier who received a new ear on his arm.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows Stelarc, an Australian artist and a professor at Curtin University in Perth, who intentionally grew an extra third ear on his arm to enable a wireless connection to the internet, making his ear a remote listening device for people in other places. The US soldier to whom army doctors reconstructed an ear on her left arm is a woman named Shamika Burrage. The photo and the story shared in the post are unrelated. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched to check whether any US soldier had undergone a such type of surgery, we found multiple news reports about the US soldier who undergone an ear reconstruction surgery on the forearm. They can be seen here, here and here. According to these news reports, US Army soldier Shamika Burrage lost her left ear in 2016, during a car accident in Texas. Plastic surgeons at an Army medical centre in Texas reportedly performed a successful ear reconstruction surgery on Shamika Burrage’s forearm to make her listen.
An interview of Shamika Burrage and her surgeon Lt. Col. Owen Johnson telecasted on the ‘TODAY’ YouTube channel can be seen here.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the same photo is found in an article published by the ‘Independent’ news website on 12 August 2015. This news article reported it as a picture of Stelarc, an Australian artist and a professor at Curtin University in Perth, who intentionally implanted an extra third ear on his arm to enable wireless connection to the internet, making his ear a remote listening device for people in other places. Further information related to Stelarc’s ear on arm can be seen here.
To sum it up, this photo does not show the US army soldier who had undergone an ear reconstruction surgery on the forearm.

created: December 14, 2022


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This photo does not show wrestlers ending their protest against WFI President Brij Bhushan Singh at Jantar Mantar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 10, 2023
A photo of wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sangita Phogat moving out of a camp holding a bag and a blanket in their hands is being shared on social media claiming that the wrestlers have ended their protests at Jantar Mantar against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing wrestlers packing their bags and moving out of the protest site after ending their protests against WFI President Brij Bhushan Singh.
Fact: Bajrang Punia, Sangita Phogat, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and other wrestlers are still continuing their protests against WFI President Brij Bhushan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment, at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The picture shared in the post was taken on 28 April 2023 when Bajrang Punia, Sangita Phogat and other wrestlers were putting their things away as part of their daily morning routine after the night stay at the protest site. The photo does not show wrestlers packing their bags and completely moving out of the protest site. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the same photo was found in an article published by the ‘Hindustan Times’ news website on 29 April 2023. The description of the photo states, “Wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Sangita Phogat following a night stay at Jantar Mantar amid their protest, in New Delhi.” Several other news websites have also published the same photo with the same description.
When we searched the internet with relevant keywords, we found that Bajrang Punia, Sangita Phogat, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshee Malik and other wrestlers are still continuing their protests (as of 10 May 2023) demanding the resignation of WFI President Brij Bhushan Singh at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The latest news reports related to the wrestlers’ protests in Delhi can be seen here, here and here.
Speaking about the photo to ‘Boom Live’, Satyavrat Kadian, husband of Sakshee Malik, said, “We fold our blankets, pack them, and put them in our vehicles every morning, that is what the photo is showing. Our protest is still on”. Another photo was also being shared with a similar claim on social media. Mandeep Krantikari, a national-level wrestler and one of the members managing the protest, spoke to ‘Boom Live’ about the photo and said that the image could have been clicked during the time they clean the premises of the protest site every day.
To sum it up, a photo of wrestlers putting away their things after the night stay at the protest site is shared with a claim that wrestlers have ended their protests at Jantar Mantar.


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This photo doesn’t show a 1895 car accident involving the only two cars in the US state of Ohio - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 20, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is a picture that shows an accident which took place between the only two cars in the US state of Ohio in 1895. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing an 1895 car accident involving the only two cars in the US state of Ohio.
Fact: The photo shared in the photo shows an accident that took place in 1932 in the Back Bay neighbourhood area of Boston in the US State of Massachusetts. This photo was captured by an American photographer named Leslie Jones. The photo does not show an 1895 car accident in the US state of Ohio. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the same photo was found in an article published by a website in 2012. This article reported it as a series of vintage photos of auto accidents in Boston between the 1920s and 1950s.
When we searched for further details using these keywords, we found the same photo on the Digital Commonwealth website. This website mentioned that the photo was taken from the Boston Public Library in the US state of Massachusetts. Also, the website credited the photo to the US-based photographer Leslie Jones.
On searching for further details of this photo, we found the same accident picture on the official ‘Flickr’ handle of the Boston Public Library. Leslie Jones published this photo in his ‘Accidents-Auto’ collection with the title ‘Back Bay’. According to the description of the photo, this photo was from March 1932. The same photo was found in the portfolio of Leslie Jones. The ‘Business Insider’ published a photo showing another view of the same accident with a description, “Car and truck collide, Back Bay, 1932 (Photo: Leslie Jones)”. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be confirmed that the photo shared in the post was taken in the Back Bay neighbourhood area of Boston in the US state of Massachusetts.
When we searched further to check whether any such accident occurred between the only two cars in the US state of Ohio in 1895, we could not find any news reports confirming such an accident in Ohio. According to the fact-check article published by ‘Snopes’, this story probably would have originated from an advertisement for Mobile gasoline that was published in Life Magazine in 1967. But the photo included in this advertisement was different from the picture shared in the post. Also, there is no historical documentation available to confirm such an accident in Ohio.
To sum it up, this photo doesn’t show an 1895 car crash involving the only two cars in the US state of Ohio.


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This photo doesn’t show Jawaharlal Nehru posing with Indira Gandhi’s husband and father-in-law - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 3, 2021
An image is being shared on social media claiming it as a very rare picture of Jawaharlal Nehru posing with Indira Gandhi’s husband Feroze Khan and her father-in-law Yunas Khan. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Jawaharlal Nehru posing with Indira Gandhi’s husband Feroze Khan and her father-in-law Yunus Khan.
Fact: This photo shows Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi posing with Russian artist Nicholas Roerich and Indian freedom fighter Mohammad Yunus Khan. Mohammad Yunus Khan is not the father-in-law of Indira Gandhi. 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 ‘Alamy’ image sharing website. The man who is standing left to Indira Gandhi was mentioned as a Russian artist Nicholas Roerich. More details regarding Nicholas Roerich can be found here.
Also, the person who is standing beside Nicholas Roerich is Indian freedom fighter Mohammad Yunus Khan. Wikipedia has shared the same photo with a similar description. Mohammad Yunus Khan is not the father-in-law of Indira Gandhi. More details about Yunus Khan can be seen here.
‘The Week’ news website has shared the photo of Indira Gandhi’s husband Feroze Gandhi in an article published on 12 September 2018. Also, they mentioned Indira Gandhi’s father-in-law’s name as Faredoon Jehangir Ghandy. A different picture of Jawaharlal Nehru posing with Indira Gandhi, Nicholas Roerich, and Mohammad Yunus Khan can be seen here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the photo shared in the post shows Jawaharlal Nehru posing with Russian artist Nicholas Roerich and the Indian freedom fighter Mohammad Yunus Khan.
To sum it up, this photo doesn’t show Jawaharlal Nehru posing with Indira Gandhi’s husband and her father-in-law.


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This photo featuring Congress party leaders with a banner that reads 'Chor Group Meeting' is digitally manipulated - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 26, 2023
A photo is doing rounds on social media in which leaders of the congress party can be seen seated in front of a banner that reads ‘…Chor Group Meeting.’ The text on this viral photo mentions that ‘Core’ was misspelled as ‘Chor’, and none of the leaders realized the mistake. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Congress party leaders sat before a banner that reads ‘…Chor Group Meeting.’
Fact: This is a digitally edited image. The original photo was taken during a Congress working committee meeting in 2019 which does not contain the text ‘…Chor Group Meeting’. Hence the claim made in the post is False.
We performed a reverse image search using Google to learn more details about this viral photo. This search led us to a few news reports (here, here, and here) from 2019, which contained an image identical to the viral photo.  This photo was taken during a Congress Working Committee meeting in Delhi on May 2019. This did not have the text ‘Chor Group Meeting.’ Instead, it simply contains the name of the congress party both in Hindi and English.
This detail gives away that the viral photo has been digitally manipulated. You can see the difference between both the photos in the following collage.
Additionally, we also found photos and videos of the same meeting shot from different angles in which you can clearly see that the text ‘Chor Group Meeting’ is not present on the banner. This confirms that the photo has been digitally manipulated.
Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting underway at All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in Delhi pic.twitter.com/ct5CFCNUym
To sum up, this photo featuring Congress party leaders with a banner reading ‘Chor Group Meeting’ is digitally manipulated.


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This photo had been morphed to claim that the Taliban were driving the Cybertruck - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 20, 2021
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that the Taliban were seen driving a Cyber Truck. Elon Musk had earlier announced a new Tesla Cybertruck in 2019. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of the Taliban driving Tesla’s Cybertruck.
Fact: The photo is morphed from an image where the Taliban were seen guarding the International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. According to various news reports, Tesla’s Cybertruck production had been delayed to 2022. Even according to the Tesla Cybertruck’s reservation webpage, it has been noted that the production is going to start from 2022. Hence, as the Cybertruck is officially delayed, it is not possible for the Taliban to have driven the Cybertruck. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When a reverse image search is done on the photo, an AP News article with a similar image was found. The article published on 17 August 2021 was titled, ‘Billions spent on Afghan army ultimately benefitted Taliban.’ According to the caption of the image in the article, the Taliban fighters were guarding the front of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on 16 August 2021. There is no mention of the Taliban driving the Cybertruck, in the article.
When one looks at the photo closely, the tyres, the front, and the back parts of the truck have been morphed to make it look like a Cybertruck. The difference can be seen when the original photo from AP News is compared with the photo in the post.
Elon Musk had earlier announced a new Tesla Cybertruck in 2019. However, according to various news reports, Tesla’s Cybertruck production had been delayed to 2022. The reports can be seen here, here, and here. Even according to the Tesla Cybertruck’s reservation webpage, it has been noted that the production is going to start from 2022. Hence, as the Cybertruck is officially delayed, there is no way that the Taliban could have driven the Cybertruck.
To sum it up, this photo had been morphed to claim that the Taliban were driving the Cybertruck.

created: September 20, 2021


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This photo is from the Bollywood film ‘Kya Yahi Sach Hai’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 22, 2020
A photo is being shared on social media claiming that IAS and IPS officers of the country are kneeling like this in front of the political leaders in India. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Photo of IPS officers kneeling in front of a political leader in India.
Fact: Photo in the post shows a still from a Bollywood film ‘Kya Yahi Sach Hai’. This film is based on the effect of fast deteriorating ethics in police functioning and the social consequences based on Ex IPS Officer Y.P. Singh’s novel ‘Carnage By Angels’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search, similar photo found in a film review article published by ‘Koimoi’ film news website on ‘30 December 2011’. In the article, this photo is shared as a still from  Bollywood film ‘Kya Yahi Sach Hai’. It is also mentioned that this film is based on Ex IPS Officer Y.P. Singh’s novel ‘Carnage By Angels’. Also, it is stated that the story and screenplay of this movie have also been penned by Y.P Singh. The same photo was also shared in a review article published by ‘Sifi’ website.
On searching for this still in ‘Kya Yahi Sach Hai’ movie, uploaded by Ex-IPS officer Y.P. Singh on YouTube on ‘24 October 2016’, the same visual found in this movie at ‘1:48:18’ timestamp in this video. In the description of the video, Y.P. Singh mentioned that film is based on his experiences of deteriorating ethics in police functioning.
To sum it up, still from a Bollywood film ‘Kya Yahi Sach Hai’ falsely portrayed as the real picture of IPS officers in the country.

created: September 22, 2020


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This photo is not related to any detention camp in Assam - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 16, 2019
A photo is being shared widely on Facebook with a claim that it shows the status of a detention camp in Assam. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post
Status of a detention camp in Assam.
Fact: The photo is in circulation for the last one and a half year with the description that it is related to a prison in La Romana. So, it is not related to any detention camp in Assam. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the image in the post was run through the Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found in an article by ‘eltiempo’. In the article, the photo had the following description: ‘Presos en preventiva La Romana’ (English Translation: ‘Prisoners in preventive La Romana’). When searched with the Spanish keywords, the same photo was found to be in circulation on Facebook from April 2018.
Many users have posted other similar photos and videos claiming them to be related to ‘La Romana Preventive Jail’. No news reports or older posts were found linking the posted photo to the detention camps in Assam. While there is no authentic source to prove that the posted photo is related to La Romana, it is definitely not related to the detention camp in Assam.
To sum it up, the photo is not related to any detention camp in Assam.
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created: December 16, 2019