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An old video of fire at a Philippines' post office is falsely shared as footage of the Swedish Presidential palace fire - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 13, 2023
A video depicting a towering inferno is being shared with a claim that it shows the Swedish Presidential palace in flames. In this article, we will fact-check this information.
Claim: This video shows the Sweden Presidential palace engulfed in fire.
Fact: Contrary to the claim, this video shows a fire incident at a historic post office building in Manila, Philippines. The blaze occurred in May 2023. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To investigate the origins of the viral video, we conducted a reverse image search using keyframes from the footage. Our search led us to various news reports (here, here, and here) that shed light on the incident associated with the viral video.
According to sources, a massive fire erupted at a historic post office in Manila, Philippines. The incident resulted in minor injuries to one individual. A comparison between the building featured in the viral clip and the Manila post office reveals their resemblance. During the latest France riots, this video was also misattributed and shared as a library building burnt in France. Factly also debunked this, which you can see here.
To sum up, the viral footage shows a post office building in Manila, Philippines, during a fire incident in May 2023.


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An old video of fire explosion in Assam’s Guwahati is shared as that from UP’s Barabanki - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 31, 2022
Video of a fire explosion is being widely shared on social media claiming that it shows Gas cylinder blast at Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a gas cylinder blast in UP’s Barabanki.
Fact: Video shows fire accident in Bangagarh area of Guwahati, Assam. On 20 August 2022, the fire was triggered by a cylinder blast that occurred inside the shop located under the Bhangagarh flyover. Fire brigade reached the location immediately to douse the fire and no causalities were reported. However, no such fire accidents were reported in Barabanki recently. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING
First, we searched the internet to check if there is any such accident reported from Barabanki but no such incident was reported. Then, we ran a reverse image search using the key frames extracted from the viral video. Several users on Twitter posted the same video in August 2022 saying that cylinder blast happened in Bhangagarh, Guwahati on 20 August 2022. These posts can be seen here and here.
Taking a cue from this, we searched for news reports regarding this incident. India Today, Guwahati plus, One India and Northeast Live reported his accident. The comparison of visuals from viral video with that of the news reports confirms that both are same.
According to these reports, on 20 August 2022, a massive fire broke out at a shop in Bhangagarh area of Guwahati, Assam. The blaze was triggered by a cylinder blast that occurred inside the shop located under the Bhangagarh flyover. Fire brigade reached the location immediately to douse the fire and no causalities were reported.
#Breaking: A large fire erupted at a restaurant below the #Bhangagarh Flyover in #Guwahati .
Fire Brigade arrived at the location immediately. There have been no injuries or casualties as of yet. Although there has been no confirmation, thought to have been a cylinder blast. pic.twitter.com/Mda5lbZiGb
To sum it up, this video shows fire explosion in Assam’s Guwahati. No such incident was reported in Barabanki recently.

source: news-factly

created: October 31, 2022

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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An old video of ‘Indian Army carrying out search operations in Kashmir valley’ is falsely shared as ‘Live encounter of terrorists in Kashmir’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 5, 2019
In the light of recent deployment of security forces in Jammu and Kashmir by the Central Government, video footage is doing the rounds with a claim that it shows the live footage of encounter of terrorists in Kashmir and also the present situation prevailing over there. Let’s try to verify the authenticity of the claims made in the post.
The footage of live encounter of terrorists in Kashmir and also the present situation prevailing over there.
Fact: The video posted is a three-year-old one that shows how Indian Army carries out search operations in Kashmir valley. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The video posted has the “DD News” logo. When searched in YouTube, the same video was found with the title “Know how Indian Army carries out search operations in Kashmir valley (Hindi)”. When one goes through the timestamp of the video, it is found to be uploaded on October 25, 2016. The video carried the following description under it-“Do you know how our security forces carry out Cordon and Search Operations in the valley in J and K? How do our forces proceed when they receive an input that terrorists are hiding in a house in a village? Our Correspondent Nandita Dagar explains”.
To conclude, old footage of ‘Indian Army carrying out search operations in Kashmir valley’ is falsely shared as ‘Live encounter of terrorists in Kashmir’.
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created: August 5, 2019


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An old video of Jaipur floods is being shared as that of recent Jodhpur floods - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 4, 2022
In the wake of recent heavy floods in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur city, a video is being widely shared on social media platforms claiming that the video shows recent visuals of Jodhpur floods. The video shows two persons being swept away by the flood water before they were rescued by locals. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent flood visuals from Rajasthan’s Jodhpur city.
Fact: According to media reports, this video belongs to flooded streets of Jaipur in August 2020. However a journalist, in August 2020, tweeted that this was a three-year-old video. But we couldn’t find any source of this video prior to August 2020. However, it is certain that the viral video is at least 2 years old video related to Jaipur floods and thus not related to recent Jodhpur floods. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We ran the Reverse Image search using InVID WeVerify tool and found that the same video was already telecast in 2020 by several News channels. They can be seen here, here, and here.
CNN-News18 uploaded the video on 14 August 2020 with a title, “Man swept Away By Rains in Jaipur, Locals Rush To Rescue Amid Flood Like situation”
TV9 Bharathvarsh uploaded the video on 14 August 2020 saying, ‘Jaipur में भारी बारिश.. सड़कों पर सैलाब.. पानी के बहाव में बहे लोग’ (English translation: Heavy rain in Jaipur.. flooded the roads.. people were swept away by the flow of water.)
The Indian Express published an article 15 August 2020 on its website explaining the situation in flooded city of Jaipur.
However, a journalist by name Soumit Mohan, posted the same video on 14 August 2020 through his official Twitter handle saying, “Yesterday, by mistake I posted viral video of #JaipurRains as #DelhiRains, for that am sorry. The below video is 3 years old video of Jaipur rains being shared as Today’s rains.” Based on this information, we tried to find the earlier version of this video but couldn’t find anything other than the videos/news articles posted in August 2020. However, it is evident that the viral video is at least 2 years old and thus not related to recent Jodhpur floods.
Yesterday, by mistake I posted viral video of #JaipurRains as #DelhiRains, for that am sorry. The below video is 3 years old video of Jaipur rains being shared as Today's rains. #FakeNews #FAKE pic.twitter.com/Cdy9jtcUPs
Though Rajasthan’s Jodhpur received heavy rainfall recently, this video is not related to the recent Jodhpur floods.
To sum it up, an old video of Jaipur floods is being shared as that of recent Jodhpur floods.

created: August 4, 2022


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An old video of Jairam Ramesh commenting on temples and toilets is shared as the recent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 31, 2023
A video that features Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, allegedly comparing toilets to temples ahead of the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is being shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh compared toilets with temples ahead of inauguration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
Fact: Jairam Ramesh made this statement in 2012 when he was serving as a Union Minister of Rural Development and during the inauguration of the ‘Nirmal Yatra’, an initiative aimed at raising awareness about sanitation. Later, Ramesh’s comments faced criticism from both the opposition and members of his own Congress party. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A relevant keyword search regarding the claim led us to a news report by The Indian Express from 6 October 2012 with the title, ‘Jairam Ramesh says toilets are more important in India than temples.’ We found that Jairam Ramesh made this statement when he was serving as a Union Minister of Rural Development and during the inauguration of the ‘Nirmal Yatra’, an initiative aimed at raising awareness about sanitation.
Subsequent research led us to a longer video of his speech during the inauguration on the YouTube channel of ABP News. He stated “I think this yatra aims to build something more crucial than temples – toilets. Regardless of how many temples one visits, true salvation is incomplete without access to toilets, even if you practice rituals like cracking coconuts or performing Aarti.” He continues to say that “the most unfortunate thing in our country is that the temples are the dirtiest places… We must change this thinking and we must treat cleanliness as the true God as per the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. If we accept cleanliness as the true God, we will become a developed nation.”
Jairam Ramesh’s comments faced criticism from both the opposition and members of his own Congress party. The party emphasized its respect for the sanctity of all religious places. Later, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh replaced Ramesh with Bharatsin Solanki
following the stint in the Ministry.
To sum up, an old 2012 video of Jairam Ramesh commenting on temples and toilets is shared as the recent one.

created: December 31, 2023


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An old video of K Muraleedharan’s campaign with IUML flags is shared as his campaign with Pakistani flags in Thrissur - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 21, 2024
A video (here and here) has recently emerged online which claims to show Indian National Congress leader K Muraleedharan campaigning in Thrissur with Pakistani flags. This claim suggests that no Indian flags were seen during this campaign. We will fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Indian National Congress leader K Muraleedharan campaigned in Thrissur with Pakistani Flags.
Fact: The flags visible in the viral video are actually the flags of Indian Union Muslim League, a political party and not the Pakistani flag. The video was originally from 2019, not a recent one. Thus, the claim made in the post is rated False.
Our first point of interest was the watermark on the viral video, which, translated from Malayalam, reads “Kondotty Pachapada”. A keyword search led us to the same video on the Facebook page of “Kondotty Pachapada,” a political organisation according to its page bio. The video was originally posted on 19 April 2019.
The caption on the Facebook post explains that the video records a campaign of K Muraleedharan in Vadakara, Kerala, where he contested for the Lok Sabha in 2019 and won.
Also, a close examination of the flags in the viral video clarifies that the green flags visible are not Pakistani flags. The flag of Pakistan (here, here and here) has a white portion in addition to the green, which is absent in the flags in the video.
These flags represent the Indian Union Muslim League, a political party based in Kerala that is in alliance with the Congress party in Kerala. The difference between the Pakistani flag and the IUML flag can be observed in the graphic below.
In the past, too, we debunked posts that falsely claimed the IUML flag as the Pakistani flag, which you can find here and here.
To sum up, the viral video falsely claims that an Indian National Congress leader was campaigning with Pakistani flags. The flags in the video are actually the flags of Indian Union Muslim League, a Kerala-based political party.


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వ్యవసాయ రుణాలను ఒకే విడతలో మాఫీ చేయడం సాధ్యం కాదని కేసీఆర్ అంటున్న ఈ వీడియో 2019 నాటిది - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 4, 2023
వ్యవసాయ రుణాలను ఒకే విడతలో మాఫీ చేయడం అసాధ్యమని, తెలంగాణ సీఎం కేసీఆర్ అంటున్న వీడియో ఒకటి సోషల్ మీడియాలో షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు. . ఒకే విడతలో రుణమాఫీ చెయ్యడం తమకి చేతకాదని సీఎం కేసీఆర్ ఒప్పుకున్నారు అని క్లెయిమ్ చేస్తూ ఈ వీడియోని షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు.  3 ఆగస్టు 2023 నుండి తమ ప్రభుత్వం రుణమాఫీ పథకాన్ని ప్రారంభిస్తుందని సిఎం బుధవారం ప్రకటించిన (ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ) సందర్భంలో, ఈ వీడియో సోషల్ మీడియాలో షేర్ చేయబడుతోంది. ఈ కథనం ద్వారా ఈ క్లెయిమ్ వెనుక ఉన్న నిజానిజాల్ని తనిఖీ చేద్దాం.
క్లెయిమ్: రైతు రుణాలను ఒకే విడతలో మాఫీ చేయడం తమ ప్రభుత్వం వల్ల చేతకాదు అని ఒప్పుకున్న సీఎం కేసీఆర్.
ఫాక్ట్(నిజం): రాష్ట్ర ప్రభుత్వం ఒక్క విడతలో వ్యవసాయ రుణాలను మాఫీ చేయడం సాధ్యం కాదని సీఎం కేసీఆర్ అసెంబ్లీలో తన ప్రసంగంలో నిజంగానే పేర్కొన్నారు. కానీ ఇది 2019లో జరిగిన విషయం. కావున పోస్ట్‌లో చేసిన క్లెయిమ్ తప్పుదోవ పట్టించేలాగా ఉంది.
వైరల్ పోస్టులో ఉన్న ఈ క్లిప్, ETV వార్తా కథనానికి చెందినది అని గమనించిన తర్వాత, సంబంధిత కీ వర్డ్స్  ఉపయోగించి దాని కోసం ఇంటర్నెట్‌లో వెతికాము.  ఇదే విషయంపై ఫిబ్రవరి 2019 ETVలో వచ్చిన వార్త కథనానికి ఈ సెర్చ్ దారితీసింది.
ఈ కథనంలో, వ్యవసాయ రుణాలను ఒకే విడతలో మాఫీ చేయడం రాష్ట్ర ప్రభుత్వ పరిధిలో సాధ్యం అవదు అని, అది కష్టమని కేసీఆర్ అసెంబ్లీలో చెప్పడం చూడవచ్చు. అనంతరం ఇదే వీడియోలో, దొంగ అకౌంట్లు పుట్టించి డబ్బు కాజేసే వాళ్ళని అరికట్టడానికి, రైతులకు నేరుగా చెక్కు అందజేయాలని ఆలోచిస్తున్నామని కూడా చెప్పారు. వీడియోలో చెప్తున్న విషయం వైరల్ క్లెయిమ్ ఒకటే అయినప్పటికీ, క్లెయిమ్ చేస్తున్నట్లు కేసీఆర్ ఈ ప్రకటన ఇటీవల చేసింది కాదు.
చివరిగా, వ్యవసాయ రుణాలను ఒకే విడతలో మాఫీ చేయడం సాధ్యం కాదని కేసీఆర్ చెబుతున్న ఈ వీడియో 2019 నాటిది.

created: August 4, 2023


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An old video of Lebanese protesters scaling a wall at the Lebanese-Israeli border is being passed off as a recent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 17, 2023
A video of dozens of people climbing up a giant wall is circulating on social media with the claim that it shows the youth of Lebanon attempting to cross the Lebanese-Israeli border in support of Gaza. This is being shared in the context of the ongoing violent conflict between Israel and Palestine. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Video shows Lebanese youth climbing a giant wall at the Lebanese-Israeli border in support of Gaza.
Fact: This video is from 2021 and shows Lebanese protesters scaling a wall at the Lebanese-Israeli border to express their support for the Palestinian people who were attacked in 2021 by Israel. Hence, the claim made in the post is false.
To learn more details about the viral clip, we performed a search on the internet with relevant keywords. This revealed that the video has been available on the internet since May 2021, which is well before the first attack by Hamas on Israel that started the ongoing conflict on 7 October 2023. You can view the video here and here.
Attack on titan❎ Attack on Israel❎
" Lebanon at the Palestinian border"
…….#لبنانين_لن_أرحل#GazaUnderAttak#غزة_تحت_القضف#IsraelTerrorism #PalestineBleeding #FreePalestine pic.twitter.com/ZenkVeVtv7
A further search on the internet to understand the context behind this video led us to a few news reports (here, here ) from May 2021, which shared visuals identical to the viral video. According to these news reports, Israel attacked the Gaza Strip in 2021, prompting protests by the Lebanese.
A photo of this event captured by Reuters journalist Aziz Teher shows visuals similar to those in the viral video. You can clearly see people scaling a wall, with some even holding flags in their hands.
To sum up, a video captured during the Lebanese protests at the Lebanese-Israeli border in 2021 against the Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip is falsely shared as a recent video.

created: October 17, 2023


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An old video of Manohar Lal Khattar crying in the Haryana assembly is being falsely linked to his resignation as MLA. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 15, 2024
A video of Manohar Lal Khattar, the former Chief Minister of Haryana, becoming emotional has been circulating on social media with a claim that the video depicts him breaking down after resigning as MLA. In this fact-check article, we aim to verify this claim.
Claim: This video shows Haryana’s ex-CM, Manohar Lal Khattar, crying after resigning as MLA.
Fact: The video in question is from 2021 when Khattar became emotional during an assembly speech criticising Congress’s Bhupendra Singh Hooda. Therefore, the claim made in the post is False.
To verify this claim, we initiated a keyword search on the internet, which directed us to numerous articles (here, here, and here) confirming that this is an old clip from 2021. These articles reported on the same visuals presented in the viral video.
The former Chief Minister of Haryana is shown (here and here) in the footage during an assembly speech. Khattar was seen criticising Bhupendra Singh Hooda of the Congress party for his alleged ‘insensitivity’ towards female MLAs on International Women’s Day.
महिला दिवस पर भूपेंद्र हुड्डा ने महिला विधायकों के प्रति जो संवेदनहीनता दिखाई, उससे मैं आहत हूं।#HaryanaBudgetSession2021https://t.co/leRo2OK5VP pic.twitter.com/ErM4DuSbJ1
During the assembly’s budget session, he expressed sadness seeing female MLAs pulling a tractor for a protest while Hooda sat on it.
To sum up, the viral video showing Manohar Lal Khattar crying is from March 2021, not in response to any recent resignation from his MLA post in Karnal.


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An old video of Pakistan Army abusing Taliban suspects is falsely shared as Indian Army beating Kashmiri Muslims - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 17, 2019
A video of a few men being whipped and kicked by men in uniform is being shared widely with the claim that it shows Indian Army personnel beating Kashmiri Muslims. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of Indian Army thrashing Muslims in Kashmir.
Fact: It is a 2009 video that shows Pakistan Army abusing Taliban suspects in their country. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When the video in the post was run through ‘InVid’ plugin, several keyframes  were obtained. When these keyframes are subjected to reverse image search, these were found in a video with the title ‘Pakistan army treatment with Talibans’ and it was uploaded on YouTube in 2012. In the video, at the beginning, a message ‘This is how Pakistan interrogates innocent Pashtuns without any court or trial’ was displayed and also at the end, a text ‘Worst has happened to Pashtuns in the tribal areas(Central Pashtunkhwa) however Pakistan and Pakistan army prevented people from documenting it’ was displayed.
With that information, when searched with keywords ‘Pakistan army abuse Pashtuns Taliban’, an article of ‘BBC News’ with the screenshot of that video was found. The article was published on 01 October, 2009. From the article, it can be concluded that the video is related to Pakistan army abusing Taliban suspects in their country. So, the video is no way connected to the Indian army or Muslims in Kashmir.
To sum it up, an old video of Pakistan Army abusing Taliban suspects is being falsely shared as Indian Army beating Kashmiri Muslims.
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created: September 17, 2019


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An old video of Pakistani Taliban executing an ISI officer is shared as a recent incident - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 9, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming it to be the execution video of a Pakistani soldier captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Let’s verify the details of this video.
Claim: Visuals of a recent incident where the Taliban executed a captive Pakistani soldier.
Fact: This video is from 2015, and reportedly the Pakistani Taliban hanged a Pakistani ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) officer. They have allegedly performed this act in retaliation of the killing of Militants by Pakistan. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We performed a keyword search on Google regarding the execution of a Pakistani officer by the Taliban. This led us to a few news reports (here and here) from 2015 which reported an execution of an ISI officer by the Pakistani Taliban. These news reports have credited Reuters as their source. We then looked for the news report published by Reuters and found that it was published in October 2015, in which they reported that ‘The Pakistani Taliban has hanged a military intelligence officer in retaliation for recent executions of militants by Pakistan, the militant Islamist group said in videos released on Sunday‘. Reuters described the visuals of those videos in their article. The description of the second video matches the viral video.
As per the report, the person who lost his life in the video is identified as Bashir Ahmad Khan, who was ‘originally from the 19th army air defence unit and later recruited by Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence.’ Further, to confirm if the viral video belongs to the same incident, we looked for more evidence on the internet by searching it with relevant keywords, including the name of Bashir Ahmad Khan. This led us to a tweet from 2015, which contains an image matching the viral video’s visuals and two more images which match the description of the same execution that Reuters reported. Although Reuters could not confirm the veracity of the video, it is clear that the video is old and is not of a recent alleged execution of a Pakistani Soldier by the Taliban as claimed by the viral post.
In summary, an old video of Pakistani Taliban executing an ISI officer is shared as a recent incident.

created: January 9, 2023


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An old video of people beating a youth tied to a tree is falsely shared as an incident during the current lockdown. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 15, 2020
A video of a boy being flogged after getting tied to a tree is being shared widely across social media claiming that the incident took place during the lockdown in the country. ‘FACTLY’ has found the video to be two years old and has nothing to do with the current lockdown in the country. The incident took place in Deoria (UP) in March 2018 after a financial dispute broke out between two persons.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. News article – https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/six-held-after-18-year-old-tied-to-tree-flogged-in-uttar-pradeshs-deoria-5117861/
2. News article – https://hindi.news18.com/news/uttar-pradesh/deoria-deoria-miscreants-tied-youth-to-a-tree-and-thrashed-him-video-viral-1322378.html
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An old video of Rahul Gandhi visiting a dargah in UP is being shared with a false narrative. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 10, 2020
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Muslims are taking oath in front of Rahul Gandhi and Ghulam Nabi Azad against Hindus and Hinduism. It is also being claimed that the old man in the video is talking about demolishing India, and they are praying for establishing a Muslim Kingdom in India. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post
Video of Muslims taking oath in front of Rahul Gandhi against Hindus and Hinduism.
Fact: The video was taken during Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Kichaucha Sharif Dargah (UP) in 2016. The man speaking in the video does not talk about Hindus or Hinduism; he prays to God for peace in the nation. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, a similar video was found in the search results. The video was uploaded by ‘Samay Live’ in September 2016 with the title – ‘Rahul Gandhi visit to Kichaucha Sharif Dargah in Ambedkar Nagar’. The news articles regarding Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the dargah can be read here, here, and here. None of them reported about an oath taken against  Hindus or Hinduism at the dargah. If any such comments were made in the presence of Rahul Gandhi, they would have been widely reported by news agencies, but no such report was found.
An extended version of the video can be seen here. On listening to the man speaking in the video, the following can be heard – ‘Yeh toh apna apna naseeb hai sallu alaihi. Isike liye yeh bhi aaye hain. Na daulatein chahiye. Inke haath mein quwwat chahiye……veer ro rahe hain, Raat aur din ek kiye huye hain, Na sone ka waqt hai na jaagne ka na chalne ka, Bas ek hi khawhish hai inkee, ke hindustaan se sitamparasti khatam hojaaye, bhai chargee khatam hojaaye. Jis amn ka paighaam aap chinnaan ki dhartee par le ke aaye the hindustan ke andar. Yeh chahte hain ki wohee amn phir hindustan ke andar aajaaye. taaqat deejiye, himmat deejiye, Quwwat deejiye. Ke firkha parasth taakatein khatam karke Gandhi paida ho…’ (which roughly translates to – ‘it is our destiny. This is the purpose he has also come. He does not want riches for himself. Strengthen his hands. Courageous people of …… land is crying. They have not left a stone unturned in their efforts day and night, we are not able to sleep in the night nor walk in the days. He has only one desire that divisive forces of India must be defeated. They want to finish our brotherhood. He has bought the same message of peace to the land of chinnaan as you. He wants to bring the same peace to this land and in Hindustan. Strengthen him and give him courage to defeat divisive forces and give birth to another Gandhi’). In the video, the man does not talk about Hindus or Hinduism. Also, nothing was mentioned regarding establishing a Muslim kingdom in India. He prays to God for peace in the nation.
To sum it up, an old video of Rahul Gandhi visiting a dargah in UP is being with a false narrative that an oath was taken by Muslims in front of him against Hindus and Hinduism.
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An old video of Ravish Kumar’s Speech is shared as a recent one following Adani’s move to takeover NDTV - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 19, 2022
A video of  NDTV Journalist Ravish Kumar talking about corporate takeover, misinformation and fearless journalism is being widely shared claiming that he made these comments after Adani group acquired a 29.18% stake in NDTV. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Ravish Kumar’s speech after Adani Group acquired stake in NDTV.
Fact: This video shows Ravish Kumar’s speech on the topic ‘Gandhi & Dimensions of Truth’ at Manthan Samvaad in October 2017. But Adani group acquired the stake in NDTV in August 2022. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING
The background in the video shows “Dr Reddy’s presents Manthan Samvaad”. So, we searched the YouTube with these keywords and found a full-length video uploaded by ‘Manthan India’ YouTube channel on 08 October 2017. The title of the video is, “Ravish Kumar on ‘Gandhi & Dimensions of Truth’ at Manthan Samvaad 2017”. The same information is provided on Manthan India’s website.
The viral video is created by adding various small clips of the full video. For example, the first 2 minutes of the viral video is taken from 35:47 time stamp of the original video. The subsequent clips at three and four minute mark are taken from 34:32 and 35:42 time stamps respectively. Adani group acquired stake in NDTV in August 2022. But this video is from October 2017.
To sum it up, an old video is being shared as Ravish kumar’s latest speech after Adani’s acquired stake in NDTV.

created: September 19, 2022


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An old video of Russia’s attack on Ukraine is shared as Israel’s attack on Gaza - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 20, 2023
Amidst Palestine’s accusation of Israeli forces deploying restricted weapons in Gaza, a video showing radiant material falling from the sky is being shared claimed to be white phosphorous bombs dropped by Israeli forces on Gaza. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The video shows Israeli air force dropping white phosphorous bombs on Gaza
Fact: The video dates back to March 2023 and shows Russian forces using thermite bombs, the incendiary weapons in Ukraine. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On conducting a reverse image search using the keyframes of the video, we found news reports (here, here, and here) published with the screenshot of the video. These visuals are of Russia throwing thermite bombs on a Ukrainian town.
Further, on a relevant keyword search, we found a longer version of the video on The Telegraph’s YouTube channel with a description, ‘Russian forces appeared to target the eastern town of Vuhledar with incendiary thermite munitions.’
Thermite consists of a blend of metal powder and metal oxide. Upon ignition, it initiates an exceedingly high-temperature reaction which is capable of melting through metal. Whereas, White phosphorus is a chemical compound and can be used as a weapon. When it comes into contact with the air, it spontaneously ignites, resulting in the production of intense heat and the release of white smoke.
To sum up, an old video of Russia’s attack on Ukraine is shared as Israel’s attack on Gaza

created: October 20, 2023


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An old video of security forces allegedly using a human shield against stone pelters is being shared as a recent incident - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 19, 2019
A video is being shared on social media with a claim that it is taken in Jammu and Kashmir on 16 August 2019. It is also being claimed that the Indian Army used four boys as human shields against the stone pelters. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
On 16th August 2019, four boys were used as human shields by the Indian Army against the stone pelters in Jammu & Kashmir.
Fact: It is an old video. All the major newspapers have written on this incident when the video went viral in June 2018. None of the official sources has confirmed the involvement of the Indian Army in this incident. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, it was found that the same video was tweeted by a journalist on his Twitter Account in June-2018. So, it can be concluded that it is an old video.
A video of youth being used as human shield by the Indian forces during protests & crackdown in south #Kashmir’s Pulwama goes viral on social media. #kashmir pic.twitter.com/N42uzi4bK6
When searched for news articles on this issue, articles published by Jansatta, AajTak and Times of India on this incident in June-2018 can be found in the search results. None of the news reports confirmed the involvement of the Indian Army in the incident. In an article published by Scroll, it was found that the J&K police have denied their involvement whereas an Indian Army official said that they were trying to find out the facts.
To sum it up, an old video of security forces allegedly using a human shield against stone pelters is being shared as a recent incident
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An old video of Sonam Kapoor at a fashion show is falsely shared as her performance at King Charles' coronation. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 4, 2023
A video of Sonam Kapoor performing on stage is viral on social media with a claim that it shows her performance at King Charles’ coronation ceremony. Let’s verify this claim through this article.
Claim: A video of Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor performing at the coronation ceremony of King Charles III.
Fact: This video is from 2019 and was filmed at the Bombay Times Fashion Week. Hence the claim made in the post is False.
Firstly, we searched the internet to check the claim’s veracity with relevant keywords and learnt that the coronation ceremony of King Charles III is yet to be conducted  (here). It will be held on 6 May 2023.
Celebrities worldwide were invited to attend the ceremony, of which Sonam Kapoor is one. According to reports (here and here ), ‘ She is going to perform a word piece – which means she will deliver a prelude to the inspiring virtual choir performance by the Commonwealth, combining choirs, solo artists and duos from the 56 Commonwealth countries, … ‘
It is evident from all this information that some unrelated video is being peddled as her performance at the coronation ceremony of King Charles III, which, in fact, is yet to be held. In order to find out what exactly the video is, we performed a keyword search on YouTube and found that it is a video of her dance performance from 2019. Sonam Kapoor performed the song Ghar More Paradesiya from the movie Kalank at the Bombay Times Fashion Week 2019.
To sum up, an old video of Sonam Kapoor at a fashion show is falsely shared as her performance at King Charles’ coronation.


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An old video of the Emir of Qatar is being shared with false claims in relation to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 16, 2023
Amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, a video clip (here and here) of the Emir of Qatar, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad al Tani is being shared with different claims. One post claims that the Emir called the Indian Muslims converted and that they should refrain from being involved in Arab issues related to Gaza. Another post claims that the Emir announced he would stop the gas supply to the world if the bombing of Gaza is not stopped. Let’s verify the claims made in these posts.
Claim: Emir of Qatar called Indian Muslims converted and that they should refrain from involving in Gaza issue. He announced that Qatar would stop supplying gas if bombing Gaza is not stopped.
Fact: The video dates back to the Doha forum, in 2017. The video shows the opening speech of Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani at the forum. He made no comments as claimed during this address. Hence, the claims made regarding the video clip are Misleading.
On performing a reverse image search of the keyframes of the video, we found the longer version of the video on YouTube (here and here). We found that this video dates back to 2017 when Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani gave his opening speech at the Doha Forum 2017.
Upon further research on the content of the speech, we found an article by the Doha forum and news reports (here and here) mentioning his address. The forum was held under the theme “development, stability and refugee crisis” where he expressed his concern about Palestinian refugees in his speech. He stated that the ‘Palestine issue started as a cause of people who were uprooted from their land’ in the viral video.
He further stated that stability and development are interdependent and intertwined and called for international cooperation to solve the flow of refugees across the borders in his opening address. He neither warned about stopping gas supply to the world nor called out Indian Muslims to stop involving in Arab issues.
To sum up, an old video of the Emir of Qatar is being shared with false claims in relation to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

created: October 16, 2023


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An old video of the Netherlands PM mopping floor is being shared as an incident that happened during the G-20 Summit - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 12, 2023
A video of the Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte in which he accidentally drops a coffee cup on a lobby floor is being shared on social media. Further in the video, he can be seen mopping the floor to clean up the mess. It is claimed that this incident happened during this year’s G-20 summit in India. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: A video of Netherlands PM Mark Rutte mopping a floor after he spilled coffee during this year’s G-20 summit in New Delhi.
Fact: In 2018, the Dutch PM spilled his coffee when he entered the country’s parliament building. He then picked a mop and cleaned the floor. Back then, this incident was filmed and shared online. It has no relation to the G-20 summit held in India in 2023. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
We performed a keyword search on the internet to learn more about the viral clip. This search led us to multiple news reports (here, here, and here) that contained the same visuals. According to these reports from 2018, the Dutch PM Mark Rutte “ was walking into the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport building in The Hague on Monday when he dropped coffee. In a bid to clean up his mess, the head of a major European government reached for a mop — and started swiping at the spill.”
Reportedly, the video clip of this incident went viral on social media back then, and netizens praised him for this act.
Meanwhile, the G-20 summit, which was hosted by India this year, concluded on 10 September 2023. The Netherlands PM Mark Rutte has attended this event. On 11 September 2023, he met the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka in Bengaluru.
To sum up, a video of the Duch PM mopping a floor is being falsely linked to this year’s G-20 summit in New Delhi.

created: September 12, 2023


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An old video of Uma Bharti calling Modi a ‘Vinash Purush’ when she was not part of the BJP is shared as a recent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 18, 2024
A video (here, here and here) is circulating on social media platforms in which BJP leader Uma Bharti can be seen referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a ‘Vinash Purush’ or destroyer. We fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: BJP leader Uma Bharti called PM Narendra Modi a ‘destroyer’ or ‘Vinash Purush’ in a recent press conference.
Fact: The video in question is not recent but dates back to a time when Uma Bharti was not a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To verify the claim, we began by conducting a keyword search on the internet. This led us to multiple news reports (here, here and here) from 2014 that were linked to the video. It was reported that ahead of the general elections in 2014, the Congress party had released this video clip. The video featured BJP leader Uma Bharti referring to Narendra Modi as a ‘vinash purush.’
However, it is critical to note that this video was recorded during the time when Uma Bharti was not a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party. She was expelled from the party in 2005 due to ‘indiscipline and anti-party activities’ and rejoined BJP in 2011.
In 2014, when the video resurfaced, Uma Bharti filed a complaint against the Congress party for releasing the video.
A report from NDTV in 2014 suggested that these comments were made by her following her expulsion from the party.
To sum up, the video of Uma Bharti criticizing PM Modi is old and dates back to the time when Bharti was not a part of the BJP.


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An old video of Vasundhara Raje congratulating Neeraj Chopra is falsely shared as her talking to Ravindra Singh Bhati - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 6, 2023
A video of BJP leader Vasundhara Raje allegedly speaking to BJP rebel MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati is doing the rounds on social media. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: This video shows BJP leader Vasundhara Raje conversing with BJP rebel MLA Ravindra Singh Bhati.
Fact: This is an old video of Vasundhara Raje congratulating Indian star athlete Neeraj Chopra. It shows a conversation between Vasundhara Raje and Neeraj Chopra from 2021 when she called and congratulated Neeraj Chopra on winning a Gold Medal in the Tokyo Olympics. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To check the veracity of the viral claim, we performed a keyword search on the internet, but we did not find any news reports about the former CM of Rajasthan speaking to the MLA of Sheo Assembly Constituency Ravindra Singh Bhati over the phone.
Further, to learn more about the viral clip, we performed a reverse image search on a few of its keyframes, leading us to a tweet from 2021 that contained the same video. The video described this conversation as the former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje speaking over the phone with Indian Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra on winning a Gold Medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
#Rajasthan | Former Rajasthan Chief Minister #VasundharaRaje congratulates the golden boy #NeerajChopra over phone on his triumph in Tokyo.#neerajchopragold #WATCH #NeerajGoldChopra @VasundharaBJP @Neeraj_chopra1 pic.twitter.com/tb59lyuqQl
The two-time CM of Rajasthan also posted a congratulatory message to Neeraj Chopra on her social media; she even posted the same video on her Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CScB-M-hUmB
To sum up, a video from 2021 is being falsely shared as a conversation between Vasundhara Raje and Ravindra Singh Bhati.

created: December 6, 2023


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An old video of VVPAT slip handling process as per ECI guidelines is shared to claim foul play in the current 2024 elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 24, 2024
Amidst the ongoing 2024 general elections, a social media post with a video showing alleged BJP supporters tampering with VVPAT slips in EVM machines is circulating widely (here & here). The video shows individuals extracting VVPAT slips. In this article, we examine the veracity of the claims linked to the video.
Claim: Recent video from 2024 depicting BJP supporters tampering with VVPAT slips in EVM machines.
Fact: The video is from 2022. At that time, officials verified that the footage does not show any misconduct. Instead, it captures workers adhering to the standard protocol of removing VVPAT slips from their respective machines and placing them into a black envelope for storage. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral video does show individuals extracting VVPAT slips and placing them in another envelope, however, the individuals are not BJP supporters. The people seen in the video are doing it as per the official guidelines. Moreover, the video is not related to the ongoing 2024 elections but is an old video from 2022. We could not find any reports about such irregularities during the ongoing 2024 elections.
When the same video went viral claiming EVM fraud, during the Gujarat elections in 2022, the Deputy Election Officer of Bhavnagar clarified that the video did not depict any wrongdoing; instead, the workers were simply following established procedures, as reported by BOOM.
Additionally, the District Magistrate and Collector of Bhavnagar, D.K. Parekh, stated that the video was recorded by an unauthorized individual and they initiated an inquiry into the incident. He also emphasized that there is no foul play in the process shown in the video.
@rakeshfilm pic.twitter.com/1Q4KcXEZzd
What do the conduct of election rules say?
Section 94(b) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, states that subject to any direction to the contrary is given by the Election Commission or by a competent court or tribunal, election-related papers such as used and unused ballot papers, counterfoils of used ballot papers, marked copies of electoral rolls, and registers of voters shall be retained for one year. However, this rule does not specifically mention VVPAT slips. Section 94(c), which addresses all other election papers not mentioned above (including VVPAT slips), states that they can be retained for a period as directed by the Election Commission unless the Election petition/Court case is Pending.
Therefore, following the EC guidelines regarding the management of VVPAT slips post-vote count (here), it can be deduced that the video in the post does not show the destruction of VVPAT slips or any related election materials. Rather, it illustrates the extraction of VVPAT slips from their respective machines and their subsequent storage in a black envelope.
To sum up, an old video of VVPAT slip handling process as per ECI guidelines is wrongly claimed to show foul play in current elections.


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An old video related to an incident in Haryana is falsely shared as that of Kashmir - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 20, 2019
On social media, a video of Indian Army lathi charge is shared with the claim that Modi’s Government is using excessive force on civilians in Kashmir. Let’s try to analyze the veracity of that video.
Video of Modi Government using excessive security forces on civilians in Kashmir
Fact: The video shows lathi-charge by the Indian security forces in Haryana on the supporters of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. In August 2017, several supporters of Ram Rahim took to streets and were involved in violence following the conviction of Ram Rahim in a rape case. So, the claim made in the post stands FALSE.
When the video in the post is run through ‘InVid’ plugin, several keyframes were obtained. On subjecting these keyframes to reverse image search technique, a certain keyframe directed to the same video on YouTube. The video was found to be uploaded on August 30, 2017, and had the title “Baba ram rahim ke gundo ki pitai राम रहीम के गुंडों की पिटाई”.
When searched on YouTube with keywords, many results of the same video were found describing it to be belonging to lathi charge on Dera supporters in Panchkula(a city in Haryana). Those results can be seen here, here, and here.
All those videos obtained during the search process have the same audio in the background unlike the video posted. The video posted has a woman’s voice in the background. So, the audio of that video must have been tampered with a separate track.
The articles reporting about the violence that took place in Haryana following the conviction of Dera Baba can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, an old video related to anincident in Haryana is falsely shared as that of Modi government usingexcessive forces in Kashmir.
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An old video shared as ‘USA students singing Indian National Anthem as a sign of gratitude for supplying Hydroxychloroquine’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 28, 2020
A video is being widely shared on Facebook claiming that it shows students from the USA  singing Indian National Anthem as a sign of gratitude towards India for the supply of Hydroxychloroquine drugs. India has sent Hydroxychloroquine drugs to the USA in response to the request by President of the USA Donald Trump. But, FACTLY has found the video to be old and not related to any recent incident. The video was shot in 2017 to mark the 71 Indian Independence Day.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. YouTube video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF6uY4Q1Ns4
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An old video showing a Milad-un-Nabi rally with religious flags is being shared as Muslims carrying Pakistani flags - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 10, 2024
A video of a rally displaying green flags is circulating on social media (here, here, and here) alleging that Muslims rallied with Pakistani flags near the secretariat in Hyderabad, Telangana. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Muslims rallied with Pakistani flags near secretariat in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Fact: The rally took place on the Tank bund in Hyderabad on Milad-un-Nabi. People in the video are holding religious flags, not Pakistani flags. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Upon conducting a reverse image search using the keyframes from the video, we discovered that Hyderabad Deccan News had uploaded the same video on their YouTube channel on 2 October 2023. The description stated that the video depicts a bike rally held at Tank bund in Hyderabad on Milad-un-Nabi.
Further investigation revealed that processions were conducted on this festival day under police supervision, featuring similar flags at different locations across Hyderabad (here and here). Upon closer examination, it was found that the flags carried by the youth were religious, not of Pakistan.
The distinction between the flag of Pakistan and the religious flag utilized in the Milad-un-Nabi procession can be seen below. Factly has previously addressed such claims which can be viewed here, here, and here.
To sum up, an old video showing a Milad-un-Nabi rally with religious flags in Hyderabad is being shared as Muslims carrying Pakistani flags.


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An open letter to YouTube’s CEO from the world’s fact-checkers - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 12, 2022
Ms. Susan Wojcicki,
It’s been almost two years since the COVID-19 pandemic started. The world has seen time and time again how destructive disinformation and misinformation can be for social harmony, democracy, and public health; too many lives and livelihoods have been ruined, and far too many people have lost loved ones to disinformation. As an international network of fact-checking organizations, we monitor how lies spread online — and everyday, we see that YouTube is one of the major conduits of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide. This is a significant concern among our global fact-checking community.
What we do not see is much effort by YouTube to implement policies that address the problem. On the contrary, YouTube is allowing its platform to be weaponized by unscrupulous actors to manipulate and exploit others, and to organize and fundraise themselves. Current measures are proving insufficient. That is why we urge you to take effective action against disinformation and misinformation, and to elaborate a roadmap of policy and product interventions to improve the information ecosystem – and to do so with the world’s independent, non-partisan fact-checking organizations.
In the last year, we have seen conspiracy groups thriving and collaborating across borders, including an international movement that started in Germany, jumped to Spain and spread through Latin America, all on YouTube. Meanwhile, millions of other users were watching videos in Greek and Arabic that encouraged them to boycott vaccinations or treat their COVID-19 infections with bogus cures. Beyond COVID-19, YouTube videos have been promoting false cures for cancer for years.
In Brazil, the platform has been used to amplify hate speech against vulnerable groups, reaching tens of thousands of users. Elections are not safe either. In the Philippines, false content with over 2 million views denying human rights abuses and corruption during the Martial law years are being used to burnish the reputation of the late dictator’s son, one of the candidates in the 2022 elections.  In Taiwan, the last election was marred by unsubstantiated accusations of fraud. The whole world witnessed the consequences of disinformation when a violent mob assaulted the U.S. Capitol last year. From the eve of the U.S. presidential election to the day after, YouTube videos supporting the “fraud” narrative were watched more than 33 million times.
The examples are too many to count. Many of those videos and channels remain online today, and they all went under the radar of YouTube’s policies, especially in non-English speaking countries and the Global South. We are glad that the company has made some moves to try to address this problem lately, but based on what we see daily on the platform, we think these efforts are not working – nor has YouTube produced any quality data to prove their effectiveness.
Your company platform has so far framed discussions about disinformation as a false dichotomy of deleting or not deleting content. By doing this, YouTube is avoiding the possibility of doing what has been proven to work: our experience as fact-checkers together with academic evidence tells us that surfacing fact-checked information is more effective than deleting content. It also preserves freedom of expression while acknowledging the need for additional information to mitigate the risks of harm to life, health, safety, and democratic processes. And given that a large proportion of views on YouTube come from its own recommendation algorithm, YouTube should also make sure it does not actively promote disinformation to its users or recommend content coming from unreliable channels.
With all this in mind, we propose some solutions that would make a great deal of difference in reducing the dissemination of disinformation and misinformation on YouTube.
We hope you will consider implementing these ideas for the public good and to make YouTube a platform that truly does its best to prevent disinformation and misinformation being weaponized against its users and society at large. We are ready and able to help YouTube. We wish to meet with you to discuss these matters and find ways forward on a collaboration and look forward to your response to this offer.
Signatories
Africa Check (Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa) / Animal Político – El Sabueso (Mexico)  / Aos Fatos (Brazil) / Bolivia Verifica(Bolivia) / BOOM (India, Myanmar and Bangladesh) / Check Your Fact (USA) / Code for Africa – PesaCheck (Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe) / Colombiacheck (Colombia) / CORRECTIV (Germany) / Cotejo.info (Venezuela) / Chequeado(Argentina) / Delfi Lithuania (Lithuania) / Demagog Association(Poland) / Doğruluk Payı (Turkey) / Dubawa (Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Gambia) / Ecuador Chequea (Ecuador) / Ellinika Hoaxes (Greece) / Fact Crescendo (India) / Fact-Check Ghana / FactCheck.org (USA) / FactSpace West Africa / Facta(Italy) / Factcheck.NI (UK) / Factly (India) / Factual.ro (Romania) / FactWatch (Bangladesh) / Fakenews.pl (Poland) / Faktist.no(Norway) / Faktograf.hr (Croatia) / Faktoje (Albania) / Fast Check CL (Chile) / Fatabyyano (Middle East and North Africa) / Full Fact(UK) / GRASS – FactCheck Georgia / India Today Group (India) / Istinomer (Serbia) / Istinomjer (Bosnia i Herzegovina) / Hibrid.info(Kosovo) / Knack Magazine (Belgium) / La Silla Vacía (Colombia) / Lead Stories (USA) / Les Surligneurs (France) / Logically (UK) / Lupa(Brazil) / Maldita.es (Spain) / MediaWise (USA) / Mongolian Fact-checking Center (Mongolia) / MyGoPen (Taiwan) / Myth Detector(Georgia) / NewsMobile (India) / Newschecker (India and South Asia) / Newtral (Spain) / Observador – Fact Check (Portugal) / Open Fact-checking (Italy) / OŠTRO (Slovenia) / Pagella Politica (Italy) / Poligrafo (Portugal) / PolitiFact (USA) / Pravda (Poland) / Rappler(Philippines) / Raskrinkavanje (Bosnia i Herzegovina) / Re:Check/Re:Baltica (Latvia) / RMIT ABC Fact Check (Australia) / Rumor Scanner (Bangladesh) / Science Feedback (France) / StopFake(Ukraine) / Taiwan FactCheck Center / Tempo (Indonesia) / Teyit(Turkey) / The Healthy Indian Project/THIP Media (India) / The Journal FactCheck (Ireland) / The Logical Indian (Indian) / The Quint (India) / The Washington Post Fact-checker (USA) / The Whistle (Israel) / Univision – elDetector (USA) / VERA Files(Philippines) / Verificat (Spain) / Vishvas News (India) / Vistinomer(North Macedonia) / VoxCheck (Ukraine) / 15min (Lithuania)

created: January 12, 2022


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An unrelated image is falsely shared as “Shivalinga engraved on the Oldest Arabian Mosque” - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 13, 2022
An image through a Facebook post is being shared widely claiming that an image of Shivalinga, along with two Nandis (bulls) was engraved on Arab world’s oldest mosque, Raasa. Let’s fact-check the claim made in this post.
Claim: A Shivalinga and two Nandis (bulls) were engraved on the Rasa, Arab world’s oldest mosque.
Fact: There is no mention of ‘Rasa’ anywhere in the list of ‘Oldest mosques in Arab world’. Also, the mosque with the name ‘masjid agung sang cipta rasa’ is located in Indonesia and has no Shivling or Nandis engraved on it. All the evidence indicates that the viral picture is related to some unknown structure in Karnataka, India. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
We searched the web for the “Rasa mosque” and found that there is no mosque in Arab nations with this name. The only mosque we could find is “ Masjid Agung Sang Cipta Rasa “ or “ Great mosque of Cirebon” located in the city of Cirebon, Indonesia. However, Indonesia is not a part of Arab world.
Also, in this Wikipedia article of World’s oldest mosques, there is no mosque with the name “Rasa”.
There is no picture or statement about Shivling/Nandi in any of the images, videos, reviews, historical articles related to Great mosque of Cirebon.
We ran a reverse image search and found that the viral image is shared by a user named “ Vivek P” on Tripadvisor website. In March 2016, he wrote a review about his trip to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur and shared this image in it.
With this clue, we searched for the tourist attractions in and around these cities but couldn’t find anything that matches the viral picture.
Upon zooming the picture, Kannada script can be seen above the Shivling, which translates to “Namah Shivaya” in English. Also, the group of people (bottom right) in the image resemble Indians. This indicates that the mosque like structure is most likely situated somewhere in Karnataka, India. Few Twitter users have also commented that the structure is from Karnataka. These tweets can be seen here and here.
@iSharmaPuneet @SabooVikas @narendramodi this is in Guledgudda, Bagalkot Dist, Karnataka !!!!
We contacted Vivek P, Tripadviser website and trip organiser ‘Hemkund travels’ for more details about the image. This article will be updated as and when they respond.
To sum it up, it is evident that there is no evidence to prove that Shivalinga and Nandi are engraved on the largest mosque of the Arab world.


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An unrelated image is shared as that of a minor girl gang-raped in Rajasthan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 12, 2020
An image is being shared with the claim that it shows a minor girl kidnapped and gang-raped by four Muslims in the Tonk district of Rajasthan. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Image of a minor girl kidnapped and gang-raped by four Muslims in Tonk (Rajasthan).
Fact: While it is true that a minor girl was gang-raped by four Muslims in the Tonk district of Rajasthan, the image shared is not related to the incident. The image shows a woman who was murdered by her husband in the Hisar district of Haryana on 16 April 2020. So, the claim is MISLEADING.
On searching with the keywords ‘minor gang-raped in Tonk’, several news reports were obtained about an incident in which a 16-year-old girl was raped by four muslim youth in Rajasthan’s Tonk on 05 May 2020. The accused kidnapped the girl and took her to an isolated place and then sexually assaulted her. Tonk Police have arrested Nisar Khan, Salman, and Zakir. The fourth accused is a minor himself.
श्रीमान आदर्श सिधू पुलिस अधीक्षक जिला टोंक के आदेशानुसार थाना पचेवर क्षेत्र में हुए गैंगरेप के आरोपियों का मात्र 24 घंटे में पर्दाफाश कर निसार खान उर्फ नसरिया पुत्र श्री बाबू,सलमान उर्फ खोबड़ा पुत्र हुसैन उर्फ लंगड़ा,जाकिर उर्फ राजूराडा पुत्र मिश्री खाॅ को गिरफ्तार किया। pic.twitter.com/TCu7UcjZkS
When the image shared in the post is subjected to reverse image search, it was found in an article of ‘Asianet news’. As per this article, the image shows a woman who was murdered by her husband in the Hisar district of Haryana on 16 April 2020.
To sum it up, an unrelated image is being shared as that of a minor girl who was gang-raped in Rajasthan by four Muslim youth.
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An unrelated old image is being shared as that of old aged JNU student - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 20, 2019
An image is being shared widely on Facebook claiming it to be that of an old aged student of JNU participating in the protests. Let’s try to check the claim made in the post.
Image of old aged Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student protesting.
Fact: The image shows Police arresting a woman who had participated in a protest demanding for minimum wage at Labour Commissioner Office in Hyderabad in 2017. So, the claim is FALSE.
From the article of ‘The Hindu’, it can be found that, since the past few days, students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi are protesting demanding the withdrawal of draft hostel manual and proposed hike in the hostel fees.
When the image in the post is subjected to Google reverse image search technique, many search results were obtained. Among them, the search result of ‘Outlook’ had the same image in its article with a set of photos. The image in the post is 14th among the 108 photos in that article and the description seen with it is- ‘Police arrests a woman who was participating in a protest demanding for minimum wage, at labour Commissioner Office in Hyderabad’. This image was captured on 19th September 2017.
To summarize, an unrelated 2-year-old image is being shared as that of an old aged student of JNU participating in the protests.
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created: November 20, 2019


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An Unrelated old image is falsely shared as the situation of flood-hit Bihar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 6, 2020
A post with the photo of a woman walking in floodwater carrying a child in her hands is being claimed as the image from the recent Bihar floods, on social media. Through this article lets fact-check the claim made in the post.
Picture showing the struggle of a mother and child during the floods in Bihar.
Fact: This image was captured on 25 September 2011, when an Indian woman carried her injured son through flood waters at Pahanga village in Orissa’s Jajpur district. The image has nothing to do with the recent Bihar floods. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we ran a reverse image search of the photo in the post on Yandex, we found that this image was listed in in blog post with the title ‘Powerful Photographs Of India In 2011’. The description of the photo mentions that the image is of an woman carrying her injured son through flood waters at Pahanga village in Orissa’s Jajpur district. The credits of the image has been given to ‘AP Photo’.
When searched on the Associated Press stock images website with the relevant keywords, we found the same image on the website stating that the image was captured on 25 September 2011, during the floods at Pahanga village in Orissa’s Jajpur district.
To sum it up, 2011 image captured during the floods at Pahanga village in Orissa’s Jajpur district is falsely shared as that from the recent floods in Bihar.
Update (AUGUST 7, 2020):
This article was updated to include the the image details from the Associated Press stock images website.
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created: August 6, 2020


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సంబంధంలేని పాత వీడియోను అయోధ్య విగ్రహ ప్రతిష్ఠాపన కార్యక్రమం తర్వాత కోతుల సమూహం అనందపడినట్లు షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 28, 2024
22 జనవరి 2024న అయోధ్యలో బాలరాముడి విగ్రహ ప్రాణ ప్రతిష్ట జరిగిన నేపథ్యంలో రామ రాజ్యం వచ్చిందని నోరులేని వానరసైన్యం (కోతుల గుంపు) సంతోషపడుతుంది అని చెప్తున్న పోస్టు ఒకటి ఒకటి సోషల్ మీడియాలో వైరల్ అవుతుంది. దీనికి మద్దతుగా కోతుల గుంపు గంటను అదే పనిగా కొడుతున్న వీడియోను జత చేసి షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు.ఈ కథనం ద్వారా అందులో ఎంత నిజముందో చూద్దాం
క్లెయిమ్: అయోధ్యలో బాలరాముడి విగ్రహ ప్రాణ ప్రతిష్ట జరిగాక రామ రాజ్యం వచ్చిందని వానరసైన్యం (కోతుల గుంపు) సంతోషపడుతూ గంటను మోగిస్తున్న దృశ్యాలు.
ఫాక్ట్(నిజం): ఈ వీడియో 2017  సంవత్సరం నుండి సోషల్ మీడియాలో షేర్ అవుతూ ఉంది. అయితే, ఈ వీడియో ఎప్పుడు, ఎక్కడ తీసిందీ ఖచ్చితంగా తెలియలేదు. అయోధ్యలో రామ మందిర ప్రాణ ప్రతిష్టాపన కార్యక్రమం  జరగక ముందు నుంచే ఈ వీడియో సోషల్ మీడియాలో ఉంది, రామ మందిర ప్రతిష్టాపన కార్యక్రమం జరిగాక కోతుల సమూహం ఎక్కడ ఇలా గంటను మోగించినట్లు ఎలాంటి రిపోర్ట్స్ లేవు. కావున పోస్టు ద్వారా చెప్పేది తప్పు.
ముందుగా వైరల్ పోస్టులో షేర్ చేసిన వీడియోలోని స్క్రీన్ షాట్లను రివర్స్ ఇమేజ్ సెర్చ్ చేయగా, ఇవే దృశ్యాలు కలిగిన వీడియోని ‘జై శ్రీరామ్’ అనే ఫేస్‌బుక్ పేజీ 09 జూలై 2017న పబ్లిష్ చేసినట్టు తెలిసింది
అంతే కాకుండా 2018లో ఇదే వీడియోని రిపోర్ట్ చేస్తూ “డైలీ మెయిల్” వార్త కథనం ప్రచురించింది. ఈ కథనం ప్రకారం కోతుల గుంపు హిమాచల్ ప్రదేశ్‌లోని ఒక హనుమాన్ ఆలయంలోని గంటతో ఆడుకుంటూ ఉన్నప్పుడు అక్కడికి వెళ్ళిన భక్తుడు ఈ వీడియోను తీసాడు. అలాగే రామ మందిర ప్రతిష్టాపన కార్యక్రమం జరిగాక కోతుల సమూహం ఇలా గంటను మోగించినట్లు ఎలాంటి రిపోర్ట్స్ లభించలేదు. దీన్ని బట్టి ఈ వీడియో అయోధ్యలో రామ మందిర ప్రతిష్టాపన కార్యక్రమం జరగక ముందే తీసినట్టు నిర్ధారించవచ్చు.
చివరగా, సంబంధం లేని పాత వీడియోను అయోధ్య విగ్రహ ప్రతిష్టాపన కార్యక్రమం తర్వాత జరిగినట్లు ఆపాదిస్తూ షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు.

created: January 28, 2024


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సన్ హేలో దృశ్యాన్ని చూపిస్తున్న  ఒక పాత వీడియోని గుజరాత్ రాష్ట్రం జునాఘాడ్‌లో ఇటీవల ఏర్పడిన పూర్తి వృత్త ఇంద్రధనస్సు అని తప్పుగా షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 30, 2023
సుమారు 150 సంవత్సరాలకు ఒకసారి ఆకాశంలో సంభవించే భీష్మ ధనుస్సు ఇటీవల గుజరాత్ రాష్ట్రం జునాఘాడ్‌లో కనిపించిందంటూ సోషల్ మీడియాలో ఒక వీడియో బాగా షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు.  ఆ పోస్టులో ఎంతవరకు నిజముందో చూద్దాం.
క్లెయిమ్: 150 సంవత్సరాలకు ఒకసారి సంభవించే పూర్తి వృత్త ఇంద్రధనస్సు ఇటీవల గుజరాత్ రాష్ట్రం జునాఘాడ్‌లో కనిపించిన దృశ్యాలు.
ఫాక్ట్ (నిజం): ఆకాశంలో సూర్యుడి చుట్టూ సహజంగా ఏర్పడే వృత్తాకార వలయం (సన్ హేలో అని కూడా పిలుస్తారు) దృశ్యాలను ఈ వీడియో చూపిస్తుంది. ఈ వీడియోలో కనిపిస్తున్న సన్ హేలో దృశ్యాలు మహారాష్ట్ర పూణే నగరంలో కనిపించిందని పలు వార్తా సంస్థలు మరియు సోషల్ మీడియా యూసర్లు 2015 నుండి ఇంటర్నెట్లో షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు. పోస్టులో షేర్ చేసిన వీడియో పాతది, గుజరాత్ రాష్ట్రానికి సంబంధించినది కాదు. కావున, పోస్టులో చేస్తున్న క్లెయిమ్ తప్పు.
పోస్టులో షేర్ చేసిన వీడియో యొక్క స్క్రీన్ షాట్లని రివర్స్ ఇమేజ్ సర్చ్ చేసి వెతికితే, ఇవే దృశ్యాలు కలిగిన వీడియోని ‘ఇండియా టైమ్స్’ వార్త సంస్థ 24 జూన్ 2015 నాడు పబ్లిష్ చేసినట్టు తెలిసింది. మహారాష్ట్ర పూణే నగరంలో పూర్తి వృత్తం ఇంద్రధనస్సు కనిపించిన అద్భుత దృశ్యాలంటూ ఈ వీడియోని షేర్ చేశారు. ఈ వీడియోని చాలా మంది యూసర్లు 2015 నుండి తరచూ సోషల్ మీడియాలో షేర్ చేస్తునే ఉన్నారు.
వాతావరణంలో ఉండే నీటి బిందువుల నుంచి కాంతి ప్రయాణించినప్పుడు కాంతి విక్షేపణం చెందడం వలన ఆకాశంలో ఇంద్ర ధనస్సు ఏర్పడుతుంది. ఇదే విధంగా సూర్యుడు లేదా చంద్రుడి నుండి వచ్చే కాంతి కిరణాలు, ఆకాశంలో అధిక ఎత్తులో ఉండే సిరోస్ట్రాటస్ మేఘాలలోని మంచు స్ఫటికాల ద్వారా వక్రీభవనానికి గురైనప్పుడు, ఈ సన్ హేలోలు (సూర్య వృత్తాకార వలయాలు) ఏర్పడుతుంటాయి. భూమిపై ఏదైన ప్రదేశం నుంచి సూర్యున్ని వీక్షిస్తున్నప్పుడు అక్కడ ఏర్పడిన వృత్తం వ్యాసార్ధం 22 డిగ్రీలుగా ఉంటుంది. అందుకే, ఈ వృత్తం ఏర్పడే ప్రక్రియను ’22 డిగ్రీ వృత్తం’ అని పిలుస్తుంటారని పలు శాస్త్రీయ నివేదికలు, వార్తా రిపోర్టులలో తెలిపారు.
ఆకాశంలో ఈ వృత్తాకార వలయాలు తరచూ కనిపిస్తూనే ఉంటాయి. భారత దేశంలో గతంలో పలు ప్రాంతాలలో ఈ వృత్తాకార వలయాలు కనిపించాయి. వాటికి సంబంధించి పబ్లిష్ చేసిన ఆర్టికల్స్‌ను ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ మరియు ఇక్కడ చూడవచ్చు.
చివరగా, సన్ హేలో దృశ్యాలను చూపిస్తున్న  సంబంధం లేని ఒక పాత వీడియోని గుజరాత్ రాష్ట్రం జునాఘాడ్‌లో ఇటీవల ఏర్పడిన పూర్తి వృత్త ఇంద్రధనస్సు దృశ్యాలంటూ షేర్ చేస్తున్నారు.


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An unrelated old video of vultures is being linked to Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration ceremony - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 12, 2024
A video depicting a group of vultures moving on a road is being shared widely on social media platforms with a claim that a group of ‘Jatayu’ (vultures) has arrived in Ayodhya ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple on 22 January 2024. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video shows a group of ‘Jatayuvu’ (vultures) that arrived in Ayodhya ahead of the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony.
Fact: This video is being shared on social media since the year 2021 though the specific time and location of the video remain unknown. However, this video has nothing to do with the ongoing Ram Mandir consecration program in Ayodhya. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Conducting a reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the viral video led us to a video uploaded on a Facebook account named “Dooz”. The video was shared on 8 October 2021.
Additionally, other social media posts that shared the same video in the past can be found here, here, and here. This indicates that the viral video has been circulating on social media since the year 2021. However, the specific time and location of the video remain unknown.
Meanwhile, several media outlets (here & here) have reported that a bronze idol of ‘Jatayu’ was placed at the historic ‘Kuber Tila’ within the Janmabhoomi complex, as Jatayu is said to have played a significant role in the Hindu epic Ramayana.
To sum it up, an unrelated old video of vultures is being linked to the Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration ceremony.

created: January 12, 2024


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An unrelated photo is being shared as a three-story bus ordered to be used in Ayodhya Darshan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 30, 2023
A viral photo circulating on social media claims to depict a three-story caravan made in Chennai to transport devotees from Ayodhya Airport to Ram Mandir. In this article, we will examine the veracity of this claim.
Claim: A photo of a three-story caravan made for the purpose of Ram Mandir darshan in Ayodhya.
Fact: The photo is not of a real bus but a design created by inspiringdesigns.net. No credible news agencies have reported the production of such a bus for Ayodhya Darshan. Therefore, the claim is False.
The photo being shared as a three-story bus for Ayodhya Darshan is unrelated. It originated as a design concept on inspiringdesigns.net and does not represent an actual bus.
Firstly, we searched for credible news reports on the creation of such a  caravan for Ayodhya travel. However, we found no information supporting such claims from any credible source.
The further investigation involved a reverse image search, which led us to a Facebook post featuring the same photo. The post was shared by Inspiring Designs, a page that showcases creative concepts in furniture, woodworking, and crafts (here). The accompanying description stated, ‘Just don’t drive under any bridges!..’ The photo displayed a watermark attributed to @inspiringdesignsnet, and the post included a link to an article featuring various design concepts.
Upon closer inspection, we noticed that the viral image had a masked or digitally covered watermark portion, indicating potential manipulation or misrepresentation. You can observe this in the following photo.
To sum up, an unrelated photo is being shared as a three-story bus ordered to be used in Ayodhya Darshan.


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An unrelated photo is shared with a false claim that Karnataka’s hijab girl Muskan Khan passed away - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 11, 2022
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Muskan Khan, the girl who was at the center of the Hijab controversy in Karnataka, passed away. A photo of a girl being carried by people is being shared along with the claim. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Karnataka’s hijab girl Muskan Khan has passed away. The photo shows her dead body.
Fact: The posted visual of an injured girl is an old one. The same photo was published by ‘Rediff.com’ in 2017. Also, no reputed news agency has reported about the death of Muskan Khan. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the posted visual was run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found to be published by some news agencies in 2017. The ‘Rediff.com’ website has uploaded the same photo is their article – “PHOTOS: Students clash with security forces in Kashmir”, which was published in 2017.
If Muskan Khan had indeed passed away, most media outlets would have reported about it. But none of the reputed news agency has reported about the death of Muskan Khan. ‘Jamuna TV’, a Bangladesh news agency, has posted a video on its YouTube channel saying that the viral claim is just a rumour.
Also, her family has informed ‘Boom Live’ that Muskan Khan is fine.
To sum it up, an unrelated photo is shared with a false claim that Karnataka’s hijab girl Muskan Khan has passed away.


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An unrelated video is being attributed to the Killing of Indian Soldier Kartik Baliyan in Kanwar Yatra clashes - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 29, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming that Lord Shiva’s devotees have killed an innocent person named Kartik Baliyan. Let’s verify it via this article.
Claim: Devotees of Lord Shiva killed an innocent man named Kartik Baliyan.
Fact: The incident shown in the video took place during a DJ competition in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut District during the Kanwar Yatra. In another incident which took place in Uttarakhand, a person named Kartik Baliyan was killed in a clash between two groups participating in Kanwar Yatra. Kartik Baliyan is a soldier in the Indian army. The video shared in the post is not related to Kartik Baliyan’s death. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Searching on the internet with relevant keywords yielded few news reports related to the death of Kartik Baliyan. Baliyan, a soldier in the Indian army, was reportedly killed in a clash between two groups in Kanwar Yatra. The reports can be read here, here and here.
We also found a video on YouTube that is same as the one shared in the post; the video’s title reads ‘fight erupted between two groups of Kanwariyas during a DJ competition.’ Upon further research, we found few news reports related to the video.
Reportedly, two groups have clashed over a DJ competition in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut. They beat each other with sticks. The screenshots from the news report match the visuals from the video of the original post. These reports can be seen here and here.
Meerut police have also clarified about the incident via Twitter. In response to a tweet posted by a user, Meerut police have tweeted, ‘police station in-charge Kharkhoda has been informed for necessary action.’
आवश्यक कार्यवाही हेतु थाना प्रभारी खरखौदा को अवगत करा दिया गया है।
With all this information, we can conclude that the video of a fight in Uttar Pradesh is falsely attributed to Kartik Baliyan’s death in Roorkee, Uttarakhand.
To summarise, an unrelated video is being attributed to the killing of Indian soldier Kartik Baliyan who died in a fight that erupted during Kanwar Yatra.


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An unrelated video is being shared as that of last rites of the Hyderabad gang-rape victim ‘Disha’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 6, 2019
A video is being widely shared on social media claiming that it is the cremation video of Hyderabad veterinary doctor ‘Disha’ who was raped and murdered by four youth. Let’s check the authenticity of the claim.
Video of Hyderabad gang-rape victim Disha’s last rites.
Fact: The last rites of ‘Disha’ were performed at the Puranapul Cemetery in Hyderabad. The premises in the viral video do not match with that of the actual video. So, the video is an unrelated video. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When searched on YouTube with keywords ‘Disha last rites’, a video of ‘ETV Andhra Pradesh’ was found. The video dated November 28, 2019, had the title ‘Disha last rites completed at Puranapul’. When we went through the video, it was found that the premises of cremation in the viral video were different from that of the ‘ETV Andhra Pradesh’ news video. A photo in the article of ‘Sakshi Samachar’ that reported about the cremation of Disha even had pictures of similar premises as that of the news video. So, the video in the post is not that of Disha’s last rites.
To conclude, an unrelated video is being shared as the last rites of the Hyderabad gang-rape victim.
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created: December 6, 2019


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An unrelated video is being shared as visuals of Neil Armstrong speaking about his conversion to Islam. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 21, 2023
A claim has been circulating on social media that a video of a man giving a speech about accepting Islam as his faith features legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong. Here is a fact-check about the claim.
Claim: The video shows Neil Armstrong speaking about his conversion  to Islam.
Fact: The man in the video is not Neil Armstrong but a Czech national named Milan Shultz, who converted to Islam. According to a Washington Post article and his biography, Neil Armstrong never converted to Islam and even sent letters to embassies rejecting this claim. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Firstly, a quick keyword search on the internet led us to a 2018 article titled ‘The false, but persistent, rumor that Neil Armstrong converted to Islam’ by The Washington Post. This article states that the claim of Armstrong’s conversion is an old hoax and quotes Armstrong from his biography: “…So many people identify with the success of Apollo. The claim about my becoming a Muslim is just an extreme version of people inevitably telling me they know somebody whom I might know.” Armstrong also reportedly sent letters to embassies and consulates rejecting this claim (here and here). The same claim was even debunked earlier by BBC.
Next, we performed a keyword search on the internet, focusing on the video accompanying the viral posts. This search led us to the viral video posted on DailyMotion and YouTube (also here) 15 years ago and also on Facebook almost 13 years ago.
These sources identify the speaker as Milan Shultz, a Czech national. In a Facebook video, he is heard pronouncing his name, leaving no room for speculation about his identity. However, we could not find news reports from credible sources to know more about the person shown in the video.
To sum up, the video being shared falsely claims to show Neil Armstrong speaking about converting to Islam. The speaker is actually Milan Shultz, a Czech national.

created: September 21, 2023


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An unrelated video is being shared as visuals of Zara clothes discarded by Americans to support Gaza. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 15, 2023
A video showing heaps of clothes piled up on roads is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows the ‘Zara’ clothes thrown away by Americans in support of Gaza. It is claimed that this happened after Zara allegedly made a disrespectful advertisement about the Gaza conflict. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The video shows clothes of the Zara brand lying in front of a Zara store after Americans discarded them in support of Gaza.
Fact: This video is unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. On 16 November 2023, the fashion resale platform ‘Vestiaire Collective’ launched a Fast Fashion ban campaign that banned fashion brands like Zara, H&M, Gap, etc. ‘Vestiaire Collective’ uploaded this video on their instagram page on 16 November 2023, making this announcement. Hence, the claim made in the viral post is False.
Upon closely observing the viral video, one can see certain text displayed on the screens installed on the buildings seen in the video. The text written on two of those screens is “What if fast fashion waste was on your doorstep? Vestiaire Collective.” Taking this as a hint, Factly performed a keyword search on the internet, leading us to the original version of the viral video uploaded on the Instagram page of the fashion resale website ‘Vestiaire Collective.’
A post shared by Vestiaire Collective (@vestiaireco)
In this video, ‘Vestiaire Collective’ announced that they are banning fast fashion brands like Zara, H&M, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, Mango, Urban Outfitters, and Uniqlo.  This was also widely reported (here and here)
Last year, Vestiaire Collective banned fast fashion from their platform, citing pollution caused by fashion waste as the reason(here and here).
“Vestiaire said it would have been hypocritical to continue offering fast fashion on the platform when it’s no secret that the global fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest polluters while denying workers a living wage,” Forbes reported in November 2022.
Now, ‘Vestiaire Collective’ has extended this ban to another 30 fast fashion brands. Their announcement was made through a video, which is viral with a false claim that Americans are discarding their Zara clothes in support of Gaza.
To sum up, an unrelated video of a fashion resale website is being shared as visuals of Americans throwing away Zara clothes in support of Gaza.

created: December 15, 2023


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An unrelated video is falsely shared as visuals showing crowd at Rahul Gandhi's rally - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 19, 2024
A video showing a massive crowd has recently been circulating on social media platforms. The claim associated with this video asserts that the visuals show crowds gathered during Rahul Gandhi’s recent Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Maharashtra. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The video shows a large crowd gathered in support of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Maharashtra.
Fact: The same video is available on the internet from 5 March 2024, well before the Maharashtra leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra began on 12 March 2024. Therefore, the claim made in the post is False.
To verify the viral claim, we carried out a reverse image search on keyframes of the viral video. This search led us to the same viral video uploaded by an Instagram user named ‘abhijeet__kalage__33k’.
This video was published on 5 March 2024, which is a week before the Maharashtra leg of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which began on 12 March 2024 (here, here, and here). This clearly indicates that the video uploaded by Abhijeet couldn’t have been related to Rahul Gandhi’s yatra in Maharashtra.
Additionally, some users mentioned in the comments that the video is from ‘Examba bailgada sharyat,’ an event featuring bullock races held in Examba, a region in the  Belagavi District of Karnataka. We found several related videos uploaded by other users on YouTube and Facebook (here, here and here ). One of these videos displays a poster identical to the one seen in the viral clip.
This evidence suggests that the viral video is most likely from this local event rather than Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Maharashtra. India Today’s correspondent from Belagavi District, Deepak Suryavanshi, also confirmed that the viral video is from Belagavi District. According to him, this video was filmed in Chikodi village in Karnataka’s Belagavi District.
To sum up, the video circulating on social media platforms is not from Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Maharashtra, as claimed, but from a local event held in Karnataka.


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An unrelated video is shared as visuals of assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal at Delhi CMO by Kejriwal’s PA - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 16, 2024
Several posts (here, here, and here) accompanying a video showing a scuffle involving a few men and women inside what appears to be an office are being widely shared across social media platforms. The claim accompanying the video alleges that it shows Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Member of Parliament and former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), Swati Maliwal, being assaulted inside the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) by CM Arvind Kejriwal’s assistant. In this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in these posts.
Claim: Visuals of AAP MP Swati Maliwal being assaulted inside the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) by Arvind Kejriwal’s personal assistant.
Fact: The visuals in this viral video show a recent brawl that occurred at the Tis Hazari Court Mediation Center in Delhi. However, according to several reports, Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar misbehaved with AAP Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal while she was waiting to meet Delhi CM Kejriwal at his residence in Delhi on 13 May 2024. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
According to media reports (here, here & here), Swati Maliwal complained about being attacked by Kejriwal’s aide, Bibhav Kumar, on the morning of 13 May 2024, inside Kejriwal’s residence. She posted on X that she had given a statement to the police on 16 May 2024. On 14 May 2024, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, in a press statement, admitted that an aide of Kejriwal behaved inappropriately with Swati Maliwal while she was waiting to meet Kejriwal at his residence in Delhi on 13 May 2024. He also mentioned that Kejriwal has taken cognizance of the matter and will take appropriate action.
To learn more about this viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using keyframes from the video. This search led us to several posts on X and Instagram featuring the same viral video, alleging that the fight occurred at Tis Hazari Court in Delhi (here, here, here and here) (archived links here, here, and here). Additionally, the Marathi News agency ‘Lokmat Times’ shared the video (archived link), stating that the incident took place in the mediation room of Tis Hazari Court in Delhi.
Tis Hazari Court lawyers and court reporters confirmed to ‘ The Quint ‘ that the video is of a brawl at the Tis Hazari Court Mediation Centre, Delhi.
We subsequently found a video of the Tis Hazari Court Mediation Center on YouTube and compared its visuals with those of the viral video. Upon comparison, we observed that the visuals of the room in the viral video matched those of the Tis Hazari Mediation Center. Based on this, we can confirm that the viral video shows a clash at the Tis Hazari Court Mediation Center in Delhi.
To sum up, an unrelated video is being falsely shared as a video of AAP MP Swati Maliwal being assaulted by Kejriwal’s PA at Delhi CMO.


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An unrelated video is viral as visuals of liquor distribution during the farmers' protest. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 20, 2024
A video showing a few persons with plastic glasses, apparently awaiting an alcohol serving, has seen significant circulation on social media. Social media users are sharing this video with the claim that this event took place at the Delhi Chalo farmers’ protest in 2024. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The video shows alcohol distribution at the farmers’ protest in 2024.
Fact: The video in question actually originates from 2021 and does not have any connection with the Delhi Chalo farmers’ protest of 2024. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To uncover the true origin of this video, a reverse image search was conducted on a few keyframes from the viral video using Google. This led to the discovery of several Facebook posts (here, here, and here) dating back to 2021 that contained the same video.
One such video was shared by a user named ‘Sukhvir Singh Virk,’ who described the event as one that took place at the Baba Rodu Shah Mela (fair)(here, here and here) in Punjab, where devotees offer liquor as ‘prasad’ (sacred food).
In 2021, Boomlive had a conversation with an independent journalist named Sandeep Singh, who had visited the location. According to him, the locals confirmed that the viral video was indeed filmed at this Mela.
Hence, it is clear that the viral video from 2021, shot at the Baba Rode Shah Mela, bears no connection to the Delhi Chalo farmers’ protest of 2024.
To sum up, a video filmed at the Baba Rodu Shah Mela in 2021 is being falsely attributed to the 2024 Delhi Chalo farmers’ protest.

created: February 20, 2024


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Analysis: How ‘Dummy’ Candidates With Similar Names Affect Election Results?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 6, 2023
In 2014 Lok Sabha (LS) elections, when popular actor Hema Malini was contesting from Mathura constituency, she was up against another Hema Malini. In 2019, when Rahul Gandhi was contesting from Wayanad constituency, he was against one other Rahul Gandhi, and another Raghul Gandhi. How do these ‘Dummy’ candidates affect election results? We look at examples from the 2023 Karnataka Assembly Elections.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha (LS) elections, when popular actor Hema Malini was contesting from the Mathura constituency, she was up against another Hema Malini.
In 2019, when Rahul Gandhi was contesting from the Wayanad constituency, he was against another Rahul Gandhi and one more Raghul Gandhi
In 2023, when H.D. Revanna, a legislator of Janata Dal (Secular) from Karnataka contested from Holenarasipur constituency, he was up against another H.D. Revanna from Purvanchal Mahapanchayat party.
What’s in the name? One might ask.
Winning an election is the ultimate goal of a political party. Terming this as an ‘election tradecraft’, political parties try every trick in the book to end up on the winning side. While the traditional electoral tradecraft focussed on leveraging the existing strength to win the elections, the trend from the past few years has been to weaken the opposition.
Over the past few years, a new approach emerged to confuse voters by fielding a candidate with a similar name as that of the opponent. In various instances throughout the history of Indian elections, political parties have put forth candidates with identical names in an effort to mislead voters. These generally “identical” candidates are not a coincidence; they are part of an age-old political trick to deceive voters who might inadvertently choose the wrong candidate once they enter the voting booth.
Political parties frequently look for namesakes and then support their election expenses in order to oppose them in constituencies where there is a close contest, and a slight margin of votes could swing the elections. While the impact of these ‘identical’ candidates varies, they cause significant damage to voting share in constituencies with a close contest.
In this story, we look at such instances from the recently concluded 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, and their potential impact on the results.
Methodology followed to identify candidates with similar names
The matching algorithm used is “Sequence Matcher” which works by analysing the individual elements of the sequences and finding the longest common subsequence. This means it looks for the longest sequence of elements that appear in the same order in both sequences. By finding this common subsequence, we can determine how similar the two sequences are.
This algorithm returns a value between 0 and 1, where 0 means no similarity and 1 means an exact match. The higher the ratio, the more similar the sequences are.
We used the above concept, and implemented it at every constituency level to find the similarity of names for the candidates. Here are some examples that we found:
1st Instance – (Higher match scores, possible swing of electoral result):
This is from the Jayanagar constituency. After what seemed like an endless high-voltage drama in the constituency, BJP candidate C.K. Ramamurthy defeated incumbent Congress MLA Sowmya Reddy by a narrow margin of 16 votes. Earlier, Sowmya Reddy was alleged to be declared as the winner with 160 vote majority, but after several recounts of postal ballots, C.K. Ramamurthy emerged as the winner. The final update on the website of the Election Commission of India (ECI) shows that Ramamurthy received 57,797 votes (including 500 postal votes) against Reddy’s 57,781 votes (including 190 postal votes).  Below is the image of the final result as published by the ECI.
If we carefully observe, there are two independent candidates with similar names to that of those from the major parties. ‘Sowmya Reddy’ has ‘Sowmya A Reddy’ as a similar name candidate, while ‘C K Ramamurthy’ had ‘B Ramamurthy’. The match scores as per our methodology for the above candidates are 92% and 85% respectively.
Assuming that these dummy candidates did not fight the elections, and their share is completely added to the candidates from BJP and INC, the new total tally of votes for Sowmya Reddy would be 58101 votes (sum of 57781 & 320), whereas the same for C K Ramamurthy would be 58000 votes (sum of 57797 & 203).  Clearly, Sowmya Reddy from INC could have emerged as a winner with a margin of 101 votes.
This is a case of similar-name candidates swinging the election result.
2nd instance – (Higher match scores, no swing in electoral result, but impact on victory margin)
This is the case of the Malur constituency. The Malur assembly seat falls within the Kolar Lok Sabha seat in the state of Karnataka. Despite a fierce fight from BJP candidate KS Manjunatha Gowda, Congress leader KY Nanjegowda was able to retain his seat in Malur by a margin of 248 votes. In the 2018 elections, the incumbent MLA KY Nanjegowda defeated KS Manjunatha Gowda (contested by JD(S) party) by a margin of 17,915 votes.
In the 2023 elections, Hoodi Vijay Kumar was hoping for a ticket from the BJP. After being denied the ticket, he contested as a rebel candidate.
Below is the final result of the Malur constituency in 2023.
Here the margin of victory is 248 votes. Hoodi Vijayakumar stood third with a total of 49362 votes. Another candidate with a similar name M. Vijayakumar got 1370 votes. As per our methodology, the match score is 77%. Assuming that M. Vijayakumar did not contest elections, and all his votes are transferred to Hoodi Vijayakumar, the new total votes polled for Hoodi Vijayakumar comes to 50,732 votes. This is slightly higher than the votes polled for KS Manjunatha Gowda, hence making Hoodi Vijayakumar the new runner-up. The winner remains the same, KY Nanjegowda, but with a reduced margin of 223 votes.
In this case, while the result is not affected, the victory margin is affected.
3rd instance (Highest match score, but no impact on election result and victory margin):
This is the case of the Holenarsipur constituency. Holenarasipur is an assembly constituency in the Hassan district of Karnataka. The primary candidates of the constituency are DevarajeGowda from the BJP, Shreyas M. Patel from the INC, and H.D Revanna from the JD(S). In the end, H.D. Revanna won the election with a margin of 3152 votes against Shreyas M Patil of INC.
Upon observation, there is a similar candidate with the name H.D. Revanna, who contested from the Purvanchal Mahapanchayat party, with a match score of 100%. This candidate got 2061 votes. Assuming H.D. Revanna from the Purvanchal Mahapanchayat party did not fight elections, and the votes are completely transferred to H.D. Revanna from JDS, then, the majority would have increased to 5213 votes (2061 votes added to the earlier margin of 3152 votes).
Having said this, there is also a higher probability of H.D. Revanna from JD(S) losing, if more votes were split since both candidates have exact names.
Using ‘Doppelgangers’ to split the votes – akin to ‘political and electoral fraud’.
Confusing voters by fielding candidates with identical names is often used as a tactic to weaken the support for a popular candidate. While such acts are not illegal, they make a mockery of the entire electoral process. These acts are dirty tricks to deceive and confuse voters. These acts affect the fundamental principle of the electoral process- “level playing field.”
To minimize the impact of such acts, the Election Commission has been taking various steps, including printing candidate photos with candidate names, measures to be taken in case of dummy candidates, and similar such steps. However, the instances of identical names in elections have only grown over time. Unless such instances are kept under check, the idea of free and fair elections could become a thing of the past.
Featured Image:  ‘Dummy’ candidates effect on election results