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2015 photo of a Dalit family's naked protest shared as a picture depicting the persecution of a Christian Pastor's family in Uttar Pradesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 31, 2023
A photo is being shared on social media claiming that the photo depicts a Christian Pastor’s family being humiliated and publicly paraded naked for preaching in the Uttar Pradesh state of India. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing a pastor’s family being publicly paraded naked for preaching the gospel in Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows a 2015 picture of a Dalit family protesting naked outside the Dankaur police station in the Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Alleging that police had refused to register a complaint of robbery, the Dalit family stripped themselves and protested against the inaction of police outside the Dankaur police station. The naked men and women in the photo were not punished for preaching the gospel and they do not belong to a pastor’s family. 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 India Today on 10 October 2015. The description of the photo states, “The Dalit family stripped to protest police’s alleged refusal to register a complaint of robbery.” This news article reported it is the visuals of a Dalit family protesting naked outside the Dankaur police station in the Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. The protest was reportedly in response to the police’s alleged refusal to register a complaint of robbery.
Reporting the details of this incident, several news sites published articles in October 2015. They can be seen here, here, and here. As per the reports, Sunil Gautam, along with his family members, approached the Dankaur police station to lodge a complaint of robbery against his neighbour, Mahavir, with whom the family also had a land dispute. Alleging that police had refused to register their complaint, the Dalit family reportedly stripped and protested outside the Dankaur police station. The Dalit family was later arrested and booked for obscenity.
However, some other reports claimed that the Dalit family was severely beaten by the police and forcibly stripped naked. Dismissing these allegations, the station officer of Dankaur police station Praveen Yadav said, “We made all efforts to prevent them from doing this and even tried to cover them with their clothes. However, by the time women police officers managed to reach the spot they had already created a scene”. There are no reports about Sunil Gautam or his brother, seen in the photo, being pastors or that they were punished for preaching the gospel.
To sum it up, a 2015 photo of a Dalit family’s naked protest is shared as a picture depicting the persecution of a Christian Pastor’s family in Uttar Pradesh.


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2015 photo of a Rickshaw puller's death because of heart attack shared as a recent death due to cold weather - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 13, 2023
A photo of a man leaning on a seat in the back of a Rickshaw is being shared on social media claiming that he died recently due to cold weather conditions. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Image of a Rikshaw puller who died recently due to the cold weather.
Fact: The viral photo has been circulating on social media since 2015. It is reported that a Rickshaw puller had lost his life due to a heart attack near Patna airport. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
To know whether the claim that the man in the photo lost his life due to the cold weather is true, we performed a reverse image search on it. This led us to multiple old social media posts that contained the same image. These posts (here and here) shared this photo with a similar claim. While looking through the posts containing the same photo, we found a post by a Facebook user named Shubham Shekar. He uploaded a clearer version of the viral photo in December 2015.
According to Shubham’s post, an old Rickshaw puller lost his life due to a Heart Attack, and this incident occurred near Patna airport. This photo was also posted by a Delhi-based Media Organisation called National News Story in December 2015. They mentioned that the old man in the photo died from a heart attack near Patna airport.
To sum it up, a 2015 photo of a Rickshaw puller who died from a heart attack is being shared as a recent death due to cold weather conditions.

source: news-factly

created: January 13, 2023

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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2015 photo of India-Pakistan supporters posing together in Adelaide is linked to T20 World Cup 2021 match in Dubai - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 28, 2021
The image of a man & woman posing together with Pakistan and Indian national flags is being shared on social media claiming it as the emerging love jihad visuals from the recent India-Pakistan T20 World Cup 2021  match in Dubai. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Pakistan man and Indian woman posing together at India-Pakistan T20 World Cup 2021 match in Dubai.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is an old one. This photo was captured on 15 February 2015 during the India-Pakistan World Cup match at Adelaide Oval in Australia. 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 published on the ‘Getty’ image sharing website on 15 February 2015. The description of the photo states, “ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 15: Pakistan and India supporters pose with their flags outside of the ground during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup match between India and Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval on February 15, 2015 in Adelaide, Australia”.
When we searched for more sources using these keywords, we found the same photo in an article published by the Amar Ujala news website on 15 February 2015. This article reported it as the visuals of Indian and Pakistan cricket supporters posing together before the World Cup 2015 match in Adelaide. Pakistan-based ‘Geo TV’ had also published this photo with a similar description. We could not find any news report mentioning the personal details of the Pakistani man and Indian woman in the photo.
To sum it up, a 2015 photo of India-Pakistan supporters posing together before the World Cup match is being shared as if it happened in Dubai in 2021.

created: October 28, 2021


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2015 photo shared as a recent picture of Mukesh Ambani’s family posing for a selfie with Shah Rukh Khan when they watched 'Pathaan' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 31, 2023
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is a recent picture of Mukesh Ambani and his family posing for a selfie with Shah Rukh Khan when they watched the Pathaan film together. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent picture of Shah Rukh Khan taking a selfie with the Ambani family when they watched the Pathaan film together.
Fact: The photo shared in the post was taken in 2015 during the launch event of Reliance Jio 4G services in Mumbai. The photo is old and unrelated to Shah Rukh Khan’s recently released film Pathaan. 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 ‘Financial Express’ in December 2015. This article reported it as a picture taken during the launch event of Reliance Jio 4G services on 27 December 2015.
When we searched for further sources of this photo, we found a similar photo in an article published by the ‘Hindustan Times’ on 28 December 2015. ‘Hindustan Times’ reported it as the picture of Shah Rukh Khan taking a selfie with the Ambani family at the launch of Reliance Jio 4G services in Mumbai.
Sharing the images of the Reliance Jio 4G services launch event, several news websites published articles in 2015. Shah Rukh Khan also tweeted a photo of him posing for a selfie with Mukesh Ambani at the Jio 4G launch event. Lately, there are no news reports about Mukesh Ambani’s family watching Pathaan film along with Shah Rukh Khan. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the photo shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with Shah Rukh Khan’s recently released film Pathaan.
To sum it up, a 2015 photo taken during the Reliance 4G launch event is being shared as a recent picture of the Ambani family posing for a selfie with Shah Rukh Khan when they watched ‘Pathaan’.

created: January 31, 2023


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2015 video from France shared as ‘Deer playing at a beach in Odisha during the lockdown’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 11, 2020
A video is being widely shared on Facebook claiming that it shows a deer playing at a beach near Chandrabhaga in Odisha during the lockdown. FACTLY has found the video to be old and not related to India. Anthony Martin, a wildlife filmmaker, has posted the same video on Facebook in 2015. It was also uploaded by him on his YouTube channel in December 2019. In the comments section of the video, when a person asked about the location of the video, Anthony Martin has replied that he had shot it in France.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook Post (archived)
Fact –
1. Facebook Post – https://www.facebook.com/AnthonyMartin.AuteurRealisateur/videos/1676079492671127/
2. YouTube Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kecWeQkTEe0
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2015 video from Karachi (Pakistan) is shared with multiple misleading narratives - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 12, 2020
A video of burqa-clad women escaping from a building is being shared on social media with a claim that Shaheenbagh women were caught being into prostitution under the guise of burqa. But, FACTLY found that the same video was found to be uploaded on YouTube and Facebook in 2015 with the title: ‘Sex workers fleeing after FIA raid at a brothel in Karachi’. So,  the video is not related to Shaheenbagh and is not from India. The same video was earlier shared on social media as Muslim women fleeing from quarantine in Bangalore and as women jumping from a building after being locked by the Police for shopping during the lockdown. FACTLY had debunked these stories earlier and they can be read here and here.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. YouTube video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLnuLKPaamI
2. Facebook video – https://www.facebook.com/122141554534802/videos/868678486547768/
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2015 video of a security guard assaulting a boy in Sweden linked to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 19, 2021
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as visuals of Israeli police personnel strangling a Palestinian child to death. This post claims that the assaulted boy had chanted Kalima Shahadah Islamic prayer minutes before he died. Also, it claims that the incident had taken place during the Palestinians protest against moving the US embassy to Jerusalem. Amid the escalating violent conflict between Israel and Palestine, this video is being shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Israeli police personnel strangling a Palestinian child to death.
Fact: This video shows a Swedish security guard assaulting a 9-year-old boy at Malmo city train station in Sweden. The incident took place in February 2015. The security guard had violently detained the boy and his friend for travelling on the train without buying a ticket. The boy in the video did not die. This video has nothing to do with the ongoing violent conflict between Israel and Palestine. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, similar visuals were found in a YouTube video published on 10 February 2015. This video reported it as visuals of two Swedish security officers arresting two Muslim children at a train station in Sweden. The description of the video stated that one of the security guards had bashed a 9-year-old boy for travelling on the train without buying a ticket. This incident reportedly took place on 06 February 2015 at the Malmo city train station in Sweden. The ‘Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK’ had posted the same video on their Facebook page. They mentioned it as the visuals of a train station security guard smashing a 9-year-old Muslim boy’s head to the ground in Sweden.
Reporting the complete details of this incident, the UK-based ‘Independent’ news website published an article on 12 February 2015.  According to the article, a Swedish security guard in the Malmo train station had assaulted a 9-year-old boy and his friend for travelling on the train without buying a ticket. The security guard had reportedly smashed the boy to the ground and held his hands over the boy’s mouth and face. In his apparent state of distress, the boy had recited the Islamic prayer, Shahada. The security guards had detained the assaulted boy and his friend on the charges of travelling on the train without a ticket. The assaulted boy in the video did not die. The two security guards who were involved in this assault were taken into police custody after they were caught on camera violently detaining the two children in Malmo train station.
A few other news articles published on this incident can be seen here and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post is related to an old incident in Sweden.
To sum it up, an unrelated old video from Sweden is shared as visuals of Israeli police personnel killing a Palestinian child.


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2015 Video of Belgium Politician insulting Quran now shared as discussion in France Parliament - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 5, 2020
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the discussion about Quran in the French parliament. In the video, we can see a man accusing the Quran as the source of all evil. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A French minister accusing the Quran as ‘the source of all evil’.
Fact:  The video shows Belgium politician Filip Dewinter insulting Quran in Belgium parliament. Following the Paris Charlie Hebdo attack in 2015, Filip Dewinter accused the Quran as ‘the source of all evils’ during his speech at the federal meeting in Brussels. This video has nothing to do with the recent attacks in France. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of screenshots in the video, similar visuals were found in a video shared in an article published by ‘Israel Islam & End Times’ news website. In the article, it is mentioned that a Belgian MP labelled the Quran as ‘the source of all evil’. When we searched for more information using these keywords, we found a similar visual in an article published by a Turkey news website on ‘23 January 2015’. In the article, it is mentioned that the Belgium politician Filip Dewinter insulted the Quran in Belgium parliament during his speech on ‘22 January 2015’. Following the Paris Charlie Hebdo attack in 2015, Filip Dewinter made these statements in the Belgium parliament opposing the immigration of Muslims into Belgium.
Similar visual is found in an article published by ‘Middle East Eye’ news website. It is mentioned in the article that on ‘22 January 2015’,  Belgium politician Filip Dewinter said Quran as ‘the source of all evil’ during his speech at the Federal Parliament in Brussels. This article mentioned Filip Dewinter as the far-right Belgian politician who espouses an anti-immigration message that often targets Muslim immigrants.
To sum it up, 2015 video of Belgium politician insulting the Quran is falsely shared now as the discussion about the Quran in French Parliament.

created: November 5, 2020


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2015 video of former Malaysian PM falsely shared in the context of Coronavirus outbreak in China. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 4, 2020
A video is being widely shared on Facebook with the claim that Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang has visited a Mosque and offered his prayers seeking protection to the country from Coronavirus. Let’s analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang visiting a Mosque and offering prayers seeking protection to the country from Coronavirus.
Fact: The man in the video is not Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, he is former Malaysian PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The video was taken in 2015 and it shows Badawi visiting ‘Nan Xia Po’ Mosque in Beijing to offer his Friday prayers. So, the claim is FALSE.
In the comments section of the video, a user has commented that the man in the video is former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
When searched on YouTube with the text ‘Abdullah Ahmad Badawi visited a mosque’, the same video was found in the results. The video had the timestamp– ‘21 July 2015’ and in the description, the video is found to be that of Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi visiting ‘Nan Xia Po’ Mosque in Beijing to offer his Friday prayers.
To summarize, the man in the video is former Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Also, the video was taken in 2015.
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created: February 4, 2020


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2015 video of a military exercise conducted by the Serbian special force falsely linked to Indian army - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 17, 2020
A video is being widely circulated on social media claiming it as the footage of Indian army while conducting a military operation. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Indian army conducting a military operation.
Fact:  This video shows an old joint military exercise called ‘Shield 2015’ conducted by the Serbian special operation force during November 2015. This video has nothing to do with the Indian army. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, similar visuals were found in a video posted by a YouTube channel named ‘specijalne-jedinice’ on ‘26 July 2017’. ‘specijalne-jedinice.com’ website promotes Serbian and other elite military force operations. The description of the video states it to be a joint tactical military exercise called ‘Shield 2015’, conducted by the Serbian Special Force. Sharing the same visuals, ‘specijalne-jedinice’ published an article on their website.
On searching for more information about this video, we found a similar visual of the video in ‘123RF’ website. The website mentions it be a part of the tactical exercise titled ‘Shield 2015’, conducted by the Serbian Special force on ‘20 November 2015’.
When we searched further for other reliable sources using these keywords, we found an article published about this joint military exercise on the official website of the Ministry of Defence, Republic of Serbia. In the article, it is mentioned that a joint demonstration exercise titled ‘Shield 2015’ was conducted successfully by the Serbian special armed forces. We can see visuals similar to those shared in the post in the photo gallery of this article.
To sum it up, video of an old military exercise conducted by the Serbian special force is shared linking it to the Indian Army.

created: December 17, 2020


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2015 video of protests in Baramulla falsely linked to the ongoing farmers' protest - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 11, 2020
A video is being shared on social media claiming that in a Kisan Andolan rally, farmers are raising ‘Kashmir will become Pakistan’ and ‘Punjab will become Khalistan’ slogans. Amid the ongoing farmers protest over the new farm bills implemented by the Government of India, this post is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Farmers chanting pro-Pakistan slogans in a protest rally against the new farm bills.
Fact:   Video shared in the post is an old one. In 2015, a group of Sikh protestors conducted a rally at Baramulla protesting the desecration of the Sikh holy book in Punjab. This video has nothing to do with the ongoing farmers protest over the new farm bills implemented by Government of India. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, similar visuals were found in a  video posted by ‘The Kashmir Pulse’ YouTube channel on ‘18 October 2015’. In the description of the video, it is mentioned that a group of Sikh protestors chanted pro-Pakistan slogans during a protest rally against the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib, a holy scripture of Sikh religion. Sharing more details about this rally, ‘ The Kashmir pulse’ published an article on their website. It is reported in the article that over 100 pages of the Sikh holy book were found scattered near a Gurudwara in Bargari village on ‘12 October 2015’. Protesting the desecration of the Sikh holy book, a group of Sikhs conducted a rally at Baramulla in North Kashmir.
According to the article published by ‘Deccan Chronicle’ news website, pro-Pakistan and pro-Khalistan slogans were chanted in a protest rally conducted by the large group of Sikh men at Baramulla on ‘18 October 2015’. It is reported that this protest was against the desecration of the holy book of Sikhs. From, all these pieces of evidence, it is concluded that the video shared in the post is an old one and has nothing to do with the ongoing farmers protest over the new farm bills.
To sum it up, 2015 video of protests in Baramulla is falsely portrayed as the video of ongoing farmers protest over the new farm bills.

created: December 11, 2020


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In 2016, these 2 States accounted for more than 50% of the Fake Notes seized in the country - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 2, 2017
Two states accounted for more than 50% of the Fake Currency notes seized in India in the year 2016. Maoist affected state like Chhattisgarh and insurgency hit Jammu & Kashmir and North-Eastern states did not report a considerable number of fake note seizures.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its ‘Crime in India’ report for the year 2016 has included a new table on the seizure of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) by RBI/State Police. The table gives denomination wise fake currency seized by RBI or the State Police. As per the data, Delhi & Gujarat together account for more than 50% of the fake notes seized in the country.
Almost half of the seized fake currency is in Rs 500 denomination
In the year 2016, a total of 2.82 lakh FICN were seized across the country with a total value of Rs 15.92 crore. Out of these notes, close to half the seized notes were of Rs 500 denomination. This includes both the old & new Rs 500 notes. More than 80000 notes of Rs 1000 were seized. A total of 2272 of the new Rs 2000  were seized. There was not a single Rs 2 fake note seized in the year 2016. All of the 196 fake notes of the ‘Rupee 1’ denomination were seized in Karnataka.
Delhi, Gujarat & West Bengal account for 65% of the seized FICN
Of the various states, Delhi leads both in terms of the number of FICN seized and the value of FICN seized in 2016. In Delhi, more than 1.14 lakh FICN were seized in 2016 making up for more than 40% of all the FICN seized in the country. Gujarat accounted for 14% of the FICN seized while West Bengal accounted for about 12%. These are the only 3 states with a share of more than 10% each in both the number and value of FICN seized in 2016. Together, these 3 states make up for more than 65% of both the number and value of FICN seized in 2016.
Of all the states with more than 1 crore population, only Chhattisgarh did not report the seizure of even a single fake note in 2016. This is surprising considering the fact that it is a Maoist affected state and the Government has multiple times in the past raised the issue of fake currency being used by the Maoists. Even in Jammu & Kashmir and the North-Eastern states with high insurgency, the number of FICN seized was negligible compared to the other states like Delhi & Gujarat.
Close to 60% of the fake Rs 2000 notes were seized from Gujarat
Out of the 2272 Rs 2000 fake notes seized in 2016, almost 60% were seized from Gujarat alone. Though the highest number of FICN were seized from Delhi, not a single Rs 2000 fake note was seized from there.  Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka & Telangana are the only states from where more than hundred Rs 2000 notes fake notes were seized in 2016. Of all the Rs 1000 fake notes seized in 2016, more than 65% were seized from the states of Delhi, Gujarat & West Bengal. Similar trend was observed in the Rs 500 fake notes. Of the Rs 100 fake notes, more than 75% were seized from Delhi & Gujarat alone.

created: December 2, 2017


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2016 & 2017 prove to be the bloodiest years for Security Forces in Jammu & Kashmir after 2007
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 29, 2017
The average number of terror related incidents in Jammu & Kashmir have decreased fivefold during the seven-year period from 2011 to 2017 compared to the period from 2004 to 2010. However, the last two years (2016 & 2017) have seen increased terror activity in Jammu & Kashmir with security forces suffering the highest casualties after 2007.
Five army men were killed recently after Pakistan opened fire, in violation of ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). In terms of the number of casualties, 2016 & 2017 have proved to be the bloodiest years for security forces in J&K after the year 2007. In the year 2007, security forces suffered 110 casualties in J&K. After 2007, the number of casualties was less than 80 in each of the years except in 2016.
Significant decline in the number of Terror related incidents in J&K
The number of terror related incidents in J&K has significantly come down in the last seven years compared to seven-year period before that. Between 2004 & 2010, the average number of terror related incidents in J&K was 1287. The average has come down to 260 for the period between 2011 & 2017. A total of 2565 terror incidents were witnessed in 2004 while it has come down to 337 in 2017 (as of 15th December 2017). But in both 2016 & 2017, the number of incidents was more than 300 while it was about 200 incidents in each of the four years before 2016.
2016 & 2017 prove to be the bloodiest years after 2007
In the year 2004, 281 security personnel were killed in terror related incidents in J&K. The casualty figure has decreased continuously in the years after 2004 and reached 75 in the year 2008. The casualty figure has remained at less than 75 till the year 2015. But in the year 2016, the casualty figure increased to 82, the highest in 10 years on account of increased terror activity. In 2017, the figure stands at 75 (up to 15th December 2017). In other words, 2016 & 2017 are proving to be bloodiest years for the security forces after 2007.The increase in terror related activity is also evident in the casualty figure of the terrorists. Between 2011 & 2015, the casualty figure of the terrorists was about 100 or less in each of the years. In 2016, it increased to 150 and further increased to 206 in 2017. The terrorist casualty figure has crossed 200 for the first time after 2010.
Infiltration attempts also on the rise
The increase in terror related activity is further corroborated by the steep increase in the number of infiltration attempts across the LoC. From 489 such attempts in 2010, the number of infiltration attempts had come down to 121 in 2015. In 2016, it has more than tripled to reach 364.There has also been a steep increase in the number of ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC. The number of ceasefire violations have increased from about 44 in 2010 to 771 in 2017.
Featured Image: Terror related incidents in Jammu & Kashmir

created: December 29, 2017


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2016 Chandigarh Municipal elections results shared as those during the ongoing farmers' protests - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 28, 2021
A post claiming that amidst the farmers’ protests, BJP has bagged 20 seats in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections, whereas the Congress party won four seats, while Akali Dal and Independent candidate have won one seat each is being widely shared across social media platforms. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Amidst the farmers’ protests, BJP has bagged 20 seats in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections.
Fact: 2016 Chandigarh Municipal corporation election results are being shared now as if they took place recently. The recent mayoral election held on 8 January 2021 is being miscontrued as elections to the corporation. Elections for the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation were held in 2016 and the house will complete its five-year term at the end of 2021. As per The Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976, the mayor of the corporation holds one year term and is elected every year from among the elected representatives. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Through Google search, we found that recently on 08 January 2021, Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has witnessed a Mayor election and not Corporation election. According to The Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, 1976 which is also extended to Chandigarh, the mayor of the corporation holds one year term and is elected every year from among the elected representatives. Section 38 (1) of the act stipulates ‘the corporation at its first meeting in each year elect one of the elected members to be the chairperson (known as Mayor)’. Tenure wise details of all the mayors since the inception of the corporation in 1996 can be found here.
In the latest mayoral election held on 08 January 2021, BJP has clinched the mayor’s seat by a big margin. This will be the last mayoral election of the current house of the municipal corporation as the corporation’s term will end in December 2021.
The results being shared in the social media posts are actually of 2016 Chandigarh municipal corporation election results. In the 2016 corporation elections, BJP has bagged 20 seats, Congress party won 4 seats, while Akali Dal and the Independent candidate have won one seat each. From this, it is evident that the 2016 corporation election results are misconstrued and being circulated as those held recently.
In the light of the recent tractors rally by farmers which led to a violent clash between farmers and the police, posts like these are being circulated on social media with misleading claims.
To sum it up, 2016 Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections results are being shared now as if they were of the recent election.

created: January 28, 2021


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2016 photo is now falsely shared as a missing girl named Sonal Patel found at Bareilly railway station - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 22, 2024
A photo of a young girl is being shared on social media with a caption in Hindi claiming that the photo shows Sonal Patel who was found in Bareilly after getting off a train from Mumbai. The post urges individuals to share the photo across social media platforms. Let’s verify the authenticity of the claim through this article.
Claim: A photo of a missing girl named Sonal Patel found at Bareilly railway station.
Fact: The girl in the photo is not Sonal Patel. The child in the photo is Avani Jain who was lost at Nagpur railway station platform in 2016 when she was traveling with her family from Nagpur to Bhopal. The child was found within 20 minutes after being lost and was safely reunited with her family. The then Indian Railway Minister, Suresh Prabhu, had also tweeted about the child’s reunion with her family. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On a reverse image search on the viral photo, we discovered that it has been circulating on social media since 2018. Further investigation revealed an Indian Express article from 2016 featuring the same photo. According to the article, the girl in the image is Avani Jain, who was travelling with her family from Nagpur to Bhopal when she got separated from them at the Nagpur Railway station platform. However, after a railway official shared the child’s photo which went viral across 200 WhatsApp groups, the family was traced within 20 minutes and were safely reunited.
The then Indian Railway Minister, Suresh Prabhu, had also tweeted to share the news of the child’s reunion with her family.
Joyous moment for us to see Avani with her parents.We strive hard, for runaway,missing children. MR monitors himself https://t.co/1SzmL508Ak
Incidentally, we also stumbled upon several posts circulating on Facebook featuring photos of different young girls with identical claims to the viral image. The posts can be seen here, here and here. While we could not ascertain the veracity of the first two posts, the last post was debunked by Factly in 2019.
To sum up, a 2016 photo is now being falsely shared as a missing girl named Sonal Patel found at Bareilly railway station.


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2016 photo of the manhandling of a traffic head constable in Rajasthan is shared with a false communal narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 8, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that a Muslim man is assaulting a police officer on duty recently. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Muslim man assaulting a police officer.
Fact: The photo is from 2016, and not a recent one. An angry street hawker (who is a Hindu) from Jodhpur manhandled a traffic head constable after the police officer was discarding the handcarts that were illegally placed near the streets. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo was found in a newspaper article which is being shared on social media since 2020. According to the newspaper clipping, an angry street hawker manhandled a traffic head constable after he was discarding the handcarts that were illegally placed near the streets of Ghantaghar, Jodhpur in Rajasthan.
When we searched in google with relevant keywords, several news reports (here and here) from 2016 were found. According to the Dainik Bhaskar article, the handcart driver who assaulted the head constable was Premchand Mali (son of Dharmendra), who was a resident of Nagoria Bera. The name of the traffic head constable is Shobharam.
Further, it was the BJP government that was in power in Rajasthan when this incident took place in 2016 and hence, has nothing to do with Ashok Gehlot or the current Congress government in the state.
The assaulted head constable who is now an Assistant Sub-Inspector in Jodhpur Police confirmed to BOOM that the hawker who assaulted him in 2016 was not a Muslim.
To sum it up, a 2016 photo of a head constable manhandled in Rajasthan is falsely shared as a Muslim man assaulting a police officer.


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2016 photo of odd-even parking scheme in Patna is shared as a photo of recent Bharat Bandh in Surat - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 29, 2021
A post with a photo is being widely shared on social media claiming that the photo is of the traffic scene in Surat city despite Bharat Bandh. Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a farmer body with nearly 40 farmer unions had called for a 10-hour bandh on 27 September 2021 to mark one year since the President’s assent to the three farm laws. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of traffic in Surat during the recent Bharat Bandh.
Fact: The photo is on the internet since 2016, it was found on an article which was about an odd-even parking scheme in Patna. Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a farmer body with nearly 40 farmer unions had called for a 10-hour bandh (6 am to 4 pm) on 27 September 2021 to mark one year since the President’s assent to the three farm laws. There are visuals of heavy traffic on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway and the Bandh caused disruptions in traffic movement in several other cities. Gujarat largely remained peaceful during the Bharat Bandh. However, there were reports of Surat-Mumbai and Ahmedabad-Rajkot highways being blocked briefly affecting traffic movement in few areas. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo was found in an article on the website Patna Beats. The article was published on 02 November 2016. It was about the launch of an odd-even parking scheme in Patna to overcome traffic issues there. The article does not talk about Surat or the Bharat Bandh on 27 September 2021. There is also a news article about the same scheme in Patna.
Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a farmer body with nearly 40 farmer unions had called for a 10-hour bandh (6 am to 4 pm) on 27 September 2021 to mark one year since the President’s assent to the three farm laws. There are visuals of heavy traffic on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway and the Bandh caused disruptions in traffic movement in several other cities. Gujarat largely remained peaceful during the Bharat Bandh. However, according to this article, there were reports of Surat-Mumbai and Ahmedabad-Rajkot highways being blocked briefly affecting traffic movement in few areas.
To sum it up, a 2016 photo about an odd-even parking scheme in Patna is being shared as the photo from Surat during the recent Bharat Bandh.

created: September 29, 2021


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2016 photo of Rohit Sharma falsely shared as him donating blood to injured Rishab Pant - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 6, 2023
A photo of Rohit Sharma lying on a hospital bed is being shared on social media claiming that he donated blood to Rishab Pant, who was hospitalised after he met with a car accident recently. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Rohit Sharma donated his blood to Rishab Pant.
Fact: This viral post shares an old photo of Rohit Sharma, which Rohit uploaded on his social media in 2016. He posted this after undergoing a thigh surgery in London. The viral post uses this picture to create a story he donated blood to Rishab Pant. Hence the claim is FALSE.
We performed a reverse image search to know the details behind the photo. The investigation led us to news reports from 2016 that contained the same image.
Reportedly, Rohit Sharma underwent thigh surgery in 2016 after he was injured during a cricket match. After the surgery, he posted this picture on his Twitter and said, ‘All went well. Thank you for your good wishes. Can’t wait to be back at it.‘ You can also read a few more articles written about this here and here. To know if any media outlets have reported about him donating blood to Rishab Pant recently, we performed a basic keyword search on the internet but could not find any relevant reports. This makes it clear that the viral post uses an old photo of Rohit Sharma to spread a false narrative.
All went well. Thank you for your good wishes. Can't wait to be back at it 🏃🏻 pic.twitter.com/llKqRtc3LJ
To sum up, 2016 photo of Rohit Sharma is being used to falsely claim that he donated blood to Rishab Pant, who recently met with an accident.

created: January 6, 2023


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2016 photo shared as Aravind Kejriwal offering Namaz on the eve of New Year - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 4, 2021
A photo of Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal shared on social media claiming that Kejriwal offered Namaz at Jama Masjid on the first day of New Year. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Delhi CM Aravind Kejriwal offered Namaz at Jama Masjid on the eve of New Year.
Fact:  Photo shared in the post is an old one. This photo shows Aravind Kejriwal offering Namaz at an Iftar event in Malerkotla, Punjab during 2016. ‘AAP Punjab’ official Twitter handle shared the same photo on ‘07 July 2016’. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo is found in a tweet made by the official Twitter handle of ‘AAP Punjab’ on ‘07 July 2016’. Greeting a ‘Happy Eid’ to the people of the country, the Aam Aadmi Party shared this photo.
ਆਪ ਸਭ ਨੂੰ ਈਦ ਦੀ ਬਹੁਤ ਬਹੁਤ ਮੁਬਾਰਕਬਾਦ। pic.twitter.com/HB1eLJFUAA
On searching for more details about this photo, we found a similar image in ‘Getty’ images website. In the description of the photo, it is mentioned that the Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal in a skull cap, offered prayers with devotees before breaking Roza in the holy month of Ramzan at Malerkotla in Sangrur on ‘04 July 2016’. The same photo with a similar description was shared in the HT Syndication image sharing website. Media reports about Aravind Kejriwal attending this Iftar event at Malerkotla can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, 2016 photo of Aravind Kejriwal is now being shared as him offering Namaz at Jama Masjid on the eve of New Year.

created: January 4, 2021


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2016 photo taken in Chile is being shared as a photo from Jamia Protests against CAA - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 23, 2019
An image of a girl staring at a man in uniform is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it was taken at Jamia Protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
‘Staring girl’ photo taken at Jamia Protests against CAA.
Fact: The photo in the post is an old one and  was taken in 2016 during a pro-democracy protest in Santiago (Chile). Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo was run through the Yandex Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found in an article by ‘The Sun’. In the article, the photo has the following description: ‘A demonstrator looks at a riot officer during protests in Chile in September 2016’. So, when searched with the relevant keywords, the same photo was also found in a CNN article, published in 2016. So, it is not related to any protests in India.
To sum it up, 2016 photo taken in Chile is being shared as a photo from Jamia Protests against CAA.
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created: December 23, 2019


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2016 picture of ABP News Poll projecting 185 seats to BSP is shared as recent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 10, 2022
In the wake of upcoming elections in UP, a photo of an ABP News poll projecting 185 seats to the BSP is being widely shared on social media through a post. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a recent ABP News poll projecting 185 seats to BSP ahead of 2022 UP Assembly elections.
Fact: The photo is a screenshot from a ABP News poll held in 2016. The poll was done in the run-up to the 2017 elections in UP, not the recent elections. In a more recent opinion poll done by ABP News, the BSP was projected to get 13-21 seats in the 2022 UP elections. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same screenshot was found on YouTube. This video was uploaded on the official YouTube channel of ABP News on 16 March 2016. The ABP News poll projected 185 seats to Bahujan Samaj Party if the UP polls had happened on that day i.e., on 16 March 2016; this opinion poll was done in the run-up to the 2017 elections in UP.
In a more recent opinion poll done by ABP News, the BSP was projected to get 13-21 seats in the 2022 UP elections. According to this survey, which was done along with CVoter, BJP is going to form the government with 225-237 seats in the 403-member UP assembly.
To sum it up, a photo of a 2016 ABP News Poll projecting 185 seats to BSP is shared as recent.

created: February 10, 2022


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2016 rally video by Sikh groups is now shared as the farmers' protest over the new farm bills - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 9, 2020
A video of a large group of Sikh men holding a protest carrying swords and sticks in their hands is being shared on social media claiming it to be related to the farmers protest in Punjab. In the video, we can hear  ‘Khalistan zindabad’ chants from the protestors. In the wake of ongoing farmers protest over the new farm bills, this video going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Sikh farmers carrying swords, sticks and chanting ‘Khalistan zindabad’ in the ongoing protest against farm bills.
Fact: Video shared in the post is an old one. This video shows a rally conducted by a large group of Sikh men in 2016. This rally was conducted in protest of the Lalkar Rally planned by Akhila Bharatiya Hindu Suraksha Samiti (ABHSS) in Amritsar. This video has nothing to do with the ongoing farmers protest over the new farm bills. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, similar visuals were found in a video posted by a YouTube channel ‘Khalsa Gatka Group’ on ‘25 May 2016’. In the description of the video, it is mentioned as the live video from Beas river bridge and warns Shiv Sena not to come to Amritsar. Mentioning more details about this rally, Khalsa Force published an article on their website mentioning that thousands of Sikhs assembled at the Beas river bridge on ‘25 May 2016’ to challenge the Hindu right-wing party Shiv Sena who announced to take out a ‘Lalkar Rally’ at Amritsar.
The Sikh groups named this rally as ‘Anakh rally’ (rally of pride). We can see the same visuals both in the shared video as well as the video on YouTube.
According to the articles published by ‘Hindustan Times’ and ‘The Indian Express’, though Akhila Bharatiya Hindu Suraksha Samiti (ABHSS) had called off their ‘Lalkar Rally’, Sikh groups organized ‘Anakh Rally’ in protest of the cancelled rally. These reports can be read here and here. Punjab local channel ‘Global Punjab TV’ also reported about the ‘Anakh Rally’ organized at Beas river bridge.
From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post has nothing to do with the ongoing farmers protest over the new farm bills passed by the Government of India.
To sum it up, 2016 video of a rally organized by the Sikh groups is now being shared as the farmers protest over the new farm bills.

created: December 9, 2020


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2016 video of a football fan smashing his TV Set is edited and linked to recent India-Pakistan cricket match in T20 World Cup - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 25, 2022
A video is going viral on social media in which a man smashes his TV after watching the winning moments of India during the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan. The post description refers to him as a Pakistani.  Let’s fact-check this video through this article.
Claim: Video of Pakistani cricket fan smashing his TV after the Indian team’s victory against Pakistan in the T20 cricket World Cup.
Fact: This is an old video shot in 2016. Reportedly, a woman pranked his boyfriend during a Euro 2016 football game between Turkey and Croatia by repeatedly turning off the TV during crucial moments of the match. The viral post contains a clip from this video in which the cricket match clip is digitally added to the TV screen. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We ran a keyword search on the internet and were led to a few news reports about a man who smashed his TV while watching a football match.
Reportedly, this was a prank played on a man named Izzet Salti by his girlfriend when he was watching a Euro 2016 match between his country, Turkey and Croatia. Izzet’s girlfriend recorded his reaction as she turned off the TV during crucial moments of the match; as a result of it, he smashed his TV. An archived version of a Daily Mail article from 2016 can be read here to learn more about the incident.
The video uploaded on YouTube can be watched here; the viral video matches this from 2:16 seconds.
Incidents of Pakistani cricket fans breaking their TV sets have been reported in the past, which can be read here and here. But the viral video which is being shared in the context of India’s victory against Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World cup is a morphed one.
To summarise, an old video of a football fan smashing his TV set is morphed to make it look like he is watching the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match.

created: October 25, 2022


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Unrelated and morphed visuals are shared as Cristiano Ronaldo extending his support to Palestine - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 19, 2023
Update (19 October 2023):
Another video is being shared on social media claiming it shows visuals of Cristiano Ronaldo holding placards in support of Palestine. The visuals show Ronaldo holding placards with the texts, “I love Gaza and You?” and “Todos Con Palestine” (When translated from Spanish to English: “Together with Palestine”).  The same video shows a few other visuals and claims it shows Cristiano Ronaldo refusing to shake hands with the Israeli president. Let’s verify the claims made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of Cristiano Ronaldo holding placards in support of Palestine and refusing to shake hands with the Israel President.
Fact: The purported photos that show Cristiano Ronaldo holding placards in support of Palestine in the video are edited. The original photo shows Cristiano Ronaldo displaying a placard with the text, “Todos Con Lorca”. The person to whom Cristiano Ronaldo refused to shake hands in the video was Italian politician Luca Ferrari, not the Israel President. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Photos:
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the images, a similar image was published by several websites. The original image shows Cristiano Ronaldo holding a placard with the text, “Todos Con Lorca” (When translated from Spanish to English, it reads, “Together with Lorca.”).  The photo was taken in 2011, when Real Madrid football players including Cristiano Ronaldo visited Lorca to express their solidarity with the earthquake victims. This indicates that the images shared in the video are edited.
Video:
The post claims it is the visuals of Cristiano Ronaldo refusing to shake hands with the Israel President.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, a video showing similar visuals was found tweeted by TNT Sports in December 2019. The video was tweeted with the description, “Cristiano Ronaldo not interested in Italian Supercup silver medal.” When we searched for further sources using relevant keywords, we found that the official whom Ronaldo was seen ignoring in the video was Luca Ferrari, an Italian politician and the former Italy’s Ambassador to China. The video was reportedly taken after the final of Italy’s Super Cup tournament.
"Ronaldo's not one for silver medals, is he?" 👀
CR7 was not having it. Straight off. pic.twitter.com/oy81C82xQO
Published (18 October 2023):
A video is being shared on social media claiming that Portugal’s star football player Cristiano Ronaldo had sent a video message expressing his support to Palestine. Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, the video is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Cristiano Ronaldo’s video message expressing his support for Palestine in its ongoing war with Israel.
Fact: The viral video is from 2016, when Cristiano Ronaldo’s gave a special message for children in war-torn Syria. The video shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched for the video using relevant keywords, we found the same video on the official ‘X’ handle of Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo published the video in 2016 with the description, “A message of hope to the children affected by the conflict in Syria. @SavetheChildren.”
A message of hope to the children affected by the conflict in Syria. @SavetheChildren pic.twitter.com/Zsdvu2nuXd
Cristiano Ronaldo in the video said– “Hello, this is for children of Syria. We know that you have been suffering a lot. I am a very famous player, but you are the true heroes. Don’t lose your hope. The world is with you. We care about you. I am with you.”
Ronaldo sent this special message to the children in war-ravaged Syria as part of the ‘Save the Children’s Syria’ campaign. Several news portals published articles and videos reporting about Cristiano Ronaldo’s message to Syrian children. They can be seen here, here, and here.
Earlier, Factly debunked a few similar fake posts attributing unrelated and digitally altered videos to Portugal Football player Cristiano Ronaldo. The links to those fact-check articles can be seen below.
Article links:
To sum it up, a 2016 video of Cristiano Ronaldo’s special message to Syrian children is falsely linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.

created: October 19, 2023


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Old videos are being shared as people accepting Islam in Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 25, 2022
Updated (25 November 2022):
In the context on ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, a video of a group of people reciting Arabic prayers is being widely shared on social media claiming that 120 non-Muslims accepted Islam in Qatar. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: 120 non-Muslims accepted Islam in Qatar during the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Fact: This video is uploaded on YouTube on 14 March 2018 with title “60 Filipinos convert to Islam”. FIFA world cup 2022 started in Qatar on 20 November 2022. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Reverse image search of the keyframes extracted from the viral video led us to a YouTube video posted on 14 March 2018 with the title “60 Filipinos convert to Islam”. Another video says that the location is Challenger Company in Al-Shahaniya near Doha, Qatar.
By comparing the visuals from the viral video with that of YouTube video, we can conclude that both videos show the same incident. Though we couldn’t independently verify the exact date and location of this incident, it is evident that this video is at least four years old and is not related to ‘FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022’
To sum it up, old unrelated video shared as people accepting Islam during FIFA world cup 2022 in Qatar.
Published (22 November 2022):
In the context of Islamic Preacher Zakir Naik being invited to FIFA world cup Qatar 2022 to give religious lectures throughout the tournament, a video of four people accepting Islam in the presence of Zakir naik is being widely shared with a claim that the incident took place during the ongoing FIFA world cup 2022. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Four people converted to Islam in the presence of Zakir Naik during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Fact: According to Al Jazeera and Qatar Tribune, this video shows four people accepting Islam during a Zakir Naik’s event held in Qatar on 26 May 2016. There are no such reports about conversion amid the ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in the presence of Zakir Naik. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We searched the internet with relevant keywords and came across a YouTube video uploaded on 27 May 2016 with the title, “4 people converted to Islam immediately after the end of Zakir Naik’s lecture at Katara”. By comparing the visuals of viral video with that of this YouTube Video, we can conclude that these two videos show the same event.
Taking a cue from this, we further searched about this event and found a video uploaded on 29 May 2016 on ‘Aljazeera Mubasher’ YouTube channel, The visuals of this match with that of the above two videos. As per the description of this video, 4 people converted to Islam during a lecture titled ‘Does God Exist?’ by Zakir Naik.
According to media reports, on 26 May 2016, Katara, the Cultural Village Foundation, hosted a lecture delivered by  Zakir Naik titled ‘Does God Exist?’. Over 13,000 attended this event. After Zakir concluded his lecture, four people ascended to the stage announcing their conversion to Islam.
To sum it up, old video of a group of people converting to Islam in Qatar in 2016 is being shared as recent one related to 2022 FIFA world cup.

created: November 25, 2022


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2016 video of Ghanim Al-Muftah's conversation with Zakir Naik is attributed to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 25, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the recent visuals of Ghanim Al Muftah, a motivational speaker and the ambassador for the FIFA World Cup 2022, meeting Islamic preacher Zakir Naik in Qatar. Amid reports of Zakir Naik being invited to give religious lectures during the FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar, this post is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Ghanim Al-Muftah having a conversation with Zakir Naik during a lecture at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Fact: The video shared in the post shows the visuals from Zakir Naik’s ‘Does God Exist?’ lecture held in Qatar’s Katara cultural village on 26 May 2016. Ghanim Al-Muftah attended this event held in 2016 and expressed his happiness for meeting him. The video does not show a recent conversation between Zakir Naik and Ghanim Al-Muftah at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, a video with similar visuals was found recently published by a YouTube channel. This YouTube channel described it as the visuals of Ghanim Al-Muftah welcoming Zakir Naik to Qatar during the “Does God Exist?” event held in Qatar’s Katara cultural village on 26 May 2016.
When we searched for further sources, we found the visuals of this conversation between Zakir Naik and Ghanim Al-Muftah in a video published by the ‘KataraQatar’ Facebook page on 27 May 2016. Ghanim Al-Muftah can be heard making the same comments in this video as shared in the viral post. ‘KataraQatar’ shared live videos of the “Does God Exist?” full event which can be seen here, here and here.  This Facebook page confirmed it as the visuals from the “Does God Exist?” lecture presented by Zakir Naik in May 2016.
The Full lecture and Q&A session of “Does God Exist?” event held in 2016 can be seen here. Though this video is uploaded recently, the description the video clearly states that video is from Zakir Naik’s ‘Does God Exist?’ tour to Qatar in 2016 at Katana Cultural Village, Amphitheatre, Doha, Qatar. Other videos that were uploaded recently also state that the visuals are from the 2016 event in Qatar.
On further research, we found the full speech video uploaded on ‘Aljazeera Mubasher’ YouTube channel on 27 May 2022. The title of this video mentioned in Arabic language translates to ‘A lecture by the Islamic preacher Dr. Zakir Naik entitled “Does God Exist?”‘. All these evidences indicate that the video shared in the post is old and is not related to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
We could not find any recent press reports on a meeting between Zakir Naik and Ghanim Al-Muftah during the FIFA World Cup 2022 tournament. Factly had earlier debunked another video clip from Zakir Naik’s ‘Does God Exist?’ lecture that was widely shared with the claim that four people had converted to Islam in his presence during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
To sum it up, 2016 video of Ghanim Al-Muftah having a conversation with Zakir Naik is attributed to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.


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2016 video of UP woman constable complaining about casteist abuse is being shared with love jihad narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 23, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as visuals of a woman constable exposing the truth about increasing domination of Islam in the country and love jihad. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a woman constable speaking about increasing domination of Islam and love jihad in the country.
Fact: This viral video is an altered version created by adding a different audio to the original video. The original video shows a woman constable describing the casteist abuse and harassment from her superior at the Karhal police station in the Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh. The incident took place in December 2016. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, another video with similar visuals is found in an article published by ‘Punjab Kesari’ on 20 December 2016. Punjab Kesari published the video with a description, “Lady Constable exposes shameless inspector for misbehaving with her in Police station!”. In the original video, the woman constable did not speak anything about Islam or about love jihad.
When we searched for further sources using relevant keywords, we found the complete details of this video in an article published by the ‘Khaskhabhar’ news website on 17 December 2016. According to the article, Rupesh Bharti, a dalit woman constable working at the Karhal police station in the Uttar Pradesh’s Mainpuri district, complained to the District Superintendent of Police and to media about the casteist abuse and mental harassment from the SHO Subhash Chandra Yadav.
Speaking to the media, Rupesh Bharti alleged that Subhash Chandra Yadav asked her to make food for his children at his home and when she opposed, he misbehaved with her and started harassing her. She claimed that Yadav marked her “absent on duty” despite the fact that she was working. She verbally complained about this to CO Karhal who assured to look into the issue. Further, Rupesh Bharti alleged that Subhash Chandra Yadav had humiliated her by blowing smoke on her face and made casteist remarks against her.
When this video went viral on social media, the Uttar Pradesh police and the ‘IG Agra’ responded through a tweet and assured an immediate enquiry and effective action in the matter. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the post shared an altered version of the original video by adding a different audio.
कृपया सूचनार्थ एवं प्रकरण में तत्काल जाॅंच एवं प्रभावी कार्यवाही कर अवगत करायें।
To sum it up, 2016 video of a UP woman constable complaining about casteist abuse is altered and shared with a love jihad narrative.

created: September 23, 2022


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2016 video reshared and falsely linked to farmers tractor parade - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 28, 2021
A post accompanying a video of a large group of Sikh protesters brandishing swords and chanting pro-Khalistan slogans is being widely circulated on social media platforms with a claim that the visuals are from the recent tractor parade organized by protesting farmers. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Sikh protesters brandished swords and raised pro-Khalistan slogans during the tractor parade.
Fact: The video actually shows the Anakh rally organized by Sikh hardliners back in 2016 in response to Shiv Sena’s announcement to hold a pro-Hindu rally called the ‘Lalkar rally’. Multiple news agencies have reported the rally. The video has nothing to do with the protesting farmers’ tractor parade. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search of the screenshots of the video led us to a YouTube video that carried visuals similar to the video in the post. The video is uploaded on YouTube on 25 May 2016 and the title of the video reads “Live From Beas (Shiv Sena not Come to Amritsar)”.
Taking a cue from the YouTube video, Google search with relevant keywords led us to an article published on a website named Khalsa Force. As per the article, thousands of Sikhs attended the ‘Anakh rally’ at the Beas river bridge on 25 May 2016 to challenge the Shiv Sena who announced to take out a ‘Lalkar Rally’ at Amritsar.
Further search led us to news articles published by ‘Hindustan Times’ & ‘The Indian Express’ according to which even as Shiv Sena had called off its Lalkar Rally, Sikh hardliners continued with ‘Anakh rally’. A Punjabi regional news video reporting this rally can be seen here. With all these, we can establish that the video in the post is old and has nothing to do with the recent tractor parade by protesting farmers.
In the light of the recent tractor parade on Republic Day by protesting farmers which led to series of unfortunate violent incidents like clashes between police and farmers, posts like these are being circulated on social media with misleading claims.
To sum it up, 2016 video raked up and falsely linked to farmers tractor parade.


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2016 video shared as the recent video of Arab nations destroying France products in the desert. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 2, 2020
A post is being shared on social media claiming that Arab nations are boycotting products of France and throwing them into the desert. In the post, a video of people throwing a bunch of boxes in the desert can be seen. In October 2020, France President Emmanuel Macron took a stance against radical Islam and made a statement that they are not going to give up their cartoons on Prophet Muhammed. Following these statements from the French President, massive protests took place in many Muslim-Majority countries against France and their President Macron. Let’s verify the claims made in these posts.
Claim: Video of Arab nations throwing France products in the desert.
Fact: The video shared in the post is an old one. The people in the video are burying spoiled chicken cartons in the Municipality cemetery, not the French products. In 2016, Al-Qassim Municipal Corporation destroyed 800 thousand spoiled chicken cartons by burying them in the Municipality cemetery. The video has nothing to do with the recent protests of people in the Muslim nations against France. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, similar visuals were found in a YouTube video posted by an Arabic news channel on 18 November 2016. In the video, it is mentioned that the Al-Qassim Municipal Corporation buried 800 thousand spoiled chicken cartons in the desert.
On searching for more sources using the keywords, we found an article published by an Arabic news website about this incident. In the article, it is mentioned that the Municipality of AL-Qassim province destroyed the contents of  25 seized trucks loaded with rotten chicken cartons by burying them in the Municipality’s cemetery. It is mentioned in the article that the 25 trucks were carrying 800 thousand cartons of rotten chicken which were not suitable for human consumption. Reporting the same, the ‘Alriyadh’ news website published an article on ‘20 November 2016’. From these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post is an old one and not related to the recent protests of Muslim nations against France.
To sum it up, 2016 video falsely shared as the recent video of Arab nations destroying France products in the desert.

created: November 2, 2020


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2017 లో ABVP ఆవిర్భావ దినోత్సవాన తీసిన ఫోటోని అవాస్తవమైన కథనంతో పోస్ట్ చేశారు - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 12, 2019
దేవాలయంలో బాంబ్ పెట్టడానికి ప్రయత్నించిన బీ.జే.పీ కార్యకర్తలని పోలీసువారు పట్టుకున్నారంటూ ఒక ఫొటోతో కూడిన పోస్ట్ ని చాలా మంది షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు. ఆ పోస్ట్ లో ఆరోపించిన విషయాలు ఎంతవరకు వాస్తవమో ఓసారి విశ్లేషిద్దాం .
ఆ పోస్ట్ యొక్క ఆర్కైవ్డ్ వెర్షన్ ఇక్కడ చూడవచ్చు.
సూర్య దేవాలయంలో బాంబ్ బ్లాస్ట్ చేయడానికి ప్రణాళిక వేసిన నలుగురు BJP కార్యకర్తలు మరియు ఒక BJP నాయకుడు; పోలిసుల అప్రమత్తత తో దొరికిపోయారు.
ఈ మధ్య కాలంలో దేశంలోని ఏ ప్రఖ్యాత సూర్య దేవాలయంలో కూడా బాంబ్ బ్లాస్ట్ ప్రయత్నం జరిగినట్టుగా మీడియా లో ఎక్కడా కథనాలు రాలేదు మరియు పోస్ట్ లో పెట్టిన ఫోటో 2017 ABVP ఆవిర్భావ దినోత్సవానికి సంబంధించినది. కావున పోస్ట్ లో చెప్పింది తప్పు.
ఫేస్బుక్ పోస్ట్ లో ఏ ప్రాంతం లోని సూర్య దేవాలయం కి సంబంధించి పెట్టారో స్పష్టంగా లేదు. పోస్ట్ లోని ఫోటోని గూగుల్ రివర్స్ ఇమేజ్ సెర్చ్ చేసినప్పుడు ఆ ఫోటోని గత కొంత కాలంగా వివిధ సందర్భాలలో ఉపయోగించినట్టుగా అర్థం అవుతోంది. ఒక సందర్భం లో క్రయిస్తవ మత మార్పిడికి సంబంధించిన కథనంలో ఉపయోగించారు. మరోసారి హిందూ మాతమార్పిడికి  సంబంధించిన కథనంలో ఉపయోగించారు. ఈ ఫోటోని మొట్ట మొదటిసారి అక్టోబర్ 1, 2017న ‘The Caravan’ అనే వార్తా సంస్థ ABVP ఆవిర్భావ దినోత్సవం -2017 గురించి తాము రాసిన ‘Student Days’ కథనంలో ఉపయోగించింది. ఈ కథనాన్ని ఆధారంగా చేసుకొని CETRI అనే NGO అక్టోబర్ 24, 2017న  ప్రచురించిన ‘INDIA : STUDENT DAY. THE AGE OF ABVP’ అనే కథనంలో కూడా ఉపయోగించారు.
చివరగా, ABVP ఆవిర్భావ దినోత్సవం-2017 కి సంబంధించిన ఫోటోని అవాస్తవమైన కథనంతో ఫేస్బుక్ లో పోస్ట్ చేశారు.


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2017 BJP’s Surat bike rally video is now being circulated with misleading claims - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 30, 2019
Many Facebook users are sharing a post with a video which shows BJP party workers being taunted by a crowd during their bike rally. Let’s try to analyze the claims made in the post.
BJP party men were taunted by Rohingya and Bangladesh refugees in West Bengal when their bike rally passed through the colonies of these refugees.
Fact: The video is that of BJP’s Surat bike rally during the 2017 Assembly Elections. Hence, the claim is MISLEADING.
When the video in the post is run through Invid, several key frames were obtained. On using Google Reverse Image technique for each key frame with the filter “BJP party men humiliated”, a certain key frame directed to a YouTube video link. The video is found to be similar to the one put in the post. From the description of the video, it is found to be related to the BJP bike rally in Hira street of Surat. To ascertain it, when looked further on YouTube with the keywords “Surat BJP Rally”, then the same video that was uploaded by ABP Asmita News was found and from the description, it can be concluded  that the video is related to a BJP bike rally in Surat during the 2017 Gujarat Assembly Elections.
To sum it up, the video is that of BJP party’s Surat bike rally during the 2017 Gujarat Assembly Elections. It did not take place in West Bengal.


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2017 election schedule is passed off as that of the upcoming 2022 assembly elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 6, 2022
A post sharing the purported schedule of the upcoming 2022 elections in UP, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Goa is being shared on social media. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Election schedule of the upcoming 2022 assembly elections in UP, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Goa.
Fact: The election schedule of the upcoming 2022 assembly elections in UP, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Goa is not yet released. The schedule being shared is actually that of the 2017 assembly elections in these states. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Search on Election Commission of India website did not yield any results with respect to the schedule of the upcoming assembly elections in 2022. Also, we could not find any news articles stating the release of the election schedule of the upcoming 2022 elections in UP, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Goa.
The schedule of the 2017 assembly elections held in UP, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Goa is the same as the one in the post. The dates of nomination, polling dates, and the result date are exactly same as the 2017 schedule.
The assembly elections to UP, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Goa are due in the year 2022. The five-year term for most of these state assemblies is going to end in March. The Election Commission of India website gives the list of upcoming elections but doesn’t yet show the election schedule for these states.
To sum it up, the 2017 election schedule is passed off as the election schedule of the upcoming 2022 assembly elections in UP, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Goa.

created: January 6, 2022


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2017 ‘Human Shield’ photo of a Kashmiri is being recently shared as recent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 25, 2022
A photo of a man tied to a vehicle is being widely shared through a post claiming that it shows the Indian Army’s ‘Shobha Yatra’. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing Indian Army’s recent ‘Shobha Yatra’.
Fact: The photo is from 2017 and is not a recent one. On 09 April 2017, during polling for the Srinagar Lok Sabha by-election, Major Gogoi- an Indian Army Officer- tied a Kashmiri man in front of a military jeep as ‘Human Shield’ against stone pelters in Jammu & Kashmir. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When a reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo was found in an article published in 2017. So, the photo is not a recent one. The photo shows a Kashmiri man tied to an Indian Army vehicle during the polling of the Srinagar Lok Sabha by-election on 09 April 2017. Indian Army officer, Major Gogoi had tied a man to the Army vehicle as a ‘human shield’ to guard himself against stone pelters, the video had triggered a public outcry then. Major Gogoi was honoured with Army Chief’s ‘Commendation Card’ for his counter-insurgency operations even before a Court of Inquiry completed the task of probing the incident.
Farooq Ahmed Dar, the ‘human shield’ who was tied to the army vehicle moved the Jammu and Kashmir human rights commission. Later, the State Human Rights Commission awarded 10 lakh rupees as compensation which the state government refused to pay in 2017. A review petition is said to have been filed against the decision of the state government; the case is reportedly under consideration. Major Gogoi later suffered loss of seniority and was exited from Kashmir for ‘fraternising’ with a local Kashmiri woman in 2018.
To sum it up, a 2017 photo of a Kashmiri tied as ‘Human Shield’ to an Army vehicle is being shared recently as recent.


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2017 image of Adityanath meeting Ambani is shared as ‘Ambani donating 500 Crores for the construction of Ram Mandir’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 26, 2019
An image of Mukesh Ambani seen along with the Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath is being shared on social media claiming that Ambani has donated Rs. 500 Crores for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. Let’s try to check the claim.
Image of Mukesh Ambani donating Rs. 500 Crores for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.
Fact: The image shows Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath meeting Mukesh Ambani during a roadshow organised by ‘CII’ in Mumbai in 2017. Also, there is no information that Ambani has donated Rs. 500 Crores for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. So, the claim is FALSE.
When the image in the post is subjected to Google reverse image search technique, it was found in a tweet by Yogi Adityanath in 2017. In that tweet, Yogi wrote that he had met Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani during a roadshow in Mumbai. More details about that event organised by ‘CII’ can be read here.
Also, when searched on Google if Ambani has donated Rs. 500 Crores for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, no information was found that confirms such a donation. If Ambani had really made such a donation, it would have been surely reported in the media. So, Ambani hasn’t made any such donation to the temple.
In its Ayodhya Ram Mandir-Masjid verdict, the Supreme Court directed the central government to set up a trust within three months and the central government is yet to establish that trust.
Also, a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader had told the media that VHP and Shri Ram Janmbhumi Nyas aren’t taking any donations for Ayodhya Ram Mandir.
To conclude, a 2017 image of Ambani meeting Adityanadh during a ‘CII’ event shared as ‘Ambani donating Rs. 500 Crores for construction of Ram Mandir’.
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created: November 26, 2019


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2017 image of Jat protests is shared as women from Rajasthan participating in farmers' protest - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 4, 2020
A post with the image of a woman driving a tractor filled with women is being widely shared across social media platforms with a claim that these women are rallying in solidarity with the protesting farmers. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Rajasthan women rallied in solidarity with farmers’ protest.
Fact: The image actually shows Jat women protesters agitating for reservation in Rohtak, Haryana back in 2017. This image has nothing to do with the ongoing farmers’ protest. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search of the photo in the post led us to a 2017 news article which carried the same image. According to the article, the image shows Jat women protesters agitating for reservation in Rohtak, Haryana.
Further, the same image was also featured in a listicle of a news agency. Even according to this, the image is related to Jat protests seeking reservation in Haryana. With all these, we can say for sure that the image does not show Rajasthani Women rallying in solidarity with ongoing farmers’ protest.
Also, we could not find any news articles related to Rajasthani women tractor rally in solidarity with the ongoing farmer’s protest.
In the light of the ongoing farmers protest opposing the new farm laws, posts like these are being widely shared on social media platforms with misleading claims.
To sum it up, 2017 image of Jat women protesters agitating for reservation in Rohtak is shared as Rajasthani women’s rally in solidarity with the ongoing farmers’ protest.

created: December 4, 2020


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2017 molestation video of a girl from Andhra Pradesh is shared as the molestation video of Hindu girl in Kerala - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 8, 2020
A video of a  boy sexually assaulting a girl is being shared on social media with a claim that the minority community Hindu girls get harassed frequently in Kerala. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Video shows a Hindu girl molested in Kerala.
Fact: Video in the post shows a girl being sexually assaulted and filmed by a group of three men in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, in 2017. It is an old video and has nothing to do with Hindu girls in Kerala. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of screenshots in the video, similar visuals were found in a video posted by ‘The Times of India’ news website on their YouTube channel on ’26 September 2017’. In the description of the video, it is mentioned that a minor girl was molested and filmed by her molesters in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. Describing the incident in detail, ‘Times Now’ published an article on ‘27 September 2017’. In the article, it is mentioned that three boys had sexually assaulted a girl and filmed her. This incident took place in Kanigiri town of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh. It is mentioned in the article that a boy among the three, asked his friend to molest his girlfriend while they took her for a picnic. He filmed the incident while his friend molested his girlfriend and later circulated the video on social media. After the girl’s parents lodged the complaint, the Kanigiri police arrested the three youth involved in this incident.
Similar visuals with the same description were found in the videos posted by ‘NewsX’ and ‘Tv9’ news channels. They can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, a 2017 molestation video of a girl from Andhra Pradesh is falsely shared as the molestation video of Hindu girl in Kerala.

created: September 8, 2020


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2017 news clipping of Forbes listing India as Asia’s most corrupt country is shared as recent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 2, 2022
A screenshot of a news clipping is being widely shared on social media claiming that American Business Magazine ‘Forbes’ had listed India as the most corrupt country in Asia. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Forbes has recently listed India as the most corrupt country in Asia.
Fact: The news clipping shared in the post reports the Asia’s Five Most Corrupt Countries published by Forbes in March 2017. With a higher bribery rate percentage of 69%, India was listed as the most corrupt country in Asia. Forbes announced this list based on an 18-month-long survey conducted by Transparency International. According to the latest survey by Transparency International, the bribery rate percentage decreased from 69% to 39% in India. Lately, Forbes did not publish any report listing India as the most corrupt country in Asia. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, we found that the news clipping was being circulated on social media at least since 2017. When we searched to check whether Forbes had listed India as the most corrupt country in Asia, we came to know that Forbes had listed India as the most corrupt country in their Asia’s Five Most Corrupt Countries report published in March 2017. Several news websites published articles reporting this report published by Forbes. They can be seen here and here.
Asia's most corrupt countries:
1. India
2. Vietnam
3. Thailandhttps://t.co/JElXSD0DWV pic.twitter.com/mnko569jh7
Forbes announced this list referring to the results of an 18-month-long survey conducted by global civil society organisation, Transparency International. With a higher bribery rate percentage of 69%, India was listed as the most corrupt country in Asia by Forbes. Referring to the bribery rates in India, the Forbes article said, “In five of the six public services – schools, hospitals, ID documents, police, and utility services – more than half the respondents have had to pay a bribe.”
The ‘Global Corruption Barometer Asia 2020’ and other latest reports published by Transparency International stated- “India has the highest overall bribery rate (39 per cent) and the highest rate of citizens using personal connections (46 per cent). Following India, Indonesia and China have the second and third highest rates of people using personal connections (36 per cent and 32 per cent respectively)”. While India still continues to be Asia’s most corrupt country with respect to the bribery rate percentages as per Transparency International, when it comes to the Global Corruption Perceptions Index 2021, India is ranked 85th, a much better position when compared to North Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries. North Korea ranked 174th position in the Global Corruption Perceptions survey conducted on 180 countries.
Lately, Forbes did not publish any report mentioning India as the most corrupt country in Asia. ‘The World’s Best And Worst Countries For Public Sector Corruption [Infographic]’ report published by Forbes in 2021 also did not mention India as one of the most corrupt countries.
To sum it up, an old news clipping reporting the news of Forbes listing India as Asia’s most corrupt country in 2017 is shared as a recent one.

created: August 2, 2022


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2017 news of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain revoking operating license of Qatar Airways is shared as recent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 10, 2022
A post is being shared on social media claiming that recently Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have cancelled the operating license of Qatar Airways amid the deepening diplomatic crisis. This post claims that both these Arab countries have come to this decision after the political pressure from India. In the wake of the Qatar government’s demand for a public apology from the Indian Government over the BJP’s spokesperson’s recent comments on Prophet Muhammed, this post is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain recently cancelled the operating license of Qatar Airways amid the political pressure from India.
Fact: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain revoked the operating license of Qatar Airways in June 2017 over terrorism concerns. Saudi Arabia re-opened their airspace to Qatar Airways in January 2021. Recently, after the BJP’s spokesperson’s comments on Prophet Muhammed, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain did not again revoke the license of Qatar Airways. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or Bahrain had recently cancelled the operating license of the Qatar Airways, we could not find any recent press release stating this information on the Saudi Arabia or Bahrain government websites.
On 05 June 2017, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia issued a press release announcing the complete cut-off of diplomatic and consular relations with the state of Qatar. Citing national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism, the Saudi Arabia government cut off all diplomatic relations with Qatar. As part of this, the Saudi government decided to close all land, sea and airports, to prevent crossing into Saudi territories, airspace and territorial waters. On 06 June 2017, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain governments revoked the operating license of Qatar Airways over terrorism concerns. Reporting this news, several news websites published articles. They can be seen here and here.
The Saudi Arabia government revoked the airspace ban on Qatar Airways in January 2021. Qatar Airways through a Facebook post on 10 January 2021 announced that they are resuming flights to Saudi Arabia. Recently, after the BJP spokesperson’s comments on Prophet Muhammed, neither the Saudi Arabia government nor the Bahrain government had again revoked the operating license of Qatar Airways.
To sum it up, 2017 news of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain revoking operating license of Qatar Airways is shared as a recent one.


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2017 photo from Iraq shared as recent picture of a Palestinian fleeing with his child amid Israel strikes - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 16, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is a recent heart-breaking picture of a crying Palestinian fleeing with his child amid the Israel’s strikes on Palestine. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent picture of a Palestinian fleeing with his child following the Israel armed forces strikes on Palestine.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows an old picture of a man carrying his child and running from an Islamic State-controlled part of Mosul towards Iraqi special forces soldiers during the battle in Mosul in March 2017. The photo shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. 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 ‘NBC News’ website on 06 March 2017. The description of the photo states, “A man cries as he carries his daughter while fleeing from an ISIS-controlled part of Mosul towards Iraqi special forces soldiers during a battle in Mosul, Iraq, on March 4, 2017”. ‘NBC News’ credited the photo to Goran Tomasevic, a journalist working for ‘Reuters’.
When we searched for further sources, we found the same photo published on the ‘Reuters Pictures’ website. Publishing the photo, Goran Tomasevic said, “Both screaming in terror, a father and the young daughter he cradled in his arm fled through the rubble-strewn streets of Wadi Hajar, transformed in a flash into a battleground between Islamic State fighters and Iraqi special forces. They and their neighbours – some wearing rubber sandals, some barefoot – were running from an IS counter-attack in this part of Mosul, dodging gunfire as the militants closed in. When they reached the special forces lines, males were ordered to lift their shirts to prove they weren’t suicide bombers. Some had to take off their clothes or show their belts, though not those carrying children. The father was so beside himself, so panicked. It was obvious because he had a short shirt on and was carrying a child that he wasn’t Islamic State. I believe they will both be taken to a refugee camp”.  So, it can be concluded that the photo shared in the post is old and is not related to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
To sum it up, a 2017 photo related to the ‘Battle of Mosul’ in Iraq is shared as recent picture of a Palestinian fleeing with his child following the strikes from Israel.


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2017 photo from London is shared as New York Stock Exchange featuring the recent victory of BJP in UP - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 14, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that the news of the recent victory of BJP in the UP-state assembly elections was displayed as a message on the New York Stock Exchange. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo shows the message of BJP’s victory in the recent UP elections which is displayed on the New York Stock Exchange.
Fact: The photo is from 2017. The message displayed is on the Thomson Reuters building in Canary Wharf, London, and not the New York Stock exchange. Reuters had written an article about BJP’s electoral victory in UP assembly elections in 2017. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo was found on Twitter. Amit Malviya, who heads the IT cell in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had shared the same photo on his Twitter handle, on 12 March 2017. So, the photo is old and not a recent one. Amit Malviya says this photo is from Canary Wharf which is a prominent business district in London. There is no mention of it being from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The NYSE is in New York City, United States of America.
News of BJP's big win under Prime Minister Modi splashed in Canary Warf, prominent business district of London. Zoom it.. #IAmNewIndia pic.twitter.com/Z17OtsUatL
Similar photos from stock photo websites, and Google maps show that the building which is displaying such a message is the Thomson Reuters building in Canary Wharf, London.
When the same message is searched on Google, an article (with the same title), by Reuters, about the election victory of BJP in the 2017 assembly elections was found. In the article, Reuters reports that Narendra Modi had won a landslide victory in UP’s state assembly elections.
To sum it up, an old photo of the Thomson Reuters building displaying BJP’s UP election victory in 2017 is shared as the New York Stock Exchange featuring the recent victory of BJP in UP.


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2017 photo of Aamir Khan performing aarti at Navratri festival is linked to his recently released film Laal Singh Chaddha - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 23, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is a recent picture of Aamir Khan performing aarti and offering pooja after the box office failure of his recently released film Laal Singh Chaddha. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent picture of Aamir Khan performing aarti after the failure of his recently released film Laal Singh Chaddha.
Fact: The photo shared in the post was taken in September 2017, when Aamir Khan attended Navratri festival celebrations in Vadodara, Gujarat. As part of the promotions of his film ‘Secret Superstar’, Aamir Khan attended the Navratri festival in Vadodara and performed aarti to the god. The photo shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with his recently released film Laal Singh Chaddha. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the photo, a similar photo was found in an article published by the ‘Pinkvilla’ entertainment news website on 26 September 2017. This article reported it as the visuals of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan performing aarti at the Navratri festival celebrations in Vadodara, Gujarat.
As part of the promotions his film ‘Secret Superstar’, Aamir Khan reportedly attended the Navratri festival in Vadodara and performed aarti to the god. Several mainstream news websites like ‘ANI’ and ‘NDTV’ published videos and articles reporting the news of Aamir Khan attending the Navratri festival celebrations in Vadodara.
Post the box office failure of Laal Singh Chaddha, Aamir Khan was not spotted offering aarti or other prayers inside a Hindu temple. Earlier, Factly published fact-check articles debunking the false claims linked to ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ and about an alleged false statement, “give milk to the poor and not to shivling”, attributed to Aamir Khan. They can be seen here, here and here.
To sum it up, the 2017 photo of Aamir Khan performing aarti at the Navratri festival celebrations in Vadodara was linked to his recently released film Laal Singh Chaddha.


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2017 photo shared as recent picture of IAS officer Pooja Singhal with Amit Shah before the ED raids - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 9, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as IAS officer Pooja Singhal’s recent picture with Amit Shah just days before the Enforcement Directorate raided multiple places linked to her.  According to reports, on 06 May 2022, the Enforcement Directorate seized a total of Rs. 19.31 crores from various places linked to Pooja Singhal in connection with a money laundering case in Ranchi. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: IAS officer Pooja Singhal’s recent picture when she met Amit Shah just days before she was caught in ED raids.
Fact: The photo shared in the post was taken in 2017, during the ‘Garib Kalyan Mela’ organised on the eve of the completion of 100 days of Raghubar Das Government in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The photo shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with the recent Enforcement Directorate raids on Jharkhand IAS officer Pooja Singhal. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched for this photo using relevant keywords, we found that Bollywood film director Avinash Das too had tweeted this photo with a similar description on 08 May 2022. But a user replied to the tweet and mentioned that the photo was taken in 2017, during an event held in Ranchi, Jharkhand. This Twitter user had also shared a picture published on the ‘Getty Images’ in 2017, in which both Amit Shah and Pooja Singhal were seen in the same clothes as seen in the posted photo.
On searching for more details of the photo using relevant keywords, we found the same image on the ‘Getty Images’ website. The description of the photo states, “BJP President Amit Shah, Chief Minister Raghubar Das and Union Minister Jayant Sinha during the “Garib Kalyan Mela” rally organised on the eve of completion of 100 days of Raghubar Das government in state at Harmu ground, on September 16, 2017 in Ranchi”.
A few videos from the 2017 ‘Garib Kalyan Mela’ event held in Ranchi can be seen here and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the photo shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with the recent Enforcement Directorate raids on Jharkhand IAS officer Pooja Singhal.
To sum it up, an old photo taken in 2017 is shared as a recent picture of IAS officer Pooja Singhal with Amit Shah before the ED raids.


text:
2017 statement of Rajnath Singh during Punjab election campaign is linked to the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 1, 2022
A screenshot of a newspaper article is being shared on social media claiming that BJP leader Rajnath Singh, in a recent public meeting, requested people not to assault or throw shoes on their leaders campaigning for the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. In the wake of the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, this post is widely shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Rajnath Singh requested people not to assault or throw shoes on their leaders campaigning for the upcoming 2022 elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: BJP leader Rajnath Singh had made these statements during the 2017 Punjab election campaign rally in Abohar, Punjab. Following the incident of shoe-throwing at the then Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Rajnath Singh made this request to opposition party supporters in Punjab. The news article shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched for relevant sources using relevant keywords, it is found that BJP leader Rajnath Singh had made these statements during the 2017 Punjab election campaign rally in Abohar, Punjab. Several social media users shared the live visuals of Rajnath Singh making this statement in the Abohar rally. They can be seen here and here.
Following the incidents of stone-pelting on the convoy of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and shoe-throwing at the then Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Rajnath Singh while addressing the Abohar rally said, “Aapko vote na dena ho toh mat dijiye,lekin kya aap unpe (Prakash Singh Badal) lathi chalayenge,joote phekenge?” (when translated to English: If you wish not to vote for him, don’t vote, but do not throw shoes on him). ‘ANI’ tweeted this statement made by Rajnath Singh on 24 January 2017.  The live video visuals of Rajnath Singh’s speech at the Abohar rally can be seen here and here.
Aapko vote na dena ho toh mat dijiye,lekin kya aap unpe (Parkash Singh Badal) lathi chalayenge,joote phekenge?-HM Rajnath Singh #Punjabpolls
Further, Rajnath Singh said, “It pains me. Stones being thrown and the shoe being hurled, is this humanity? No matter how big our opponents may be, but everyone must not violate rule of law… Is it okay for people that someone may come and hurl a shoe at Parkash Singh Badal,, I want to ask Congress people… Sardar Badal is an elderly statesman”. Several other news websites had reported this statement made by Rajnath Singh during the Abohar rally in 2017. They can be seen here and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the newspaper article shared in the post reports Rajnath Singh’s old statement made during the 2017 Punjab Assembly Election campaign in Abohar, not related to the upcoming assembly 2022 elections in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
To sum it up, Rajnath Singh’s old statement during the 2017 Punjab election campaign linked to the upcoming assembly elections.

created: February 1, 2022


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2017 video falsely shared as Police beating a man during vehicle checking - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 18, 2019
A disturbing video of a man being dragged by Policemen & beaten ruthlessly is being shared widely across social media. The claim is that Police in Basti district have thrashed the man during their vehicle checking on September 14, 2019. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of Basti Police beating a man during their vehicle checking on September 14, 2019.
Fact: Video shows Basti Police beating a man for disturbing peace in the locality in an inebriated state. This incident took place in November-2017. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When searched on Google with keywords ‘Basti police beat a man’, many search results were obtained. A search result of ‘Samachar Plus’ had a news video relating to the video in the social media post. From the news video, it was found that the incident took place in November-2017 in which the Basti Police have beaten that man for disturbing peace in the locality in an inebriated state. When looked for other media reports on the incident, an article of ‘Patrika’ that was published on November 14, 2017, has also been found which corroborated this version that the man was beaten by the Police for disturbing peace in the locality.
Also, in response to a tweet by a user regarding the video, Basti Police have clarified that the incident has taken place in 2017 and it has nothing to do with vehicle checking.
उक्त वीडियो वर्ष 2017 का है न कि वर्तमान समय का है । यह घटना काफी पुरानी है ,वीडियो को देखने से वर्दी शीतकालीन है जबकि वर्तमान समय में ग्रीष्मकालीन वर्दी धारण की जा रही है यह घटना न ही किसी वाहन चेकिंग की है ।
To conclude, a 2017 video is being shared with a false narrative of Police beating a man during a vehicle checking.
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created: September 18, 2019