text:
The individual alongside Kangana Ranaut in this photograph is not the convicted terrorist Abu Salem - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 4, 2024
An image of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut posing with a man is being shared with a claim that the man seen with her is 1993 Mumbai bombings convict Abu Salem. In this article, we fact-check the assertion linked to the photograph.
Claim: Image of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut posing with Mumbai bombings convict Abu Salem.
Fact:  The individual seen posing with Kangana in the viral photo is journalist Mark Manuel, not the convicted terrorist Abu Salem. The image is from 2017 when Mark Manuel conducted an interview with Kangana Ranaut. He subsequently shared the same image on his various social media platforms. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search on the viral photo led us to a 2017 Facebook post by journalist Mark Manuel, where he shared the same image. In the post, he included excerpts from his interview with Kangana Ranaut alongside the photo. He also posted an identical image on his Instagram profile.
Mark Manuel authored an article for Huffington Post, drawing from his interview with Kangana. Published on 24 September 2018, the article featured the same image. Although the article is presently inaccessible, FACTLY managed to capture a screenshot of it in 2020 when the identical photo resurfaced, as depicted below.
In 2023, when the image resurfaced with the same assertion, Kangana addressed the issue on Twitter (archived) asserting that the man pictured in the photo is the former Times of India editor, Mark Manuel. All these confirm that the individual posing with Kangana in the viral photo is not the convicted terrorist Abu Salem.
Moreover, the image featuring Kangana Ranaut alongside Modi is digitally altered. Its original context dates back to 2020 when Kangana Ranaut was engaged in a discussion with Jaggi Vasudev in Varanasi. The image has been manipulated to portray her conversing with Modi by digitally morphing Jaggi Vasudev’s image.
To sum up, no, the individual alongside Kangana Ranaut in this photograph is not the convicted terrorist Abu Salem.


text:
The individual advising Hindus in this video is not a Muslim, but a popular Vedic preacher - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 10, 2024
A widely circulated video shows a woman advising Hindus to be cautious about another community, accompanied by the assertion that she is a Muslim woman warning Hindus at a Brahmin gathering.  In the video, the woman can be heard referring to the Taliban, Kanhaiya Lal, and Nupur Sharma incidents. In this article, we will verify the claims presented in the post.
Claim: Video of a Muslim woman advising the Hindu community.
Fact: The individual featured in the video is a well-known Hindu Vedic preacher. Multiple news reports have identified her as a Hindu. In response to the viral claims, she denied the allegations as false. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The individual featured in the viral video did make these remarks warning Hindus; however, it’s important to note that she is not Muslim but a Hindu. A reverse image search of the viral video’s screenshots directed us to a YouTube short video displaying the same visuals. This short video was posted on 26  November 2023, on a YouTube channel named Vidushi Anjali Arya. The channel contains numerous videos showcasing her preachings.
Subsequent searches using pertinent keywords led us to a 2019 news report concerning the woman in question. The article identified her as Anjali Arya, affiliated with the Arya Samaj. The report provided additional details, stating that Anjali’s father is named Dhaniram, her mother is Nirmala Devi, and her grandfather, Om Prakash Arya, used to accompany her to Arya Samaj conferences during her childhood. These particulars indicate her Hindu family background.
Another report that identified the person as a Vedic preacher can be viewed here. As the video gained widespread attention, the media agency Lallantop reached out to her for clarification on the viral claim. In response, she stated that she is not a Muslim and belongs to a Sanatani family.
To sum it up, the individual advising Hindus in this video is not a Muslim, but a popular Vedic preacher.

source: news-factly

created: January 10, 2024

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


text:
The individual discussing PM Modi's achievements since 2014 in the video is not the son of Congress veteran leader A.K. Antony - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 18, 2024
Congress veteran leader A.K. Antony’s elder son, Anil Antony, is contesting as a BJP MP candidate from Kerala. In this context, a video (here, here, here, & here) featuring a person discussing Prime Minister Modi’s achievements since 2014 is circulating widely across social media platforms. The claim accompanying the video suggests that the individual in the video is the son of senior Congress leader A.K. Antony. In this article, let’s fact-check the assertion made in the post.
Claim: Video showing senior Congress leader A.K. Antony’s son discussing Prime Minister Modi’s achievements since 2014.
Fact: The individual praising PM Modi in the viral video is Anoop Antony, a BJP leader from Kerala. He is not related to A.K. Antony. Veteran Congress veteran leader A.K. Antony has two sons, namely Anil Antony and Ajith Antony. In April 2023, the elder son of A.K. Antony, Anil Antony, joined the BJP and is now contesting the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat in Kerala as a BJP candidate. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Upon observing the viral video, we noticed Anoop Antony’s watermark on it. Taking this as a cue, we conducted a keyword search on the internet, which led us to a report by the ‘Indian Express’ dated 06 April 2021, featuring the individual in the viral video. According to this report, the person in the viral video is Anoop Antony Joseph, the national secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), who contested from the Ambalappuzha Assembly constituency in the 2021 Kerala Assembly elections.
To find more details about Anoop Antony, we verified his 2021 Assembly election affidavit on the Election Commission of India website. According to this affidavit, Anoop Antony’s father is Thomas Joseph. From this information, it becomes evident that the person in the viral video is not the son of A.K. Antony.
During this search, we found that A.K. Antony has two sons, namely Anil Antony and Ajith Antony. In April 2023, the elder son of A.K. Antony, Anil Antony, joined the BJP and is now contesting from the Pathanamthitta Lok Sabha seat in Kerala as a BJP candidate. Here, you can see a picture of A.K. Antony along with his two sons.
To sum up, the man in the viral video is not the son of Congress leader A.K. Antony; he is Anoop Antony, a BJP leader from Kerala.


text:
The individual dressed in saffron attire, waving at people in this video is not Yogi Adityanath - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 12, 2023
A video circulating on social media claims that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took part in a campaign event with a bulldozer. The video shows a man in saffron attire, bearing a resemblance to Yogi Adityanath, standing on a moving bulldozer and waving at the onlookers. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Yogi Adityanath waving at people while standing on a bulldozer during a campaign event.
Fact:  The visuals are from the religious procession conducted recently on the occasion of Durga puja in Narhan village in Raghunathpur subdivision of Siwan district in Bihar. The video shows an artist, portraying Yogi Adityanath, waving at the crowd during the parade held on the occasion of the Durga puja procession in Raghunathpur. Individuals impersonating both Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath took part in this parade. The individual waving from the bulldozer was not Yogi Adityanath. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, a video showing similar visuals was found shared by a YouTube channel on 29 October 2023. This YouTube channel described it as the visuals from the religious procession held on the occasion of Durga puja, on 28 October 2023, in Raghunathpur.
A few other YouTube channels have also published similar videos mentioning they show visuals from the religious procession conducted recently in Narhan village located in the Raghunathpur subdivision of Siwan district in Bihar. An artist, portraying Yogi Adityanath, was observed standing on a bulldozer, greeting the crowd during the religious procession. Individuals impersonating both Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath took part in the parade held as part of the religious procession. A few other videos related to the Durga Puja procession held recently in Narhan village can be seen here and here.
Old videos related to the religious procession held in Narhan village can be seen here, here, and here. The individual waving at onlookers from the bulldozer in the video is not Yogi Adityanath.
To sum it up, the individual dressed in saffron attire, waving at people while standing on a bulldozer in this video, is not Yogi Adityanath.

created: December 12, 2023


text:
The injured person in this photo is not the Kerala youth who tore Portugal flag mistaking it for SDPI flag - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 23, 2022
A screenshot of a tweet made by Sweden’s Uppsala University Professor Ashok Swain is being shared on social media claiming that a Hindu supremacist was beaten up badly by Cristiano Ronaldo fans in Kerala, for tearing the Portugal flag erected amid the FIFA World Cup 2022. A few Tamil news websites tweeted the photo of the same man and claimed him to be a BJP worker who was thrashed by Cristiano Ronaldo fans for tearing the flag of Portugal mistaking it for the flag of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI). Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of the BJP worker who was thrashed by Cristiano Ronaldo fans for tearing up the Portugal flag in Kerala.
Fact: The photo does not show the man who tore the Portugal flag after mistaking it for the flag of SDPI in the Kannur district of Kerala. A young man named Deepak Elangode was involved in a heated argument with the Portugal fans after he was caught tearing the Portugal flag erected by fans ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022. A case was filed against the youth regarding this incident at the Panoor police station in the Kannur district. Panoor police officials confirmed that the viral photo circulating on social media doesn’t show Deepak Elangode and said that no such violent attack took place between the youth and Ronaldo fans during the incident. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched to check whether any such violent attack took place in Kerala in the wake of the ongoing FIFA Football World Cup, we found the ‘Manorama’ news article that reported a similar incident in Kerala on 16 November 2022. ‘Manorama’ in its article reported that a young man was involved in a tussle with the fans of Portugal football team after he tore the Portugal flag erected ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022. This article reported that the youth tore the Portugal flag mistaking it for the flag of SDPI, a political wing of the banned Popular Front of India (PFI). This incident took place on 15 November 2022 at Vaidyarupeedika near the Panoor Municipality in the Kannur district of Kerala.
Reporting the details of this incident, several news websites published articles and videos. They can be seen here, here and here. A youth named Deepak Elangode reportedly tore off the Portugal flag mistaking it for the SDPI flag in Vaidyarupeedika. Visuals of Deepak Elangode tearing off the flag of Portugal can be seen here. Police intervened before the tussle become ugly between Portugal fans and the youth. As per the reports, the person was immediately arrested by police and a case was filed against him at the Panoor police station.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, we could not find any reliable sources related to the photo. For further clarification regarding this injured man’s photo linked to this incident, the ‘Newschecker’ fact-check team contacted Panoor circle inspector Azad MP. Speaking to the ‘Newschecker’, Azad MP said, “There was an incident where Deepak, a local BJP worker, tore a flag of Portugal, mistaking it to be of SDPI. We, too, have received this viral image of a man in bandages, but it is fake. The man is not Deepak and is not related to the flag-tearing incident. We had immediately arrested Deepak and slapped a case. There was no assault by a fans’ group. This photo is of some other injured man.” A few Malayalam news websites have also reported the same information in their fact-check articles.
To sum it up, the injured person in this photo is not the Kerala youth who tore the Portugal flag after mistaking it for the flag of SDPI.

created: November 23, 2022


text:
The insect in the photo is ‘Giant Water Bug’. It does not cause holes in the hands as shown in the photo - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 25, 2019
A post is being shared on Facebook with a claim that humans should not touch the insect shown in the photo with bare hands. It is also being claimed that, if touched, the insect will spread the virus to the human and the photos of its effects can be seen in the post. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Photo of ‘New Killer Insect’. Do not touch it with the bare hands, otherwise, it spreads the virus to the entire human system in minutes.
Fact: The insect in the photo is ‘Giant Water Bug’. Its bite is painful but not harmful. It does not cause holes in the hands as shown in the photo. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo of the insect is cropped and ran through Yandex Reverse Image Search, it was found on the ‘Pest Pro’ website that it is a ‘Giant Water Bug’. On the website, it can be read that it is not harmful.
Also, in a video uploaded by ‘Brave Wilderness’ on YouTube, it can be seen that when the ‘Giant Water Bug’ bites a human, it is painful but does not cause any holes as shown in the post. More about the ‘Giant Water Bug’ can be read here and here.
When searched on Google about the ‘holes on hands’, a YouTube video about ‘Trypophobia’ with visuals similar to the post can be found in the search results. In the description of the video, it can be read that the holes were made on hands ‘with some skin wax and some gore’.
Also, when searched about another visual (holes in the fingers), an article published by Snopes in 2015 was found. In that article, it can be read that it is an edited image. When similar posts went viral previously, various fact-checkers across the world have written articles debunking these claims, which can be read here and here.
To sum it up, the insect in the photo is ‘Giant Water Bug’. It does not cause holes in the hands as shown in the photo.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series?

created: November 25, 2019


text:
The intriguing case of data on ‘Communal Incidents’ in India
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 8, 2019
Year after
year, there is discrepancy between the data on communal incidents reported by
the Home Ministry & the NCRB. In this story, we look the numbers, the
discrepancies and the way forward.
After adelay of 1.5 years, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has recentlypublished Crime
in India-2017 report.  Thereport furnishes the statistics of the various crimes committed in India during2017. This annual report from NCRB acts as the main reference as far as thecrime statistics in India are concerned.
Over thepast few years, the debate over communal incidents in the country hasn’tstopped. While political parties and groups trade charges over one another, welook at the state of data related to communal incidents in the country and ifthe past discrepancies have been corrected in 2017.  Multiple times in the past, Factly has
written about such discrepancies and how the data from NCRB didnot match with the data from the Home Ministry.
NCRB
reports 723 riots of Communal nature in 2017
As perNCRB’s Crime
in India -2017 report, the number of riots of communal/religious nature was723 for the year 2017. Since 2014, the riots of communal/religious nature arebeing reported separately. Prior to that, NCRB’s crime in India categorized anyriots under one larger head ‘Riots’, which also included Industrial, Political,sectarian, caste related etc. among others.
Over this4-year period, since the NCRB report has been categorizing thecommunal/religious riots separately, 2017 reported the least number of suchincidents.  As per NCRB’s data, thehighest number of such riots were reported in the year 2014 (1227 incidents).
Bihar reported
the highest such riots followed by Karnataka and Odisha.
Of the 723incidents such riots of communal nature in the country as per NCRB report, 163are from Bihar. Karnataka and Odisha rank next with 92 and 91 incidentsrespectively. Maharashtra with 71 incidents and Jharkhand with 66 incidentscomplete the top 5 states with the highest incidents of communal/religiousriots in 2017. Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand along all theNorth-Eastern states and all the Union Territories have reported zeroCommunal/Religious riots in 2017.
In
2016, Haryana with 250 such incidents reported the highestnumber of communal/religious riots followed by Jharkhand (176), Bihar (139),Maharashtra (57) and Karnataka (42). While the overall such incidents fell downfrom 869 in 2016 to 723 in 2017, the number of states which reported anincrease in the number of such riots compared to 2016, has gone up. The overalldip in the national figure was due to the fall in the numbers for Haryana andJharkhand in 2017.
Number of
instances higher in 2017 according to the information provided by the Home
Ministry
As per thedata provided in response
to a question in Lok Sabha on 06 February 2018, by the Ministry of Home Affairs(MHA) , the number of Communal incidents recorded for 2017 was 822. TheInformation provided by Home Ministry in Lok Sabha, also differs from the NCRBnumbers in the earlier years.
If onecompares the data for the four years (2014, 2015,2016,2017) where in NCRBreport has specifically categorized ‘Communal/Religious’ riots, reveals thatthere is a difference between the NCRB data and the information provided by theHome Ministry every year.  The number of incidentsreported by Home Ministry in Lok Sabha for 2014, 2015, 2016 are 644, 751 and703 respectively. In fact, this is the first time in these 4 years when the MHAreported higher numbers compared to the NCRB.
Large State
wise variance between NCRB and Home Ministry Data
A largervariance exists when the state wise data provided by NCRB and Home Ministry iscompared.
It wasnoted earlier that as per NCRB data, Bihar reported the highest number ofincidents for 2017 with 163. However as per the data
provided by MHA in Lok Sabha, Uttar Pradesh leads the listwith 195 incidents. As per NCRB data, Uttar Pradesh had only 34 instances ofcommunal riots.
Rajasthanalso have large variance between NCRB data and MHA’s data. In the former, thereported incidents for 2017 were only 16, while in later it is 91. Odisha isanother state with a large difference between the two sources of Informationwith NCRB data reporting 91 instances and the MHA’s data reporting only 4instances.  In the case of West Bengal also,only 6 incidents were reported by NCRB, while as per MHA’s data provided in LokSabha, the number of communal incidents were 58.
2008 had
the highest number of communal incidents in 10 years as per MHA
If onecompares the data provided by the MHA for the last 10 years, the year 2008 hadthe highest number of communal incidents with 943  as per information provided in the Lok
Sabha.
The nexthighest as per MHA was 823 incidents in 2013 followed by 2017 with 822incidents.
However asper NCRB report, 1227 communal riot incidents were reported in 2014 which ishigher than the highest number of incidents reported by Home Ministry over thelast decade.
As per HomeMinistry’s data, the number of such incidents recorded have reduced over thenext three years after the high of 2008. After the lowest number of communalincidents (580) recorded in 2011, the number of incidents has fluctuated overthe last few years.
Is there an
explanation such large variance between the data of NCRB & MHA?
If onelooks at the definition of what constitutes a riot in the NCRB data, bothin  2016 & 2017 report of the NCRB,riots were categorized as those crimes recorded under sections 147 to 151 ofthe Indian Penal Code (IPC). Apart from riots of communal/religious nature,there is another set of information provided in the NCRB Report, ’Promoting enmity between groups
(Sec.153A & 153B IPC)’. Section 153 A of IndianPenal Code (IPC), deals with incidents promoting enmity between differentgroups based on religion, race, place of birth etc. The number of crimes underthis section are reported separately.
If oneadds the numbers reported under riots as well as those reported under Sec 153Aof the IPC, the difference between the NCRB data and the MHA data would furtherincrease.
The MHAdata is collected from state governments and the intelligence bureau. Incidentally,the NCRB also functions under the Home Ministry. NCRB comes under the aegis ofMinistry of Home Affairs and is tasked to functionas a repository of information on crime and criminals. The data for the annualCrime in India report is based on the information furnished by the law enforcing departments at
State/UT level. Furthermore, the data reported followsthe ‘Principal Offence Rule’, in which the most heinous of the crime (maximumpunishment), is considered for counting, even though there could be multiple offencesreported in the First Information Report (FIR).
Forexample, an instance of communal riot which leads to murder would be counted as‘Murder’ case as it the most heinous of the crimes reported in the FIR. Thiscould result in under reporting in few instances wherein a case is notregistered as a communal riot. This partially explains the scenario for thosestats where in the NCRB data reports fewer communal riot instances compared tothe data that the Ministry provides in the parliament.
However, sinceNCRB data is dependent on the FIRs, there could be occasions where multipleFIRs are registered for a single communal incident by opposing parties. Thiscould result in the number of communal incidents reported being higher in theNCRB data compared to the actual incidents as per Home Ministry.
Anotherscenario could be a case for non-filing of a FIR even though an incident hastaken place. This could result in fewer numbers being reported by the NCRB. Forexample, Uttar Pradesh has 195 communal incidents in 2017 as per HomeMinistry’s information, but NCRB data shows only 34. While we cannot ascertainif it is because of not filing FIRs or the cases being counted for anothercrime, it reflects large variance. The NCRB also captures communal/religiousmotive for murder. In the case of Uttar Pradesh in 2017, only one case wasreported to have a communal/religious motive for murder. Adding these numbersup also does not explain the large discrepancy between the two sets of data.
Since NCRB is under aegis of Home Ministry, aprocess which to reconcile the differences of the data has to be established toget the real picture of not only the number of incidents occurring but also theincidents which the law enforcing authorities have taken cognizance of throughfiling a FIR. Such discrepancies year after year undermine the sanctity of dataand the institution.
Unlessthere is a reform in the way crime reporting & data collation is done, asnoted by Factly earlier, thesediscrepancies are here to stay.

created: November 8, 2019


text:
The Iraqi photographer cried when his country lost to Qatar, not when Dhoni lost his wicket - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 11, 2019
A post is being shared on Facebook with a claim that a photographer cried after Dhoni was out during the 2019 World Cup semifinal between India & New Zealand.  Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
The photographer in the picture cried after M.S. Dhoni’s wicket.
Fact: The photographer in the picture is an Iraqi photographer, who cried after his country’s exit from the AFC Asian Cup – 2019. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the picture of the photographer is cropped from the posted photo and is run through the Google Reverse Image Search, the photo was found to be posted back in January-2019 by multiple internet users and websites. The same photo was tweeted by a TV correspondent with a description that the man in the picture is Mohammed AL Azzawi, who was in tears after his country (Iraq) lost to Qatar in AFC Asian Cup-2019, related to Soccer. Also, another picture of the photographer can be found in the tweet.
Iraqi sports photographer Mohammed AL Azzawi trying to finish his work through tears after Iraq lost to Qatar in a heartbreaker. To the world soccer is a sport , to Iraqis, it’s everything.. pic.twitter.com/R7ulO5o5NR
To sum it up, the Iraqi photographer cried when his country lost to Qatar, not when Dhoni lost his wicket.
Did you watch our new Episode of DECODE series on Parliament?


text:
The Islamic institution in Kerala’s Thrissur is teaching Sanskrit to promote interfaith understanding, not to encourage students to become temple priests - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 5, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming that the Islamic institutions in Kerala are teaching Sanskrit to their students to make them temple priests across the state. The video shows Muslim students in a class reciting Sanskrit shlokas. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A video from a Kerala-based Islamic Institute shows students being taught Sanskrit to prepare them for roles as temple priests.
Fact: The video shared in the post is from the Academy of Sharia and Advanced Studies (ASAS) run by Malik Deenar Islamic Complex (MIC) in Thrissur, Kerala. ASAS Principal Onambilly Muhammad Faizi took the initiative to include Sanskrit in the syllabus with the primary objective of creating an understanding of other religions and their customs among their students. Several news organizations reported about the inclusion of the Sanskrit syllabus in ASAS, yet none of them mentioned that the institution’s purpose for teaching Sanskrit was to train students as priests for temples. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On observing the video carefully, one could see the logo ‘The Fourth’ at the left-top of the video. On searching for the video using this information, we found the same video on The Fourth YouTube channel published on 01 November 2022. The news channel reported it is the visuals of Sanskrit teachings taught at the Academy of Sharia and Advanced Studies run by Malik Deenar Islamic Complex in Thrissur, Kerala.
At 4:41 minutes of the video, a man says, “The main reason behind including Sanskrit in the syllabus at ASAS is to learn about other religions in addition to our own. When the students understand and speak this language, they come to know the mythologies and histories of both religions. The syllabus aims to make the students capable enough to learn the teachings of the other religion and compare it with their own to see how both can be brought together to give new hope to the new India.” (when translated to English from Malayalam).
Several news organizations published articles reporting about the inclusion of Sanskrit grammar, selective portions of the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Mahabharata, and Ramayana in Sanskrit for their students. However, none of these news sites reported that ASAS had included Sanskrit syllabus to encourage students to become priests in temples.
A statement in an article published on the ASAS official website states– “The primary objective of teaching Sanskrit, Upanishads, Puranas, etc. is to create an understanding of other religions and their customs among students. Faizy, the principal of ASAS, has studied Shankara philosophy and believes that students should learn about other religions.”
To sum it up, the Islamic institution in Kerala’s Thrissur is teaching Sanskrit to create an understanding of other religions and their customs, not with the motive of encouraging students to become priests in temples.

created: December 5, 2023


text:
The Israeli couple in this selfie were not killed by Hamas militants during the Nova music festival attack - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 12, 2023
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it shows a picture capturing the last moments of an Israeli couple who were allegedly killed by Hamas militants during the Nova Trance Music Festival attack. Following the Hamas militants attack at the Tribe of Nova Music Festival, leaving hundreds of Israeli citizens dead, the photo is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Selfie picture of an Israeli couple allegedly killed by Hamas militants during the Nova Trance Music Festival attack.
Fact: The photo shows Amit Bar and Nir, the couple among the attendees at the Tribe of Nova music festival. They took this selfie while they were taking cover in the bushes to evade Hamas militants. However, both individuals are still alive and have shared their horrific ordeal in escaping from the Hamas militants. Sharing her terrifying experience after Hamas militants attacked the Nova Music festival, Amit Bar shared this picture on her Instagram handle. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the same photo was found in an article published by the Mirror news site on 10 October 2023. The article reported it is a selfie taken by Amit Bar and Nir, the couple among the attendees at the Tribe of Nova music festival, while they hid in the bushes to escape from Hamas militants after the attack. The article reported that the couple had survived the tragic attack by Hamas militants at the Nova music festival on 09 October 2023.
On 09 October 2023, Hamas militants infiltrated Israeli territory and launched an attack on the Nova Music festival which was held in a desert area near the border between Gaza and Southern Israel. Amit Bar shared this photo on her Instagram handle narrating her terrifying experience after the Hamas militants attacked the Nova Music festival.
Speaking about the selfie in the Instagram post, Amit Bar said, “You (Nir) suddenly decided to take a selfie, I became angry, I didn’t understand what the connection was,  but you said that at least if we die, our family will have a souvenir that we loved until the last moment. You protected me and I think of all the other couples with a different ending than ours..”
A post shared by Amit Bar (@amit_bar_)
Responding to her Instagram post, Nir replied- “My wife can’t imagine what would happen to me if something happened to you… All that remains is to pray that our Ziv returns safely and all the missing friend.”
Later, Amit Bar spoke to N12 media and shared their horrific ordeal in escaping from Hamas militants and expressed concerns about her missing friend Ziv. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the couple seen in the photo are still alive and were not killed by Hamas militants.
To sum it up, the Israeli couple in the selfie were not killed by Hamas militants during the Nova music festival attack.

created: October 12, 2023


text:
The Japanese bullet train in this photo suffered a crack on its bonnet after hitting a man, not an animal - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 15, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it to be a picture of a Japanese bullet train that suffered damage to its bonnet after hitting an animal in Japan. In the wake of the Mumbai-Gandhinagar Vande Bharat Express collisions with  cattle, this post mocks social media users who are making fun of the Vande Bharat express accidents. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a Japanese bullet train that sustained damage on its bonnet after hitting an animal in Japan.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows a Nozomi Shinkansen bullet train that sustained a crack on its bonnet after hitting a man on the tracks between Hakata and Kokura stations in 2018. The photo was taken at the JR Shin-Shimonoseki Station in Yamaguchi, Japan. This train did not suffer damage because of a collision with an animal. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the same photo was found published on the ‘Getty Images’ website on 15 June 2018. The description of the photo states, “Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on June 14, 2018, shows a Nozomi shinkansen bullet train with cracks on its bonnet at JR Shin-Shimonoseki Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan. The train hit and killed a man on the tracks between Hakata and Kokura stations in Fukuoka Prefecture earlier in the day”.
The photo shows a Nozomi shinkansen bullet train that sustained a crack on its bonnet after hitting a man on the tracks between Hakata and Kokura stations in Japan. Several news agencies reported the damage of this bullet train in Japan. They can be seen here, here and here. According to these articles, a Nozomi Shinkansen train bound for Tokyo had hit a man who was identified as a 52-year-old caregiver from Fukuoka Prefecture.
To sum it up, the Japanese bullet train in the photo suffered a crack on its bonnet after hitting a man, unlike the Vande Bharat express that had a collision with cattle.

created: October 15, 2022


text:
The job notification by ‘Avestran Infotech’ for 5,285 vacancies in the Indian Railways is fake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 11, 2020
A newspaper clipping of a job notification by ‘Avestran Infotech’ is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it is for 5,285 vacancies in eight categories on outsourcing basis in the Indian Railways. As the image shows the job notification for posts in the Indian Railways issued by a private agency, the user claims that it shows the beginning of privatization in the Indian Railways. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Newspaper clipping of a job notification by ‘Avestran Infotech’ for 5,285 vacancies in the Indian Railways.
Fact: It is found that the website of the ‘Avestran Infotech’ given in the advertisement is not working now. The ‘Ministry of Railways’ has clarified that the advertisement is fake. They said that the advertisement for any Railway recruitment is always done by Indian Railways only. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In the posted job notification, it can be seen that the website link given for applying for these jobs is given as ‘www.avestran.in’. But, the website of the ‘Avestran Infotech’ given in the advertisement is not working now.
So, when we searched further regarding the job notification, it was found that the ‘Ministry of Railways’ has already clarified about this issue. They said that the advertisement by ‘Avestran Infotech’ regarding jobs in the Indian Railways is fake. They also said that the advertisement for any Railway recruitment is always done by Indian Railways only.  In its clarification, they further said – ‘the Railways have not authorized any private agency as yet to do the recruitment of staff on its behalf as alleged by the above-named agency. Railways has initiated its investigation and is going on to take strictest action as per law against the above agency/persons involved in above matter.’ The tweets by ‘Ministry of Railways’ and ‘PIB Fact Check’ regarding this issue can be found here and here.
Clarification about an advertisement by a private agency in a  newspaper regarding alleged recruitment in eight categories  of posts on Indian Railways.
https://t.co/9FmPyOE5wa pic.twitter.com/qLOAv688Qb
To sum it up, the job notification by ‘Avestran Infotech’ for 5,285 vacancies in the Indian Railways is fake.
Did you watch our new video?


text:
The journalist sitting with Dawood Ibrahim in this photo is not Supriya Shrinate - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 21, 2023
An alleged photo of Dawood Ibrahim with former journalist and current National spokesperson of Congress party Supriya Shrinate is viral on social media. Let’s find the facts behind this photo.
Claim: Female journalist in this photo with Dawood Ibrahim is Supriya Shrinate.
Fact: The journalist in this photo is Sheela Bhatt. According to her, this was a picture during an interview with Dawood in Dubai in 1987. Hence the claim made in the post is False.
We performed a reverse image search on the viral image to learn more details. This led us to a tweet from journalist Sheela Bhatt that contained the same photo. Sheela Bhatt described this photo as one taken while she was interviewing Dawood Ibrahim in Pearl Building, Dubai 1987.
Drop a photo of you doing your job.@nistula @Vasudha156 @MathewLiz @bhartijainTOI @_pallavighosh @NEETAS11 @OlgaTellis @mehtahansal @Shussainzaidi @tallstories @sandhyadwivedi1
Interviewing Dawood Ibrahim in Pearl Building, Dubai. 1987. pic.twitter.com/gAxxp8iW2I
Further, Sheela also posted cover photos of two magazines that carried photos of Dawood Ibrahim taken by her as proof for people asking her if the viral photo was fake.
Flooded with queries if this is fake pic or real. Just to put record straight posting two cover pages 1) Abhiyaan, the weekly founded by me and my late husband Kanti Bhatt and 2) The Illustrated Weekly. Both carried my interview of Dawood Ibrahim in 1987. Weekly’s cover story was… pic.twitter.com/su7IrqGSeL
Additionally, a journalist turned politician Supriya Shrinate started her career as a journalist in 2001, which negates the chances of her interviewing Dawood Ibrahim in 1987.
To sum up, the journalist sitting with Dawood Ibrahim in this photo is not Supriya Shrinate.


text:
The Karnataka Police's terror alert is based on a Hoax call & the caller is arrested - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 27, 2019
An image is going viral on WhatsApp & other social media platforms. The image shows a fax message by Karnataka DG-IGP to his counterparts in Tami Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry, Goa and Maharashtra with a warning of terror attacks . Let’s try to analyze the truth behind this alert.
Karnataka Police has alerted the neighboring States on possible Terror attacks
Fact: While it is true that Karnataka police alerted a few states on possible terror attacks, it has to be noted that their warning is based on a Hoax call and the person responsible for the hoax call is arrested.
Several people have reported the above image on Factly WhatsApp helpline (+91 9603132132) asking if the information shared in the image is true. After research, we found that the Karnataka DG-IGP has indeed written to DGs of Tami Nadu, Kerala, Andhra, Telangana, Puducherry, Goa, Maharashtra. But this alert was based on a phone call by a man ‘claiming to have info that cities in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra, Telangana, Puducherry, Goa, Maharashtra will be hit by terror attacks’.
Later, the Karnataka police tracked the caller and arrested 65 year old Swamy Sundara Murthy, a retired army personnel who is working as a lorry driver. The Bengaluru Rural SP also clarified that the alert was based on a hoax call and that the caller, the above mentioned lorry driver has been arrested. The hoax caller seems to be a ‘habitual offender’ as claimed by media reports.
To sum it up, though Karnataka Police has alerted the neighboring States on possible Terror attacks, there is no need to be worried, as the alert was based on a hoax call and the person responsible for the hoax call is arrested.


text:
The ‘Kasturi 24’ news channel did not report that H. D. Kumaraswamy secretly got engaged to Mia Khalifa - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 13, 2022
A screenshot of a news bulletin purportedly reported by ‘Kasturi 24’ Kannada news channel is being shared on social media claiming that Janata Dal (Secular) Party leader H. D. Kumaraswamy has secretly got engaged to Mia Khalifa in his farmhouse. Further, this post claims that the JD(S) Party high command has decided to expel H. D. Kumaraswamy following his engagement with Mia Khalifa. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: JD(S) party leader Kumaraswamy has secretly got engaged to Mia Khalifa in his farmhouse.
Fact: Neither the ‘Kasturi 24’ Kannada news channel nor any other news channel reported news of JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy getting secretly  engaged with Mia Khalifa. This screenshot was created by a Facebook meme page to troll Kumaraswamy.  Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether the ‘Kasturi 24’ has reported any such news recently on their channel, we could not find any such news on the ‘Kasturi 24’ YouTube channel and on their other social media handles. If JD(S) leader H. D. Kumaraswamy had got engaged with Mia Khalifa, several news websites would have published articles reporting that information. But we could any such report.
When we searched with keywords, we found the same screenshot posted on a Facebook page. This Facebook page had created several memes and shared them on their page to troll Kumaraswamy and other Congress leaders in Karnataka. A few videos showing the ‘Kasturi 24’ news bulletin visuals can be seen here and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the ‘Kasturi 24’ news channel has not reported the news of Kumaraswamy’s engagement with Mia Khalifa but was created as a meme.
To sum it up, the ‘Kasturi 24’ news channel did not report that H. D. Kumaraswamy secretly got engaged to Mia Khalifa.


text:
The Child playing football in this video is not Lionel Messi's son Mateo Messi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 28, 2022
A video of a kids’ football game is being shared on social media claiming that the child who scores a goal in this video is the son of Argentina football player Lionel Messi. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Video of Lionel Messi’s son Mateo Messi scoring a goal.
Fact: The child in the video is not Mateo Messi, son of Lionel Messi. A Belgium-based football club named R.S.C. Anderlecht shared this video of kids playing football on TikTok. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We performed a reverse image search using a few screenshots from the viral video. This led us to a news article  published by afriupdate.com titled ‘Kid wrongly identified as Mateo Messi goes viral among Barca fans with solo golazo.‘ This article contains screenshots from the viral video. “The problem is, though, that the boy in the video is not Mateo Messi. To begin with, Leo Messi said in the past that all of his sons were right-footed, so it couldn’t have been Mateo.“
For more details, we performed a keyword search, leading us to a few news articles about this video from June 2022. According to them, the child playing football is not Mateo Messi. You can read them here and here.
The fact-checking website ‘dogrulukpayi’ wrote an article on this video which said, ‘Veronica Brunati’, a sports journalist from Argentina, found that the child who was mistaken for Mateo Messi is a player at a Belgium football club named R.S.C. Anderlecht. She posted a link to a TikTok video that the club uploaded on January 2022.
This is the same video that is being shared in the viral post. You can also watch another video of the same child scoring a goal here.
To summarise, the child playing football in this video is not Lionel Messi’s son Mateo Messi.

created: December 28, 2022


text:
The Woman in this video spitting on policemen is Netta D'Souza, not Teesta Setalvad - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 8, 2022
A video through a Facebook post is being widely shared on social media which shows a woman spitting and assaulting the cops, while they were trying to detain her. The description reads ,”जय जय श्री राम यह है देश की महान स्वयंसेविका श्रीमती तीस्ता सीतलवाड़। कितनी शालीन कितनी सौम्या” (English translation: Jai Jai SriRam! This is the great volunteer of our country Teesta Setalvad. How decent and nice she is!). Many users shared this video claiming that the woman in the video is Teesta Setalvad, a civil rights activist and Journalist. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video shows Teesta Setalvad spitting and assaulting the cops.
Fact: The video clearly shows that the woman is Netta D’Souza, acting President of All India Mahila Congress. Police detained her while she was protesting the Enforcement Directorate’s probe on Rahul Gandhi over National Herald Case. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched on the internet with relevant keywords several media reports regarding this incident are found. These reports can be seen here, here and here. According to the reports, the incident took place in Delhi on 21 June 2022. Netta D’Souza, along with other Congress party workers were protesting against the Enforcement Directorate for questioning Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald Case.
Teesta Setalvad was arrested on 25 June 2022 by the Anti-Terrorism Squad of Gujarat Police. The police have accused her of “committing forgery and fabricating evidence” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2002 Gujarat riots case.
Videos of Teesta Setalvad’s arrest can be watched here, here and here. None of these videos show her spitting on the cops.
To sum it up, it is evident that the woman in the viral video is not Teesta Setalvad.


text:
The lady posing with PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi in these photos is not a Chinese diplomat - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 7, 2022
A collage of images is being shared on social media claiming it as the picture of PM Modi posing with the alleged Chinese diplomat with whom Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had apparently partied at a nightclub in Nepal. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of PM Modi  with the alleged Chinese diplomat with whom Rahul Gandhi had partied at a nightclub in Nepal.
Fact: The woman posing with PM Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi in these photos is Nepal singer Saraswoti Katri. Saraswoti Katri shared this photo of her along with PM Modi in October 2018. Saraswoti Katri is not a Chinese diplomat. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, we found a few social media posts sharing the same photos and mentioning her as Nepal singer Saraswoti Katri. When we searched for details about the woman seen in these photos using keywords, we could find the photo on the Instagram handle of Saraswoti Katri. Saraswoti Katri, a popular singer in Nepal, shared this photo of her along with Narendra Modi on 23 October 2018.
In October 2018,  Narendra Modi made tweets mentioning Saraswoti Katri for her song ‘Vaishnava Jana To’. Saraswoti Katri too thanked Modi for his tweets about her song.
गान्धीजी को प्रिय भजन “वैष्णव जन” #सुरसुधा सांगीतिक समूह नेपालकी सरस्वती खत्रीको सुमधुर आवाजमा श्रवण गर्न पाउँदा मेरो  नेपाल भ्रमणको स्मृतिहरू ताजा भएको छ | “पीर पराई जाने रे” भजनले भारत र नेपालको सभ्यतामा निहित मूल्यलाई प्रतिबिम्बित गर्दछ | #Gandhi150 https://t.co/psAUp8lD7c
Lately, Saraswoti Katri shared another picture of her along with Rahul Gandhi. This photo was taken during Rahul Gandhi’s friend’s wedding ceremony in Nepal. The identity of the woman who was seen Rahul Gandhi at a nightclub in Nepal is still unknown. But the woman who was seen along with Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi in these photos is Nepal singer Saraswoti Katri, not the Chinese diplomat.
Music has the power to bring all people together. I had an honor to sing few songs for Honorable member of Indian Parliament member Mr. Rahul Gandhi ji yesterday evening. I found him such humble & simple person.
Thanks to Sumnima ji, Nima Ji for this opportunity. pic.twitter.com/QbAZ9TEmLh
To sum it up, the lady posing along with PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi in these photos is Nepal singer Saraswoti Katri, not a Chinese diplomat.


text:
The 'Laila Rao’ alluring investment scheme offering high profits to women through social media is a financial scam - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 4, 2023
A video shared on a Facebook account under the name ‘Laila Rao’ claims that Laila Rao is assisting women in achieving financial independence by facilitating the growth of their capital through her investment project. The woman in the video says that she had gained huge amounts of profits by investing between Rs. 9000 and Rs.15000 in Laila Rao’s investment project. The post provided a link to a Telegram handle and asked users to join the Telegram handle to avail the benefits of the investment project. A few videos posted by different Facebook handles with the same name ‘Laila Rao’ show Jaggi Vasudev and other celebrities endorsing Laila Rao’s investment project. In another video, a woman introduces herself as Laila Rao and mentions her collaboration with Ratan Tata in spearheading an investment initiative. She asserts that the project has the potential to offer Rs. 2,00,000 per month to women who have invested in it. Let’s verify the claim made in these posts.
Claim: Videos promoting the ‘Laila Rao’ investment project.
Fact: The ‘Laila Rao’ investment project promoted in these videos has been identified as a financial scam. Numerous complaints were filed by women on the Consumer Complaints Court forum against this fraudulent scheme using the name Laila Rao. Audio clips from original videos of Jaggi Vasudev and Smriti Khanna have been edited and falsely portrayed as if they were endorsing the ‘Laila Rao’ investment project. The Cyberabad Crime Police and the Isha Foundation have issued advisories cautioning the public about this ‘Laila Rao’ investment fraud. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Upon searching for the details of this investment project using relevant keywords, we found an article published by the ‘Siasat’ regarding the ‘Laila Rao’ investment fraud siphoning huge amounts of money from middle-class women. The news article reported that the Hyderabad police had issued an advisory to people to be cautious regarding Laila Rao’s Investment fraud promoted through Facebook and Telegram.
Speaking about the online investment scam, Cyberabad crime police said, “The scam promotes itself primarily on Facebook and uploads videos of the said Laila Rao doing day-to-day activities, with captions like, ‘I am an investor, great mom, and happy wife. I can help Indian ladies with investment’. Further, the police said, “People should be careful about investment fraud. Complaints have been filed in all states around the country. The scammers are operating from different states simultaneously.”
Numerous complaints were filed against Laila Rao’s Investment fraud in the Consumer Complaints Court forum. All these women complained that they have invested money believing her capability of helping women as shown in her videos. These women complained that scammers kept on asking them to make payment after payment for the 15% commission to get their money back.
When we searched for the details of the woman who proclaims herself as Laila Rao in one of the videos, we found that the woman seen in the video is Indian television actress Smriti Khanna. By editing the audio-visuals of Smriti Khanna’s video, the post falsely portrays her as Laila Rao promoting an investment scheme.
Through a tweet, the Isha Foundation clarified that financial scams under the names of Suraj Sharma, Laila Rao, and Amir are circulating on various social media platforms involving the unauthorized use of Jaggi Vasudev’s videos, images, and the cloning of his voice. Emphasizing that he is not involved in any financial or investment schemes, the Isha Foundation advised people not to get involved in any such financial scams by clicking on such content and divulging their personal and financial information or investing money. Many news sites published articles and videos reporting the Laila Rao financial scams.
❗It has come to our attention that financial scams in the name of Suraj Sharma, Laila Rao and Amir are circulating on the social media platforms of Facebook, Instagram and Telegram, using Sadhguru's videos, images and cloning his voice.
We advise you not to get involved in any… pic.twitter.com/qLM13AqDDM
To sum it up, edited videos of multiple celebrities were shared as if they were promoting ‘The Laila Rao’ financial scam.

created: December 4, 2023


text:
The land beside a temple in KPHB colony (Hyderabad) is not being occupied by Muslims as claimed - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 27, 2020
A post with a photo of a green flag in an empty plot is being widely shared on Facebook with a claim that the land beside a temple in Kukatpally Housing Board Colony (KPHB) in Hyderabad has been occupied by Muslims. Let’s try to find out the extent of truth in this claim.
A land beside a temple in KPHB colony is being occupied by Muslims.
Fact: Though the photo of the ground shown in the post is beside a temple in KPHB colony (Hyerabad),  it is not occupied by Muslims. Every year, Banjaras celebrate Teej festival (seedlings festival) and hold Sant Sevalal Jayanti celebrations in that ground. The flag in the image also belongs to these events. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
FACTLY team went to the location shown in the post and found the same flag shown in the post. When we asked a  few people in the locality about the flag, they said it belongs to the Banjaras. The land belongs to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC). The locals said that every year Banjaras celebrate the Teej festival (seedlings festival) and hold Sant Sevalal Jayanti celebrations in that ground and the flag belongs to them. As the photo of the flag went viral for the wrong reasons, the green flag was removed by the time FACTLY reached the ground and only the white flag was present. In the photo, the presence of items related to pooja can be seen below the white flag. If the flag was placed by Muslims to build a mosque there, it is very unlikely that they worship by lighting diyas.
The news about such a celebration was also found in the local edition of various newspapers on 19 February 2020. It was reported that Sant Sevalal Jayanti celebrations took place on that ground. The green flag can also be seen in the photo of that news. Also, similar green flags and moon-shaped flags were used in Sant Sevalal Jayanti celebrations at other places which can be seen here and here.
FACTLY team also spoke with the priests of the temple which is beside the ground who also confirmed that the flag is related to Banjara tribal celebrations. While speaking to FACTLY, they said that the flag doesn’t belong to people from other religions and asked not to believe the fake news circulating on social media. The video bytes can be seen here and here.
FACTLY also has in its possession the previous years’ pamphlets regarding the Banjara tribe’s Teej festival celebrations on that ground and permission letters from the police, which can be seen below.
In the context of the Delhi riots, a few people are sharing these fake posts on social media to create communal unrest in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad police commissioner tweeted asking people not to share these kinds of false rumours.
To summarize, the land beside a temple in KPHB colony (Hyderabad) was not occupied by Muslims.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: February 27, 2020


text:
The leopard in the video was spotted on a road in Hyderabad, not on the Mumbai Express Highway - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 19, 2020
A video of a leopard seen resting on a road is shared on social media claiming that the video was taken at Mumbai Express Highway. But FACTLY found that the leopard in the video was spotted on a road in Hyderabad. On 14 May 2020, a leopard was seen resting on the underpass road at Mailardevpally in Hyderabad.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. News article – https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/city/hyderabad/hyderabad-leopard-found-resting-on-underpass-road-at-mailardevpally/videoshow/75734467.cms
2. News article – https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/coronavirus/videos/leopard-spotted-in-residential-area-in-hyderabad/videoshow/75735050.cms
Did you watch our new video?


text:
The leopard's unusual behavior resulting from a brain disorder is erroneously attributed to alcohol intoxication - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 4, 2023
A video of a mob walking along and even taking selfies with a leopard is being widely circulated on social media platforms. The accompanying claim suggests that the leopard, appearing to be under the influence of alcohol displayed behavior similar to that of a domesticated animal. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of a leopard exhibiting domesticated behavior under the influence of alcohol.
Fact: The viral visuals show a leopard exhibiting unusual behavior due to a brain disorder, and not intoxication. The incident was reported in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district. Later, the animal was rescued by forest officials and transferred to a zoo in Indore city. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
It is true that visuals indeed depict the mob playing with a leopard and it showed no signs of aggression. However, this behavior is not a result of intoxication, instead, it is the result of certain neurological disorders it is experiencing.
Relevant keyword searches yielded multiple news articles that reported similar visuals (here & here). As per these reports, the incident is reported in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district, on the banks of the Kali Sindh River.
As the incident came to light, the leopard was rescued by forest officials and transferred to a zoo in Indore city. According to these officials, the leopard is in critical condition due to a brain disorder.
Several news agencies have reported the visuals (here & here), yet none of these reports have linked the atypical behavior to intoxication, as asserted in the viral post. Thus, establishing the viral narrative as inaccurate.
VIDEO | Rescue operation underway by forest officials in Madhya Pradesh’s Iklera village after a leopard was found by locals in a dazed state. “A team from Ujjain is reaching to capture the leopard and the animal will be shifted based on the directions of the higher officials,”… pic.twitter.com/NHpS0f1Mx6
To sum it up, the leopard’s unusual behavior resulting from a brain disorder is erroneously attributed to alcohol intoxication.

created: September 4, 2023


text:
The maid in this video who is seen mixing urine in the food is not Muslim - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 5, 2020
A post with a video from ‘News24’ channel is being shared on Facebook with a claim that a Muslim maid named ‘Haseena’ was caught on CCTV mixing urine in the food of her Hindu employer. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
A muslim maid named ‘Haseena’ was caught on CCTV mixing her urine and spit while cooking in her Hindu employer’s house.
Fact: The women who is seen in the video mixing urine in the food is not a Muslim, her name is ‘Asha Kaushal’. The incident in the video was reported in Bhopal in 2011. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched on Google based on the information provided in the shared video, using keywords ‘Bhopal maid urine’, an article published by ‘The Times of India’ was found in the search results. From the article, it is understood that the incident took place in Bhopal in 2011 and the maid’s name is ‘Asha Kaushal’. Mukesh Suri, her employer, has mentioned in the article that he had installed CCTV cameras in his house as some household articles were missing, however, he found out that the maid was mixing urine in the food.
Also, while speaking to ‘India Today’, Praveen Dube, a ‘News 24’ journalist has mentioned that the maid is not a Muslim. The same information about this incident can also be found in ‘Aajtak‘ and ‘Dainik Jagran‘ articles.
To sum it up, the maid who is seen in the video mixing urine in the food of her employer is not a Muslim woman named Hasina. Her name is Asha Kaushal and she is not a Muslim.
Did you watch our new video?


text:
The man assaulted by a mob in this video is Pakistan TikTok star Hassan Goldy, not Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder accused Goldy Brar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 30, 2022
A video is being widely shared on social media claiming it as recent visuals of Canadians assaulting Goldy Brar, the prime accused in the killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Canadians thrashing Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder accused Goldy Brar.
Fact: The person who was assaulted by a mob in the video is Pakistan TikTok star Hassan Goldy, not the Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder accused Goldy Brar. This incident had recently taken place in Dubai. Hassan Goldy issued a clarification regarding this viral video mentioning that he was falsely portrayed as Goldy Brar on social media. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched on the internet for the details of this video using relevant keywords, we found a few Facebook posts mentioning the assaulted person as Hassan Goldy. Those posts can be seen here and here. These users shared the video mentioning it as a recent incident taken place in Dubai. Several local Punjabi news channels have also published articles and videos clarifying that the man assaulted in the viral video was Pakistan TikTok star, Hassan Goldy. These news channels reported that a video showing the attack on Hassan Goldy was misinterpreted on social media as the visuals of Canadians thrashing Goldy Brar.
On searching for further details, we found that Pakistan TikTok star Hassan Goldy had posted a video on his social media handles informing the details of the attack on him in Dubai. Hassan Goldy said he was assaulted by his close associates because of a personal dispute.
Hassan Goldy posted another video on his Instagram page and clarified that a video from the recent attack on him was misinterpreted on social media as visuals of Canadians assaulting Goldy Brar. Hassan Goldy informed it as fake news and requested users not to share such posts on social media. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the man assaulted in the video was Pakistan TikTok star Hassan Goldy, not Goldy Brar.
To sum it up, the man assaulted by a few people in the video is Pakistan TikTok star Hassan Goldy, not the Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder accused Goldy Brar.


text:
The man beating the pastor is not a BJP worker and the incident is from Telangana state - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 10, 2019
Some users on Facebook are sharing a post with a video alleging that in Bengaluru, a church priest was beaten by a BJP karyakarta. Let’s try to analyze the claims made in the post.
In Bengaluru, a BJP karyakarta beat a church priest.
Fact: The church priest Anand Rao was beaten by Shanta Kumar, a fellow Christian, for refusing to reinstate him into the Church committee. This incident took place in Bhadradri Kothagudem of Telangana State. Hence the claim is FALSE.
When one carefully hears the language used in the video, it can be concluded that the language used is Telugu. When searched on YouTube with the phrase “Church father beaten in Telugu states”, a  news story on this incident by Telugu News channel Tv9 was found. As per the story, in a church in Bhadradri Kothagudem of Telangana, a newly elected priest Anand Rao refused to reinstate Shanta Kumar into their Church Committee, and being angered by this, he attacked the priest causing him severe injuries to the head.
To sum it up, an incident from Bhadradri Kothagudem is shared as that of from Bengaluru, with a false narrative of BJP karyakarta attacking a Church priest.


text:
The man circumambulating around Kedarnath temple in this video is Kedarnath temple priest Santosh Trivedi, not PM Modi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 14, 2022
A video is being widely shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of  PM Narendra Modi circumambulating around the Kedarnath temple when he was 26 years old. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing the visuals of PM Narendra Modi circumambulating around the Kedarnath temple.
Fact: The man circumambulating around the Kedarnath temple in the video is Kedarnath temple priest Santosh Trivedi, not PM Narendra Modi. Protesting the Uttarakhand government’s decision of enacting the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board act, Santosh Trivedi circumambulated the Kedarnath Temple on his hands. The video has nothing to do with PM Narendra Modi. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, a video with similar visuals was found published by a Facebook page named ‘Sri Kedarnath Jyothirling’, on 23 June 2021. This Facebook page reported it as the visuals of a Kedarnath priest circumambulating around the Kedarnath temple. Reporting the same, a few other YouTube channels have also published the same videos in 2021. They can be seen here and here.
When we searched for further sources on the internet, we found a similar video in an article published by the ‘ETV Bharat’ news website on 21 June 2021. ‘ETV Bharat’ reported that the man circumambulating in the video was Kedarnath temple priest Santosh Trivedi. Protesting the Uttarakhand government’s decision of enacting the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board act, Santosh Trivedi circumambulated around the Kedarnath Temple on his hands. A few other news articles that reported Kedarnath priests’ protest against setting up of the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board can be seen here and here.
While receiving the first copy of the ‘Sadhu Se Sevak’ book, written by ‘Aaj Tak’ Correspondent Manjit Negi, Narendra Modi shared his association with multiple spiritual places in Uttarakhand. Narendra Modi reportedly said he used to regularly go to Kedarnath Temple and offer water to the god when he lived in Garudchatti.
To sum it up, the man circumambulating around the Kedarnath temple in the video is Kedarnath temple priest Santosh Trivedi, not PM Narendra Modi.


text:
The Man Dancing in the Video is Not Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, but an Uncanny Look-alike - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 22, 2023
In the context of Congress leader Siddaramaiah recently being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, a video is circulating widely on social media claiming that it shows Siddaramaiah dancing to a popular Kannada song while under the influence of alcohol. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of recently sworn in Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah dancing while under the influence of alcohol.
Fact: The viral video does not depict Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah dancing. Instead, it features a farmer named Channamaha Gowda from Mysore who bears a resemblance to Siddaramaiah. The video, which has been circulating since March 2018, was shot during a workshop on sustainable grains and millets held on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral video contains two distinct clips. The first clip shows Siddaramaiah consuming alcohol, while the subsequent clip alleges that he is dancing under the influence of alcohol. To ensure a thorough examination, let us analyse each of the clips individually made.
Clip 1:
According to local media reports, this clip shows Siddaramaiah consuming Champagne during his Birthday celebrations on 03 August 2022, in Davanagere, Karnataka. More videos showing the same incident can be seen here and here.
Clip 2:
After conducting a reverse image search on the keyframes extracted from the viral video, it has been revealed that the same clip has been circulating since March 2018, accompanied by the same claim. The viral video has been debunked by various media outlets back in 2018, including the Times of India, Bangalore Mirror, and other local media sources. According to their reports, the individual seen dancing in the video is identified as Channamaha Gowda (Channamaayi Gowda), a farmer from Mysore.
The video was recorded during a workshop on sustainable grains and millets held in March 2018 on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Channamaha Gowda, whose appearance in terms of facial expressions, clothing, and footwear resembles that of Siddaramaiah, received a commendation from both the workshop organizers and fellow farmers present at the event. When the video started gaining traction with false claims, Suvarna News conducted an exclusive interview with Channamaha Gowda, during which he clarified that he is the person seen dancing in the viral video.
To sum it up, the viral video does not show Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah dancing. Instead, it features a farmer from Mysore who bears a resemblance to Siddaramaiah.


text:
The man desecrating a Hindu temple in this photo is not 'Mohammed Ansari' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 9, 2020
A photo of a man stepping on an idol inside a Hindu temple is being shared widely on Facebook with a communal angle. In the post, it is claimed that the man seen desecrating the Hindu temple is a Muslim guy named ‘Mohammed Ansari’. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Photo of ‘Mohammed Ansari’ desecrating Hindu temple by stepping on a Goddess idol.
Fact: The man desecrating Hindu temple is not ‘Mohammed Ansari’, his name is ‘Azad Kumar Gautam’. The incident happened at a temple in Kardhana village of Varanasi, UP. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo to reverse searched, it was found in an article of ‘Sanjeevani Today’. As per the article published on ‘24 April 2020’, the incident took place at a temple in Kardhana village of Varanasi and the name of the man involved in the incident is ‘Azad Kumar Gautam’. When we looked for more news reports about the incident, an article of ‘Amar Ujala’ was found. The information in the article corroborated that the name of the man is ‘Azad Kumar Gautam’ and the incident happened at a village in Varanasi on ‘24 April 2020’. In the article, it is mentioned that the local Mirzamurad police have arrested the man, Azad Kumar Gautam, for hurting the religious sentiments of people.
More news reports about the incident can be read here and here.  We also found a Facebook profile with the same name & with the picture of the man in the photo.
To sum it up, in the photo, the man desecrating a Hindu temple is not ‘Mohammed Ansari’
Did you watch our new video?


text:
The man dressed as Hanuman isn’t the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Ranaghat - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 2, 2019
Many Facebook users are sharing a post with the picture of a person dressed as Lord Hanuman, claiming him to be the BJP’s candidate from Ranaghat constituency of West Bengal. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
The man seen dressed as Hanuman in the photo is BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Ranaghat, West Bengal.
Fact: The BJP in order to seek the voters’ attention in Ranaghat, has used a man dressed as Lord Hanuman for the election campaign of its local candidate, Jagannath Sarkar. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When the photo in the post is run through Google Reverse Image search, it was found in an article of bengali.news18.com, a subsidiary of News18 media house. According to the story, the BJP unit in Bengal, to gain the attention of the voters in Ranaghat constituency has planned to seat a man dressed as Lord Hanuman on the bonnet of their campaign vehicle. And the BJP candidate Jagannath Sarkar was seen campaigning in an open top vehicle. Dilip Ghosh, president of the BJP WB unit, had shared the images on April 22. Since then, these photos are in circulation with false claims.
To sum it up, the man dressed as Hanuman isn’t the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Ranaghat, West Bengal.


text:
The man explaining about the philosophy of life in this video is not a Supreme Court judge - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 22, 2022
A social media post accompanying the video of an elderly man explain the philosophy of life is being widely shared with a claim that the elderly man is a Supreme Court judge. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Supreme Court judge explaining the philosophy of life in two lines.
Fact: The man in the viral video is an industrialist and Chairman of Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology. He made these remarks during the 35 convocation ceremony in November 2021. There are no reports of him studying or practicing law in the past. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search of the screen shots of the video led us to a lengthier version of the speech, wherein the same elderly man can be heard saying the same lines as in the viral video.
The video is shared on a YouTube channel called ‘Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology’ and the description accompanying the video reads ‘Mr. Rajeev Vederah ,Chairman, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology delivers an inspiring address at the 35th Annual Convocation of Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology.’
The video was uploaded on YouTube on 15 November 2021. And at 17:40 timestamp, we could hear Rajeev Vederah saying the exact words as in the viral video.
Further, taking a cue from the YouTube video, and through google search with relevant keywords, we found that the R.R.Vederah is the chairman on board of governors of Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology. He is the vice chairman of Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT) and is also Director on the boards of various subsidiaries of Avantha and BILT
Further, there is no information of him studying law or practicing law in the Supreme Court of India in the past. We could also not find any Supreme Court judge with the name Vederah on its website.
To sum it up, the man explaining the philosophy of life in this video is not a Supreme Court judge.


text:
The man holding the stool for Uma Bharti is not an IAS officer. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 24, 2020
A viral post claiming that an IAS officer sat down holding the stool on which Uma Bharathi stood, to help her deliver a speech is doing rounds across all social media platforms. Through this article lets fact-check the claim.
An IAS officer sat down holding the stool for Uma Bharti, who studied only till 5 class
Fact: Uma Bharti studied only till 5 class. However, the man who sat down holding the stool for Uma Bharti is not an IAS officer. A few news portals reported him as a security officer, whereas some reported him to be an unidentified party worker. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we ran a reverse image search on google, we came across a few news articles in which the same image was published. According to those news articles, this image was clicked way back in December 2016 when Uma Bharti addressed a meeting in Jhansi, UP.  Hence, we can conclude that the image is an old one.
While few news portals addressed the person, who held the stool as a security officer, few other portals addressed him as an unidentified party worker. But we found no evidence to prove that the man is an IAS officer. The news articles which reported the incident can be read here and here.
Uma Bharti studied only till 5 class and information regarding her education can be found here. However, the man holding the stool is not an IAS officer. A video in which a Gujarati News channel debunked the same can be watched here.
In a nutshell, the man in the image who is seen holding the stool is not an IAS officer.
Did you watch our new video?


text:
The man in police uniform threatening anti-CAA protestors is an ex-cop. Also, the video is an old one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 26, 2020
A video is being widely shared on Facebook with the claim that, on the conclusion of American President’s visit to India, Delhi Police have issued ‘shoot at sight’ orders against the rioters in Delhi. And in the video, a person in Police uniform identifying himself as ‘Rakesh Tyagi’ threatens to shoot anti-CAA protestors if they pelted stones at policemen. Let’s check the authenticity of the claim
Video of a SI of Delhi Police, ‘Rakesh Tyagi’, threatening to shoot anti-CAA protestors after the conclusion of American President’s visit to India.
Fact: The man in the video is a former constable of Delhi Police who voluntarily retired in 2014. Also, the video is on social media at least since ‘December 2019’. So, the claim is FALSE.
Due to the riots & violence in Delhi, ‘shoot at sight’ orders were issued in some parts of Delhi. In the video, the man identifies himself as ‘Rakesh Tyagi’. So when searched with this information, a news video of ‘ABP News’ dated– ‘29 December 2019’ was found. As per this video, an ex-cop of Delhi Police, ‘Rakesh Tyagi’, who took VRS in 2014, was arrested by the Cyber Cell of Delhi Police for making provocative speeches wearing a police uniform. The same information can also be found from the ‘Scroll.in’ article.
‘DCP Cybercrime’ has tweeted in this regard and it can be found here.
To sum it up, the man in police uniform threatening anti-CAA protestors is an ex-cop. Also, the video is an old one.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: February 26, 2020


text:
The man in the image is 67-year-old Kancha Ilaiah, a Political theorist and Dalit activist from Telangana - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 3, 2019
A post with a photo is being widely shared on Facebook with a claim that the person in the photo is 47-year-old Moinuddin from Kerala, and he has been studying in JNU since 1989. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
Photo of a 47-year-old Moinuddin who has been studying in JNU since 1989.
Fact: The man in the photo is Kancha Ilaiah, a Political theorist and Dalit activist. He is 67 years old and belongs to Telangana state. So, the claim is FALSE.
In the comments section of the post, many users have commented that the man in the photo is Kancha Ilaiah. The identity of the person can be confirmed when one looks at the images of Kancha Ilaiah. Kancha Ilaiah, is 67 years old and is from the state of Telangana. Ilaiah is a PhDholder and is a Political theorist and Dalit activist. So, Kancha Ilaiah’s photo is being shared with a false claim.
Earlier, when photo of a different person was also shared with the same claim, ‘FACTLY’ had fact-checked the image and it can be read here.
To conclude, the man in the photo is 67 year-old Kancha Ilaiah, a political theorist and Dalit activist from Telangana state.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series?

created: December 3, 2019


text:
The man in the photo is not the juvenile convict but an adult convict (Vinay Sharma) in the Nirbhaya case - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 10, 2019
A photo is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the guy in the photo is the juvenile who was found guilty in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Photo of the juvenile convicted in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case.
Fact: The man in the photo is Vinay Sharma, one of the adult convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case. He is not the juvenile convicted in the case. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When the posted image is cropped and run through the Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo can be found in an article published by the ‘Hindustan Times’ in August 2016. In the article, it can be read that the man in the photo is Vinay Sharma, one of the adult convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case. He is not the juvenile convicted in the case.
A similar photo (archived) from another angle is also being shared on social media with the same claim. The man in that photo is also Vinay Sharma.
In an article by ‘The Hindu’, it can be read that the juvenile convict had been “released to a non-governmental organisation on December 20, 2015. He had been then moved to an undisclosed location, reportedly near his village in Uttar Pradesh.” In an ‘India Today’ article, it was found that Vinay Sharma has been shifted to Tihar Jail from Mandauli on Sunday (December 8, 2019).
To sum it up, the man in the photo is not the juvenile convict but an adult convict (Vinay Sharma) in the Nirbhaya case.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series?

created: December 10, 2019


text:
The man in the photo with Rahul Gandhi is Dr. Azad Moopen. He is not the ISI Chief - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 22, 2020
A post with a picture is being shared widely on social media with a claim that ISI Chief can be seen with Rahul Gandhi in Dubai. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Photo of Rahul Gandhi with ISI Chief in Dubai.
Fact: The man marked as ‘ISI Chief’ in the photo is Dr Azad Moopen. He is not the ISI Chief. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the image was run through the Google Reverse Image Search, an article by ‘Mathrubhumi’ with similar images was found in the search results. In the article, it can be read that the photo was taken during Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the UAE in January-2019. In a tweet by Congress, it can be read that the photo was taken when ‘Rahul Gandhi and Sam Pitroda met with business leaders at a breakfast hosted by Mr. Sunny Varkey’. In the ‘Mathrubhumi’ article, the names of businessmen in the photo can be also read.
On looking up the names on Google, it was found that the man marked as ‘ISI Chief’ in the posted photo is Dr. Azad Moopen. He is not the ISI Chief. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare. He has also received the Padma Shri Award in 2011. Another photo of Rahul Gandhi with Dr. Azad Moopen, during his UAE visit, can be seen here. Azad Moopen’s photo with Modi can be seen here.
To sum it up, the man in the photo with Rahul Gandhi is Dr. Azad Moopen. He is not the ISI Chief.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: January 22, 2020


text:
The man in the video hasn’t committed suicide opposing CAA and NRC - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 17, 2020
A post with a video clip is being widely shared on social media with a claim that it shows a man committing suicide opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC). Let’s analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of a man committing suicide opposing CAA & NRC.
Fact: The man in the video has committed suicide due to his personal reasons. It has nothing to do with CAA or NRC. So, the claim is FALSE.
When the video was uploaded in ‘InVid’ plugin, many keyframes of it were obtained. When these keyframes were subjected to reverse image search technique, a certain keyframe was found in an article of ‘DT NEXT’. As per this article, the man in the video is Sakthi and he was summoned to appear before an RDO inquiry commission that was setup after the death of his wife, Thenisha. When Sakthi, who was dejected, reached the Madurai Collectorate for the inquiry, all of a sudden he climbed up the transformer to end his life fearing police action. So, the man in the video has committed suicide due to his personal reasons. It has nothing to do with CAA or NRC.
Other news reports about the incident can be read here and here.
To sum it up, the man in the video hasn’t committed suicide opposing CAA and NRC.
Did you watch our video on the 10 Most Ridiculous Fake News of the Year 2019?

created: January 17, 2020


text:
The man in the video is neither a LIC employee nor attempted suicide over the government’s decision on LIC - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 4, 2020
A video is being widely shared on social media with a claim that it shows a LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) employee committing suicide over the government’s decision to sell a part of its stake in the company. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of a LIC employee committing suicide over the government’s decision to sell LIC.
Fact: The man in the video is not a LIC employee. He committed suicide due to his personal reasons. It has nothing to do with the government’s decision to sell a part of its stake in LIC. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the video was uploaded in ‘InVid’ plugin, many keyframes were obtained. When these keyframes were subjected to reverse image search technique, a certain keyframe was found in an article of ‘DT NEXT’. As per this article, the man committing suicide in the video is Sakthi, an army man. He was summoned to appear before an RDO inquiry commission that was set up after the death of his wife, Thenisha. When Sakthi, who was dejected, reached the Madurai Collectorate for the inquiry, all of a sudden he climbed up the transformer to end his life fearing police action. So, the man in the video has committed suicide due to his personal reasons. It has nothing to do with the government’s decision to sell a part of its stake in LIC. Other news reports about the incident can be read here and here.
Previously, when the same video was shared as related to Amaravati and CAA protests, FACTLY has debunked the false claims. The fact-check articles can be read here and here.
To sum it up, the man in the video did not commit suicide over the government’s decision to sell a part of its stake in LIC.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: February 4, 2020


text:
The man in the video is neither a Yogi nor was buried for 300 years in Tamil Nadu - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 19, 2020
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the man in the video is ‘a Yogi who went into Jeeva Samadhi 300 years ago at Valliyur in Tamil Nadu. He was found alive while digging the mud to renovate the Valliyur Temple. He was sitting in Yogasana, when he was found’. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of a Yogi who was found alive after being buried for 300 years in Tamil Nadu.
Fact: The man in the video is neither a Yogi nor was buried for 300 years in Tamil Nadu. His name is Alexander, a resident of Kazakhstan. He was suffering from a disease called ‘Psoriasis’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Yandex Reverse Image Search, many articles with similar visuals were found in the search results. In the ‘Daily Mail’ article, it can be read that the man in the video is Alexander P, a resident of Aktobe city in Kazakhstan. In the article, it was found that the same video went viral previously with the claim that man in the video was attacked by a bear. Later, it was found that the man was not attacked by a bear but was suffering from a disease called ‘Psoriasis’.
Talking to the ‘Daily Mail’, the doctor (who treated the man) said, ‘Someone filmed him as he was undergoing medical assessment and leaked this to YouTube. He suffers from psoriasis but in his case worsened by his failure to seek medical treatment.’ It was also reported by other media agencies that the man has ‘died from sepsis after psoriasis wounds got infected’. More information regarding the man can be found here, here and here.
To sum it up, the man is neither a yogi nor was buried for 300 years in Tamil Nadu.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?

created: February 19, 2020


text:
The man in the video is not affiliated to BJP. He is Banaras Congress leader Harish Mishra - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 17, 2020
A video clip of a person seen speaking about PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the recent violence at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is being widely shared on social media. The claim is that the man in it is affiliated to BJP and he confessed that the students were beaten as per the orders of Shah and Modi. Let’s try to analyze the claim.
BJP leader Kapil Mishra confessed that the students were beaten as per the orders of Shah and Modi.
Fact: The man in the video is not affiliated to BJP. He is Banaras Congress leader Harish Mishra. In the full video, the man can be heard praising the Congress party and criticizing Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. So, the claim is FALSE.
The mic in the video has the name ‘Times of Today’ on it. So, when searched On the YouTube channel of ‘Times of Today’, the complete video of the one in the post was found. In the video at 2:49 duration, the reporter introduces the speaker as ‘Harish Mishra of Banaras’. On looking for information about him, an article of ‘Aaj Tak’ was found and from it, Harish Mishra was found to be a Congress leader from Banaras. Also, when one goes through the full video, Harish Mishra can be heard praising the Congress party and criticizing Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.
The same video is also being shared claiming the man in the video is BJP MLA, Anil Upadhyay. But, earlier ‘FACTLY’ has already debunked that there is no BJP MLA with the name Anil Upadhyay and the article can be read here.
To summarize, the man in the video is not affiliated to BJP. He is Banaras Congress leader Harish Mishra. Also, the video clip is a truncated one.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?


text:
The man in the video isn’t Ex-Prince of Hyderabad. He is Acharya Dharmendra, a VHP leader - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 19, 2020
A video of a man speaking in support of Citizenship (Amendment), Act 2019 is being widely shared on social media. It is being claimed that the man in the video is Ex-Prince of Hyderabad. Let’s try to analyze the claims made in the post.
Video of Ex-Prince of Hyderabad speaking in support of Citizenship (Amendment), Act 2019.
Fact: The man in the video isn’t Ex-Prince of Hyderabad. He is Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Acharya Dharmendra. So, the claim is FALSE.
In the video, the man says, ‘The Prime Minister and the Home Minister have kept on saying that it is only for the infiltrators. The people who are protesting against it, do they wish to give Indian citizenship to all the terrorists coming in from Pakistan so that they could comfortably cause the violence in the country..’.
In the post, the video has the logo – ‘Youth Media TV’. When searched on Youtube, the video was found in its YouTube channel and it had the title ‘आईआईटी कानपुर में आज लगे नारे,क्या देश का माहौल ख़राब किया जा रहा है? IIT-Kanpur Faiz poem News today’. (Translation – Slogans made today at IIT Kanpur. Is the situation in the country being made worse? IIT-Kanpur Faiz poem News today’)
When the screenshots of the video are subjected to the reverse image search technique, a tweet with the same video was found. The user published the video with a different message and in the comments section, the same user commented saying that the man seen in the video is ‘Acharya Dharmendra’. When searched on Google about him, he was found to be a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader. When the facial features of the man in the video are compared with that of VHP leader Acharya Dharmendra, they match. So, the man in the video is a VHP leader, not Ex-Prince of Hyderabad.  More information about him can be found here, here and here.
When searched about the son of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, it was found that Nawab Fazal Jah Bahadur, the son of Hyderabad’s seventh and last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, has died in 2018. In ‘The News Minute’ article, it can be read that Nawab Fazal Jah Bahadur was the last surviving son of the seventh Nizam.
To summarize, the man in the video isn’t Ex-Prince of Hyderabad, he is VHP leader Acharya Dharmendra.
Did you watch our new video in the DECODE series?


text:
The man in the video was throwing petrol on the Kaaba, not milk. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 9, 2019
A video is being shared on Facebook with a claim that a man has poured milk on the Kaaba, in Mecca. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
A man has poured milk on the Kaaba (in Mecca) and said that their ancestors are Hindu. He also shouted that the Kaaba is holy Shivaling.
Fact: The person in the video was pouring petrol on the Kaaba, not milk. Also, nothing was reported about him shouting about Hinduism or Shivaling. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched about the news on Google with the keywords ‘Man pours milk on Kaaba’, many newspaper articles published in 2017 on this issue can be found in the search results but the exact posted video was found to be in circulation only from 2018. According to the ‘Gulf Today’ tweet, the man in the video was arrested by the security forces for pouring gasoline on the holy Kaaba. According to an article in the ‘Gulf News’, the security forces clarified that the man was trying to set himself on fire, not the Kaaba. The exact video can be found to be uploaded by ‘The Islamic Information’ and ‘Diva Magazine Pakistan’ with a similar description of a man throwing petrol on the Kaaba.
Also, if the bottle in his hands is properly observed, it can be found that the colour of the liquid in the bottle is reddish. So, it cannot be milk.
Also, nothing was reported in the articles about him shouting the slogans related to Hinduism or Shivaling.
To sum it up, the man in the video was throwing petrol on the Kaaba, not milk. Also, nothing was reported about him shouting pro-Hindu slogans.
Did you watch our new Episode of DECODE series on Parliament?


text:
The man in this image was executed for a judge's murder in 2007, not for social media posts on the Iranian President - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 23, 2024
Following the recent death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, a photo has surfaced showing a man with a noose around his neck, appearing to greet a toddler. This image is being circulated with the claim that the man was publicly hanged in front of his 5-year-old daughter for making social media posts against the late President (here & here). In this article, we fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: An image of a man being hanged in front of his daughter for writing against Iran’s president on social media.
Fact: The individual in this photograph is Majid Kavousifar from Iran. He was publicly executed in central Tehran in 2007 for the murder of a judge. Numerous accounts have mentioned that the girl in the viral photo was present during the execution. However, there is no credible evidence confirming that she is his daughter. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Indeed, the man in this photo was executed in Iran; however, this incident occurred many years ago in 2007. Additionally, the man was executed for murder, not for social media posts against the president of Iran. A reverse search of the viral image led us to several blogs that had previously published the same photo (here and here). According to these blogs, the man’s name is Majid Kavousifar, and he was publicly hanged for killing a judge.
A Google search using the details led us to several stock photos of the man being hanged (here, here, and here). According to the photo description, the man is identified as Majid Kavousifar. He, along with his nephew Hossein Kavousifar, were publicly hanged in central Tehran in 2007 for killing a judge. News reports about this incident can be found here, and here.
None of these reports mentioned that he was hanged in front of his five-year-old daughter. However, a few reports indicated that the girl in the photo being shared was present at the time of the hanging. Nonetheless, no article confirms that this girl is the daughter of Majid Kavousifar.
Previously, the same photo was shared on social media, claiming it depicted the hanging of Hamza Bendelladj, who hacked banks and donated money to Africa and Palestine. FACTLYs fact-check article debunking the claim can be read here.
To sum up, the individual in this photo was executed for the murder of a judge in 2007, not for posting on social media about the President of Iran.


text:
The man seen in this photo with Narendra Modi is Laxmanrao Inamdar, not Anna Hazare - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 31, 2020
A photo is being shared on social media with a claim that it is an old photo of PM Narendra Modi along with Anna Hazare. It is being claimed that this old relationship is the reason behind the silence of Anna Hazare during the current protests. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Old photo of PM Narendra Modi with Anna Hazare.
Fact: The man in the photo along with Narendra Modi is not Anna Hazare. He is Laxmanrao Inamdar, also popularly known as ‘Vakil Saheb’. He was a senior RSS leader and had a great influence on Modi’s life. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo was run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found to be published by various news agencies. In the articles of ‘India Today’ and ‘The Economic Times’, it can be read that the man in the photo along with PM Modi is Laxmanrao Inamdar, also popularly known as ‘Vakil Saheb’.
The colour version of the same photo can be found in an article by ‘BBC – Hindi’ on Laxmanrao Inamdar.
The tweets made by PM Modi mentioning Laxmanrao Inamdar can be seen here, here and here. On the ‘Narendra Modi’ website, Laxmanrao Inamdar’s name was also mentioned as one of the strongest influences on Modi’s life.
More information regarding Laxmanrao Inamdar can be read here, here, and here.
Recently, several news agencies have reported that ‘social activist Anna Hazare has threatened to go on a hunger strike if his demands on issues concerning farmers are not met by the Union government by the end of January next year’.
To sum it up, the man in the photo along with Narendra Modi is Laxmanrao Inamdar, not Anna Hazare.

created: December 31, 2020