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An old 2018 video featuring edited audio of the Congress leader Kamal Nath is shared with false claims - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 3, 2023
A video with a claim that Congress leader Kamal Nath held a secret meeting with Muslims where he said “First, understand that this thing should not go beyond here. We are most worried and concerned about you. That’s why Congress wants you Muslim brothers to support us and, in the future, we will make decisions in your Favour. I assure you that we will get you the place of your mosque and article 370 shall also be taken care of.” Is being shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Kamal Nath conducted a secret meeting with Muslims during which he stated that Congress would prioritize decisions favouring the Muslim community in exchange for their support.
Fact: This video is from the past and shows a digitally morphed audio of Kamal Nath during a meeting with Muslims before the elections in 2018. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
After performing a reverse image search using the keyframes from the video, we discovered that this video has been uploaded on various platforms, including YouTube and Twitter, even by news channels (here and here).
We found that the audio in the video has been manipulated, with unrelated words. In the unaltered original video, Kamal Nath expressed the following, ‘We have information about what the RSS workers are doing, since Chindwada is very close to Nagpur, the RSS workers of Nagpur can easily contact the people of Chindwada. These activists have only one slogan – if you want to vote for Hindus, vote for Hindu Share Modi, if you want to vote for Muslims, vote for Congress. This is a tactic to motivate people, bear with it till the elections, then we will deal with them.
This specific video has been circulating with various misleading and false claims since 2018. Kamal Nath provided clarification about his intentions about his speech back in 2018 (here and here). Earlier, Factly debunked a similar claim (here).
To sum up, an old video featuring edited audio of the Congress leader Kamal Nath is shared with false claims.

created: November 3, 2023


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An old 2019 incident of release of 850 Indian prisoners in Saudi Arabia is being shared as a recent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 12, 2024
A post claiming that 850 Indian Muslim prisoners were released from Saudi jails before Ramadan 2024 at the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely circulating on social media platforms. This article aims to fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Before Ramadan 2024, 850 Indian Muslim prisoners were released from Saudi Arabian jails at the request of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Fact: According to reports, 850 Indian prisoners were released from Saudi Arabian jails in the year 2019. The UAE is set to release 2,592 prisoners from its jails ahead of Ramadan 2024, as reported. There have been numerous instances in the past of releasing prisoners before Ramadan in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia has released Indian prisoners even before 2014 at the request of the Indian government. According to data provided by the government of India in the Rajya Sabha in the year 2005, a total of 2,434 Indian prisoners were released from Saudi jails during the years 1999-2004 at the request of the Indian government. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
To verify the authenticity of the viral claim, we conducted a relevant keyword search, leading us to a report published by Al Jazeera on their website on 21 February 2019. According to this news report, the Ministry of External Affairs of India stated that during the visit of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), to New Delhi on 20 February 2019, following the request of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Saudi Arabia was set to release 850 Indian prisoners from its jails. Additional news reports regarding this can be seen here & here.
Subsequently, we also found a tweet by India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson on 19 February 2019, which reads: ‘At the request of PM @narendramodi, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has ordered the release of 850 Indian prisoners lodged in Saudi jails.‘ Based on this information, it is evident that Saudi Arabia released 850 Indian prisoners in the year 2019, not in the current year 2024.
Another big deliverable!
At the request of the PM @narendramodi, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has ordered the release of 850 Indian prisoners lodged in Saudi jails. pic.twitter.com/jIVTCbIRLa
To know more information about whether Saudi Arabia or any other Gulf nations released Indian prisoners before the year 2014 at the request of the Indian government, we checked government data. We found a Rajya Sabha question answered on 22 December 2005, by the minister of state in the ministry of external affairs, E. Ahamed. In the reply, the government stated that during the years 1999-2004, a significant number of Indian prisoners were granted a Royal pardon in Saudi Arabia. The numbers for each year are as follows: 535 in 1999-2000, 359 in 2000, 563 in 2001, 585 in 2002, and 392 in 2003-04. These releases were often on humanitarian grounds, and in cases of payment of blood money, the Indian Mission submitted Mercy Petitions for the release of detainees when poverty was proven. Additionally, for Indian citizens who had been awarded the death sentence, the Mission approached Saudi authorities at the highest level with Mercy Petitions for their release or a lesser punishment.
During this search, we also found that there have been numerous past instances of releasing prisoners before Ramadan, in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. News reports regarding such releases of prisoners in the past can be seen here, here, here, and here.
According to news reports (here & here), in the year 2023, UAE leaders pardoned 3,400 prisoners ahead of Ramadan on the occasion of the 52nd National Day. UAE is set to release 2592 prisoners from its jails ahead of Ramadan 2024.
To sum it up, an old incident of releasing 850 Indian prisoners in Saudi Arabia in the year 2019 is being shared as a recent one. Saudi Arabia has released Indian prisoners even before 2014 at the request of the Indian government.

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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An old and clipped video of Kanhaiya Kumar is shared as him asking people to embrace Islam - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 1, 2024
A video featuring Kanhaiya Kumar saying, “We have a strong bond with this place. We didn’t come here from Arabia; we grew up here. People embraced this religion because it promotes peace and equality, unlike older faiths with untouchability. Mosques don’t follow social hierarchies. That’s why we’ve chosen to follow this religion and won’t change” is circulating on social media platforms (here, here, and here) with the claim that he urged people to convert to Islam. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing Kanhaiya Kumar asking people to embrace Islam.
Fact: This video is from August 2018 when Kumar answered the questions of intellectuals of the Muslim community in Nanded. At the 11:50 timestamp,  he is not discussing Islam as his personal belief but rather paraphrasing Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s words. At 15:03, Kanhaiya advises Muslims to reject such leaders who portray themselves as saviours of the community and encourages people to demand that they prioritize education and employment issues. Three Segments from timestamps 11:50 to 12:25, 16:02 to 16:07, and 15:12 to 15:16 respectively were trimmed, combined, and circulated as a viral video. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On performing a relevant keyword search regarding the viral claim, we found the original video posted by ‘One Channel’ on its YouTube channel. This video dates to 27 August 2018 when Kumar answered the questions of intellectuals of the Muslim community in Nanded. Observing the full video, we found that the original video was trimmed at different timestamps and shared as a viral video.
At the 11:50 timestamp, Kanhaiya can be heard making the statements in the viral video. Here, he is not discussing Islam as his personal belief but rather paraphrasing Maulana Abul Kalam Azad’s words. He stated that “at the Jama Masjid, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India’s first education minister, declared that this nation belongs to all of us. We won’t leave just because someone tells us to. Our blood and sweat have mingled with this nation’s soil. Our history is linked with India. Not all of us came from the Arab world; many were born and raised here. People left their old faiths due to untouchability and embraced Islam for its message of peace and equality. Mosques don’t discriminate. That’s why we chose Islam and won’t abandon it. This is when Indian Muslims decided to remain in India.”
At 15:03, Kanhaiya discusses politicians who portray themselves as saviours of the Muslim community. In this context, he advises Muslims to reject such leaders and encourages them to demand that they prioritize education and employment issues. He points out, “If someone presents themselves as the saviour of your community, claiming they will safeguard your religion, respond by affirming that Allah is mighty and will safeguard us. We don’t need someone who will save our religion. We need someone who can talk about education for us, about employment, about healthy lifestyle.”
Three Segments from timestamps 11:50 to 12:25, 16:02 to 16:07, and 15:12 to 15:16 respectively were trimmed, combined, and circulated as a viral video.
To sum up, an old and clipped video of Kanhaiya Kumar is shared as he asked people to embrace Islam.


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An old and unrelated image featuring an elderly man is falsely connected to the recent Uttarakhand tunnel collapse - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 1, 2023
An image of a man wearing a miner’s helmet and sitting is being shared on social media, claiming he is one of the workers trapped inside the recently collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The image shows one of the workers trapped inside the recently collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand
Fact: This image has been circulating since 2019 on various social media platforms. However, none of the sources provided information about the location or gave any context for the image shared. Since the image predates the recently collapsed Silkyara tunnel incident in Uttarakhand, the claim made in the post is False.
On performing a reverse image search of the viral image, it was discovered that the image has been circulating since 2019. The earliest post uploaded the image with the caption, “The most painful picture. A tale of forty years of impeachment war.”
Another post, captioned “hard-working and oppressed father,” was discovered to have been shared in 2020. The same image was later posted on TikTok in 2022 without any accompanying caption. This is now shared in connection with the recent incident where a part of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi of Uttarakhand collapsed on 12 November 2023, leading to rescue operations and evacuation of all the workers trapped in the tunnel.
Despite the circulation of this image on various social media platforms, none of the posts provided information about the location or gave any context for the image shared. However, it is clear that the image is old and has nothing to do with tunnel collapse incident.
To sum up, an old and unrelated image featuring an elderly man is falsely connected to the recent Uttarakhand tunnel collapse.

created: December 1, 2023


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An old and unrelated photo is being shared as visuals of a huge crowd gathered to protest against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 26, 2024
A photograph showing a massive crowd is doing the rounds on social media (here, here, here), with claims that it shows a protest against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, by the Enforcement Directorate. We will fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: This photo shows a massive crowd protesting against Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest.
Fact: This photograph does not pertain to any protest related to Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest. Instead, it dates back to 2023 and captures the scenes from the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha. Hence, the claim made in the post is rated as False.
To check the veracity of this claim, we undertook a reverse image search of the picture in question. We found that the same photograph was posted (archive) in June 2023 by the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, on his official ‘X’ handle. The caption accompanying the photo stated that it was taken during the Jagannath Rath Yatra – an annual chariot procession attended by throngs of devotees in Puri, Odisha.
ଆତୁର ନୟନ, ବିଭୋର ମନ। ବଡ଼ଦାଣ୍ଡରେ ଭକ୍ତ ଓ ଭଗବାନଙ୍କ ଅପୂର୍ବ ମିଳନ। ଜୟ ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ 🙏#RathaJatra2023 #ରଥଯାତ୍ରା୨୦୨୩ pic.twitter.com/unzxhzIafH
On the other hand, the photographs from the actual protests conducted by the Aam Aadmi Party after the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal can be viewed here and here, and they bear no resemblance to the viral image. Thus, the viral photo is an older image from a religious event in Odisha and is not related to any protests concerning Kejriwal’s arrest.
To sum up, the photograph being circulated as visuals of a large-scale protest against Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest is actually an unrelated photo from a religious ceremony in Odisha.


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An old and unrelated video is being falsely shared as a video of Mukhtar Ansari's funeral procession - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2024
Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari died of a cardiac arrest on 28 March 2024, in Uttar Pradesh. His final rites were held in Ghazipur on 30 March 2024, amidst tight security. Following this, several posts (here, here, here, and here) accompanied by a video of a massive crowd gathering in a funeral procession are being widely shared across social media platforms with the claim that the video depicts the massive crowd gathering in Mukhtar Ansari’s funeral procession. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in these posts.
Claim: Video shows a massive crowd at the funeral procession of Mukhtar Ansari.
Fact: The viral video depicts the funeral procession of Sufi scholar and Sunni Muslim leader Murshid Shah Saqlain Miyan that took place in Bareilly in October 2023. However, according to reports, a large number of people gathered outside Ansari’s house and at the burial ground in Ghazipur during Mukhtar Ansari’s funeral procession, where he was laid to rest on 30 March 2023. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
To learn more about the viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using the key frames from it. This search led us to a video which carried similar visuals, and was published on YouTube on 28 March 2024, prior to Mukhtar Ansari’s funeral. It is evident from this that the viral video does not depict visuals from Mukhtar Ansari’s funeral. Additionally, this YouTube video bears a watermark of an Instagram account of ‘@isaqlaini690’.
Taking a cue from this, we skimmed through the Instagram profile of user ‘@isaqlaini690” and discovered that the same viral video was posted (Archive link) on this account on 19 January 2024, with the caption, ‘Hazrat Peero Murshid Shah Saqlain Miyan Huzoor R.A #Janaza_Shareef #22october2023.’ We also found that a snippet from the viral video was shared on this Instagram account on 03 November 2023, with the caption, ‘Murshidi Miya Huzoor ka Aakhri Safar’.
Taking a cue from these Instagram video captions, we conducted a relevant keyword search on the internet which led us to a report by ‘Hindustan‘ published on 20 October 2023. According to this report, “Peero Murshid Shah Saqlain Mian, a prominent religious leader among Sunni Muslims, passed away on 20 October 2023 evening. ‘Amar Ujala‘ also reported about the death of the religious leader in Bareilly. The ‘Amar Ujala’ report mentioned that thousands of devotees from Kakrala and Badaun, among other cities, gathered to pay their last respects to Hazrat Saqlain Miyan in October 2023. The procession took place on the grounds of Islamia Inter College. Subsequently, we also discovered a live stream of the funeral procession of Shah Saqlain Miyan on the “i Saqlaini” YouTube channel, which was streamed on 22 October 2023.
Taking cues from the news report, we searched for ‘Islamia Inter College’ on Google Maps and located a similar structure seen in the viral video. Upon comparison, it is clear that the video shows the funeral procession of Sufi scholar and Sunni Muslim leader Murshid Shah Saqlain Miyan that took place in October 2023 in Bareilly.
However, according to news reports (here and here), it is true that a large number of people gathered outside Ansari’s house and at the burial ground in Ghazipur during Mukhtar Ansari’s funeral procession, where he was laid to rest on 30 March 2023.
To sum up, an old and unrelated video is being falsely shared as a video of  Mukhtar Ansari’s funeral procession.


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An old and unrelated video is being shared as visuals of the Delhi Chalo farmers’ march. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 26, 2024
A video showcasing a massive crowd gathering is going viral on social media, accompanied by a claim that it’s from the Delhi Chalo farmers’ protest. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Visuals of a huge gathering captured at the Delhi Chalo protest.
Fact: This video is available on the internet way before the Delhi Chalo protest began on 13 February 2024. Hence, there’s no possible connection between the video and the Delhi Chalo protest. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To verify the claim, we initiated a reverse image search online, leading us to an Instagram post from 29 January 2024. This post contained a high-quality version of the viral video with a caption in Punjabi. Translated to English, it only said ‘Punjab’ and didn’t provide any additional information about the video.
A post shared by ਗਗਨ ਧਲੇਵਾ (@gagan_dhalio_302)
Since the upload date is much before the start of the Delhi Chalo initiated by the farmers on 13 February 2024 (here and here), it’s clear that the video has no association with the Delhi Chalo farmers’ protest.
During our search, we also found similar videos (here, here and here) displaying a large crowd of people rallying to support YouTuber Bhana Sidhu (here and here).
A post shared by ⚔CHAMPION ⚔ (@terachampionofficial)
These visuals had few elements in common with the viral video, which can be observed in the following collage:
While we couldn’t independently verify the exact details of the viral video, its existence before the Delhi Chalo protest proves that it is not from the farmers’ protest.
To sum up, an unrelated and older video is being inaccurately portrayed as visuals from the Delhi Chalo farmers’ protest.

created: February 26, 2024


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An old and unrelated video is falsely shared as Donald Trump criticising Israel - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 6, 2024
A video of the former president of the US, Donald Trump stating “May Allah awaken the people and help them to see the evil doings of Israel and the United States” is being shared on social media, claiming that Trump criticized Israel over ongoing conflict in the region. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Donald Trump criticised the acts of Israel by stating “May Allah awaken the people and help them to see the evil doings of Israel and the United States.”
Fact: This speech was delivered by Donald Trump in 2019 at a campaign rally in Minneapolis. Trump criticised Ilhan Omar, the U.S. representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, quoting her tweet posted in 2012 stating, Omar wrote that Israel has hypnotized the world. May Allah awaken the people and help them to see the evil doings of Israel and the United States. How do you have such a person representing you in Minnesota? His speech was trimmed between the time stamps 1:08:17 and 1:08:29 and shared out of context on social media. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On performing a relevant keyword search regarding the viral claim, we found that this speech was delivered by Donald Trump in 2019 at a campaign rally in Minneapolis. In the original speech, Trump criticised Ilhan Omar, the U.S. representative for Minnesota’s 5th congressional district, quoting her tweet posted in 2012 about Israel which was later deleted.
During the speech, Trump criticised Ilhan Omar by saying “Ilhan Omar has a history of launching virulent, anti-semitic screens, if you like it or not. She said that pro-Israel lawmakers gave an allegiance to a foreign country. Omar wrote that Israel has hypnotized the world. May Allah awaken the people and help them to see the evil doings of Israel and the United States. How do you have such a person representing you in Minnesota? I’m very angry at you right now.” His speech was trimmed between the time stamps 1:08:17 and 1:08:29 and shared on social media.
Subsequent research led us to Omar’s tweet, which expressed criticism toward Israel. It did not mention the United States, contrary to Trump’s depiction. Further, Omar has acknowledged that her statement unintentionally contained an anti-Semitic trope, describing it as “unfortunate and offensive.” On the other hand, during a rally in Iowa on October 8, Trump declared, “Israel’s at war, and the United States has to support Israel. We have to support Israel. There’s been no better president for Israel than me.”
To sum up, an old and unrelated video is being shared as Donald Trump criticising Israel.


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An old and unrelated video is falsely shared as the plight of a flooded supermarket in Chennai. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 7, 2023
Recently, the city of Chennai was severely affected by cyclone Michaung, which devastated the historic city. In this context, a video that apparently shows a flooded supermarket in Chennai has gone viral on social media. This video shows a few fish flopping around on the supermarket floor. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: These visuals show a Supermarket in Chennai filled with flood waters.
Fact: This is an old video from an incident that occurred in Georgia in the year 2018 where a fish tank reportedly broke in a grocery store in Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia. Hence, the claim made in the viral post is False.
Upon observing that a user on one of the viral posts containing this video mentioned that this video was actually from Georgia, we searched the internet with relevant keywords, looking for the context behind the viral video. This search led us to news reports and social media video posts from 2018 on the viral video.
According to the Mirror.co.uk, this incident happened in Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia. Reportedly, an aquarium in a grocery store broke, which resulted in fish flopping around on the store’s floor in shallow waters. Contrary to the viral claim, this video shows an incident that happened in 2018 and does not show a flooded supermarket in Chennai.
To sum up, an old and unrelated video is falsely shared as the plight of a flooded supermarket in Chennai.

created: December 7, 2023


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An old and unrelated video of a turbulence-struck aeroplane is falsely shared as recent visuals of the Singapore Airlines turbulence incident - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 23, 2024
A video (here, here) claiming to show the visuals of the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 that experienced heavy turbulence on 21 May 2024 (here, here, and here) has gone viral on social media. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Visuals of the Singapore Airlines passengers experiencing heavy turbulence on board.
Fact: This is an old video from 2019 that shows the passengers on board ALK Airlines headed towards EuroAirport Basel from Pristina, experiencing turbulence. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
Firstly, we observed that this video carried a logo of the media organisation ‘Sky News’ and also carried a text that reads ‘MIRJETA BASHA.’ Taking this as a hint, we performed a keyword search to learn more about the viral video. This search led us to a video report by ‘ABC7’ from June 2019 which carried the same video.
According to this report, this video was captured on an ALK Airlines flight when it experienced turbulence in June 2019. A further search also fetched the video report of Sky News uploaded on their ‘X’ handle. According to this report, ten people had minor injuries on this flight travelling from Pristina to EuroAirport Basel.
This is the moment a flight attendant was thrown to the ceiling of the plane after violent turbulence.
Ten people had minor injuries on the flight from Pristina to EuroAirport Basel.
For the latest videos, head here: https://t.co/hhDQuQ1top pic.twitter.com/q55fSGl1dQ
You can find a few more news reports on this incident from 2019 here, here and here.
To sum up, an old video of an ALK Airlines flight experiencing turbulence is falsely shared as visuals of passengers experiencing turbulence in the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321.


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An old and unrelated video of Shivraj Singh Chouhan is shared as him breaking down for not being appointed as Chief Minister - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 12, 2023
A post is being shared on social media, claiming that former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan broke down when he was not chosen as the Chief Minister after the BJP’s victory in the 2023 assembly elections.
Claim: Former Madhya Pradesh former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan broke down after he was not appointed as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
Fact: These visuals are from 2019 when former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan broke down as his adopted daughter, Bharti Verma died while she was being treated for body weakness. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On performing reverse image search of the key frames of the viral video, we found the same video posted by several news channels on YouTube (here and here). These visuals are from 2019 when former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan broke down when his adopted daughter, Bharti Verma died. Several news reports carried the details of this incident stating that Bharti Verma died while she was being treated for body weakness (here and here).
Recently, Shivraj Singh Chouhan was observed becoming emotional after Laadli Behna yojana beneficiaries of the state cried over his resignation following Mohan Yadav’s appointment as the new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.
To sum up, an old and unrelated video of Shivraj Singh Chouhan is shared as him breaking down for not being appointed as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh

created: December 12, 2023


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An old and unrelated video shared as ‘Communists in Kerala attacked peaceful BJP & RSS bike rally in support of CAA & NRC’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 10, 2020
A post with a video clip is being widely shared on social media with a claim that it shows Communists in Kerala attacking peaceful BJP & RSS bike rally in support of CAA & NRC. Let’s analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of Communists in Kerala attacking peaceful BJP & RSS bike rally in support ofCAA & NRC.
Fact: The video is an old one and is related to the Sabarimala row in Kerala. So, it has nothing to do with the CAA & NRC issues. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When searched on YouTube with keywords ‘Kerala bike rally obstructed’, the same video was found in the search results. It was uploaded on 04 January 2019, and had the title ‘Kerala People Boycott The BJP Bike Rally | Sabarimala Women Entry Issue’. With this information, when searched on Google, the same video was found on the YouTube channel of ‘Times of India’. The video had the timestamp of ‘03 January  2019’ and had the following description- ‘A large number of people attacked the supporters of a rally being held at Edappal in Malappuram district of Kerala. The Sabarimala Karma Samithi has called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the state on Thursday in protest against the entry of young women to Sabarimala temple’. So, the video is related to the Sabarimala row in Kerala.
To conclude, an old and unrelated video is being shared as ‘Communists in Kerala attacked peaceful BJP & RSS bike rally in support of CAA & NRC’.
Did you watch our video on the 10 Most Ridiculous Fake News of the Year 2019?

created: January 10, 2020


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An old Child rape case is being shared with a false narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 26, 2019
A post is being shared on Facebook with a claim that BJP party members have raped a 9-year-old child in Kasganj (UP). Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
9 year old child raped by BJP party men in Kasganj (UP).
Fact: Kasganj Police have tweeted that the incident happened last year and the culprit has already been arrested. They have also clarified that the culprit has no political connection. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched on Google regarding this issue, it was found that Kasganj Police have already tweeted regarding this issue. They have tweeted that the child rape incident (shown in the photo) happened last year and the culprit has already been arrested in August-2018. They have also clarified that the culprit has no connection with any political party. Also, no other such rape case has been filed in Kasganj.
कृपया पिछले वर्ष कि घटना को भ्रामक रूप से प्रचारित और प्रसारित न करे #UPPAgainstFakeNews pic.twitter.com/mYlNBXIpLQ
To sum it up, an old child rape case is being shared with a false narrative.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series?

created: September 26, 2019


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An old dance video of Sonali Phogat is shared as the video captured in Goa on the night of her death - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 29, 2022
A video is being shared on social media through a post in which BJP leader Late Sonali Phogat can be seen dancing. The post claims that the footage was captured in Goa on 22 August 2022 on the night of Sonali Phogat’s death. Several other posts are also being shared on social media with similar claims. Let’s verify these claims in this article.
Claim: Sonali Phogat’s dance video captured in Goa on the night of her death.
Fact: In June 2022, this video was captured in a Night Club in Gurugram named Zorro. The DJ of the Club has shared a few pictures with Sonali Phogat, which he posted on his Facebook account. In those pictures, Sonali Phogat was wearing the same outfit she was seen wearing in the video. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
After watching the video, we heard a person shout on the mic, ‘thank you so much for coming to Zorro’. With this clue, we searched on the internet and found a club named Zorro-The Luxury Night Club, located in Gurugram.
Further, to confirm if Sonali Phogat has visited this club, we searched on the internet with the following keywords-Sonali Phogat in Zorro nightclub. The search led us to a Facebook post by Dee J Cue (Sumit Chauhan). He works as a Disc Jockey (DJ) at Zorro.
The post description reads BIG BOSS FAME Sonali Phogat In Zorro – The Luxury Night Club. It contained three pictures of him with Sonali Phogat and was uploaded on 13 June 2022. She is seen wearing the same outfit that she is wearing in the viral video.
Furthermore, we have searched on the internet if there is a night club named Zorro in Goa but could not find any such place. With this evidence, it can be concluded that the video was not shot in Goa on 22 August 2022, but in Gurugram in June 2022.
To sum it up, an old dance video of Sonali Phogat is shared as the video captured in Goa on the night of her death.


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An old execution video of a rape accused in Yemen is shared as an incident in Dubai - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 11, 2022
A post with the following description is being shared on social media – ‘5-year-old was raped in Dubai…Within 15 minutes of this rape incident, the judiciary ordered the police to shoot the rapist in public view‘. The post is accompanied by a video in which a man is executed, and his dead body is later hanged in public. Let’s verify these claims via this article.
Claim: The judiciary of Dubai has ordered that a rapist be executed within 15 minutes of the incident. The video in the post shows the execution of the rapist.
Fact: The video belongs to an execution of a Yemeni man that occurred in 2017. Reportedly, he was executed on the charges of raping and killing a 5-year-old girl. Since a video from Yemen is being falsely shared as if it is from Dubai, and the trial took more than two years, the post is MISLEADING.
After performing a reverse image search on Yandex with the screenshots of the posted video, we were led to a 2017 news report by ‘The Sun’. Its title reads – ‘Sick paedo who raped and killed a four-year-old girl is shot dead and HUNG from a crane in chilling public execution in Yemen.’
The images in the report show the rape convict lying facedown on a red cloth, a policeman firing a gun from behind, and his corpse hanging from a crane which matches the visuals from the video.
Reportedly, a man named Hussein Abdullah Al-Saket abducted a five-year-old girl on 09 November 2015, raped, murdered, and buried the lifeless body in a deserted area. He was publicly executed on 14 August 2017 at Tahrir Square in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. Other reports on this incident can be read here, here, and here. With all this evidence, we can conclude that an old video from 2017 of an incident from Yemen is being falsely shared as from Dubai executing a man within 15 minutes of rape.
To sum it up, an old execution video of a rape accused in Yemen is shared as an incident in Dubai, and the trial took more than two years and not 15 minutes.


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An old funeral procession video of a Kashmiri policeman is being shared with a false narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 7, 2019
A video of weeping Muslim women is being shared widely on several social media platforms with a claim that Muslims in Kashmir are being oppressed. This video is being shared in the light of Indian Parliament’s decision to revoke Article 370 that provided special provisions to the Jammu and Kashmir state. Let’s try to verify the authenticity of the video and also, the claim made in the post.
Video of  Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir being oppressed.
Fact: The video shows a funeral procession of a policeman Farooq Ahmed a resident of Keegam in Shopian District, who was shot dead by militants at the residence of Hurriyat leader Fazal Haq Qureshi on February 25, 2018. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Since the revoke of Article 370, social media is flooded with many old, irrelevant videos and photographs attributing them to the present prevailing conditions in Kashmir. The above is also one such video.
When the video in the post is run through ‘InVid’ plugin, several keyframes of it are obtained. On subjecting these keyframes to reverse image search technique, a certain keyframe directs to a video link on YouTube. This video is same as the one posted on the Facebook and it had the title “Kashmir- Hundreds attend funeral of cop killed by militants”. When looked for the timestamp, it was found to be uploaded on February 25, 2018. The video carried a description with it- “Hundreds of people mourned and joined the funeral procession of a policeman Farooq Ahmed of Keegam, Shopian who was shot dead by Militants at the residence of Hurriyat leader Fazal Haq Qureshi yesterday”.
A tweet in this regard by SP Vaid who was Chief of Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) when that incident had occurred was found.
We have lost another precious life when Constable Farooq Ahmad was martyred today in Srinagar. Be more careful boys, it’s the proxy war that we are fighting in Jammu & Kashmir.
Several newspaper reports corroborating with the description, seen below the Youtube video were also found, which can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, an old funeral procession video of a Kashmiripoliceman is being shared with a false narrative.
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created: August 7, 2019


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An old 'Great Ethiopian Marathon' photo is falsely shared as visuals of a Delhi rally in support of Arvind Kejriwal - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2024
A photograph (here, here and here) of a large crowd on a road has been making the rounds on social media with the claim that it shows a massive rally held in Delhi in support of Arvind Kejriwal, who is in Tihar Jail under judicial custody. We fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The photograph shows a huge rally that took place in Delhi in support of Arvind Kejriwal.
Fact: The image in question is, in fact, taken from the annual Great Ethiopian Run and bears no connection to Delhi or Arvind Kejriwal. Therefore, the claim made in the post is False.
We began verifying this viral claim with a reverse image search of the photograph. This led us to the same image on the MDG Achievement Fund’s website (Archived version).
According to the accompanying caption, the picture was taken during the Great Ethiopian Run. Further investigation revealed a version of the same image in a 2017 CNN article about Ethiopia, confirming the picture’s origin.
While it is true that protests have erupted (here and here) in the country after the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, this particular image has no connection with these events. The viral post falsely relates a photograph from an unrelated event to these contemporary events.
To sum up, the image that claimed to show a large rally in Delhi in support of Arvind Kejriwal is actually from the Great Ethiopian Run, Ethiopia.


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An old hoax is revived as Mukesh Ambani’s ‘fierce attack’ on Rahul Gandhi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 8, 2024
A message purportedly a ‘fierce attack’ of Mukesh Ambani on Rahul Gandhi is doing the rounds on social media, where he allegedly asks Rahul Gandhi a few questions. We fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Mukesh Ambani called Rahul Gandhi a ‘worthless man’ and posed a series of questions.
Fact: There are no reports to prove that Mukesh Ambani made such remarks against Rahul Gandhi. Also, this is an old Hoax. The same set of questions went viral in the past, attributing them to Mukesh Ambani’s brother Anil Ambani. Hence, the claim made in the post is Fasle.
To check the veracity of the viral claim, we performed a keyword search on the internet.  We found no news reports about such comments from Mukesh Ambani. Had one of the richest men in the country made such remarks against India’s main opposition leader, it would have received significant media coverage, which is not the case here.
Additionally, Factly had previously debunked a similar claim in 2021. Back then, it was claimed that Anil Ambani, the brother of Mukesh Ambani, made the same remarks on Rahul Gandhi. The questions in the old message (here, here and here (archive link)) that went viral in the past were similar to this one. The same old message has been revived and falsely shared on social media, attributing it to Mukesh Ambani.
आज आया ऊँट पहाड़ के नीचे…#BREAKING_NEWS
अनिल अम्बानी का राहुल गाँधी पर जबरदस्त प्रहार।
एक दो कोड़ी का आदमी जिन के खानदान ने हमेशा देश को लूटा है वह हर चुनावी सभा में मुझे बदनाम करता है। मैं आज उस से कुछ सवाल करता हूँ, उम्मीद है मीडिया उससे पूछेगी…
(1) मैं और (1/9) pic.twitter.com/13Bo1bWWwl
To sum up, Mukesh Ambani did not make this alleged ‘fierce attack’ on Rahul Gandhi.


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An old horrific ISIS video of two men being burnt is falsely circulated as Hamas brutality - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 19, 2023
A disturbing video (here and here) is making the rounds on social media, showing two men in shackles being torched to death. The video is accompanied by claims that it depicts Hamas militants burning two Israeli soldiers. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: This video shows Hamas terrorists burning two Israeli soldiers to death.
Fact: The video, in reality, is an almost seven–year-old clip released by the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group in December 2016, showing the horrific burning of two captured Turkish soldiers. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
We began our fact-checking by conducting a reverse image search on a few keyframes from the viral video. The result led us to several news reports (here, here, and here) dating back to December 2016, predating the current Israel-Palestine conflict, which started on 7th October 2023.
The reports identified the horrific video as being released by the Islamic State terrorist group.  Furthermore, the news reports revealed that the video’s victims were identified as two captured Turkish soldiers, not Israeli soldiers. The original video was 19 minutes long and showcased the two uniformed men being pulled out of a cage, bound, and then set on fire. The clip was supposedly shot in the “Aleppo Province” of Northern Syria and not in the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict zone.
To sum up, the video being shared as a depiction of Hamas militants burning Israeli soldiers is an old 2016 video released by ISIS. It has nothing to do with the current conflict.

created: October 19, 2023


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An old image falsely shared as ‘Image of COVID-19 infected person’s throat’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 10, 2020
An image is being shared on Facebook with the claim that it shows the throat of a COVID-19 infected person. FACTLY has found the image to be old and unrelated. In May 2018, a ‘reddit.com’ user has posted the same image with the text ‘Is this normal looking strep throat? Lots of white spots on tonsils and even on the back of my throat’. The first COVID-19 case was reported in the world in December 2019.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMedical/comments/8n0wyy/is_this_normal_looking_strep_throat_lots_of_white/
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/6/20-0251_article
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An old image from Andhra Pradesh is being falsely shared as RSS men kidnapping Kashmiri women - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 16, 2019
An image of a girl being dragged brutally by Police is being shared with a claim that RSS men dressed in Indian army uniforms are kidnapping Kashmiri women for using them as sex slaves. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Image of RSS men dressed in Indian army uniforms kidnapping Kashmiri women for using them as sex slaves.
Fact: The image is actually that of a police action during an SFI protest against closing down of social welfare hostels in Andhra Pradesh. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When the image in the post is subjected to reverse image search technique, it was found that it has been in circulation on social media with various versions since 2016. But information from no credible source was found to solidify any of those versions.
On observing the image carefully, one can easily distinguish that the dress worn by the man assaulting the girl is not the Indian Army dress as claimed in the Facebook post. It is a ‘Khaki’ uniform typically worn by Police in various states of India. In the image, the badge seen on the Police’s shoulder is not that of Kashmir Police. It is the badge worn by personnel of Andhra Pradesh Police department.
With the above inferences, when looked on Facebook with keywords “Andhra Pradesh police assault”, a similar image of the same girl being taken by the Police was found on the Facebook account ‘SFI- Student Federation of India’
When searched on Twitter with the keywords “sfi protest andhra pradesh police assault”, the same photo that is posted on Facebook was found in a tweet put by ‘CPI(M)’ in 2016. The tweet had the following description with it- “Brutal Police assault on SFI protest against closing down of social welfare hostels in Andhra Pradesh”.
Brutal Police assault on SFI protest against closing down of social welfare hostels in Andhra Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/5On6ou5rqC
When looked for media reports about that incident, a newspaper article on it was found which can be seen here.
To sum it up, an old image from Andhra Pradesh is being falsely shared  as RSS men kidnapping Kashmiri women.
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An old image from Bangladesh falsely shared as that of the recent Assam floods - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 4, 2020
A photo claiming to be that of Assam floods, in which a family is seen sitting atop a house roof with floodwater all around is being widely across all social media platforms. Through this article lets fact-check the claim made in the post.
Photo showing the current situation in flood-hit Assam.
Fact: The image shared in the post was clicked during the time of floods in Bangladesh. Many articles describing the situation faced by the people of Bangladesh because of the floods and riverbank erosions published the same image. This image has got nothing to do with the recent Assam floods. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search on the photo shared in the post led us to an article published on the official website of ‘PERMACULTURE Research Institute’ which highlights the importance of Sundar cropping. In this article, the photo is credited to Shiree, Practical Action Bangladesh. With this information when we searched for the photo on ‘EEP Shiree website’, we found a link that led us to the flickr link of the organization. It is mentioned under the photo that it was shot in the year 2011 as a part of the program ‘Practical Action Bangladesh’. A similar photo was found in an article published by ‘weADAPT’ online platform. In the article, they proposed a project for promoting household-level adaptation practices to deal with flood and waterlogging in the south-central coastal region of Bangladesh.
In an article dated 29 Nov 2018, ‘Daily Sun’ a daily newspaper published the same image for an article titled ‘ADB promote climate-smart projects in Bangladesh. The news article can be found here.
Similar fake news, which attributed the same image to the Bihar floods was debunked by FACTLY which can be read here.
To sum it up, an old image related to the floods in Bangladesh is falsely shared as that of the flood hit Assam.
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created: August 4, 2020


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An old photo from China is falsely shared as showing the crowd at Sunita Kejriwal’s rally in Gujarat - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 6, 2024
A photo depicting a large crowd is circulating alongside claims that it shows the gathering at Sunita Kejriwal’s roadshow in Gujarat, held in protest against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal (here & here). This article aims to verify the accuracy of the claim associated with the photo.
Claim: Photo depicting a large crowd at Sunita Kejriwal’s roadshow in Gujarat, held in protest against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal.
Fact: The viral photo, taken in 2008, captures a crowd in China gathered to welcome the Olympic torch. Although Sunita Kejriwal has held roadshows in Gujarat, this photo is not associated with those events. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Sunita Kejriwal has conducted roadshows in Gujarat as part of the election campaign, where she also spoke out against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal (here & here). However, the photo being circulated is not from any of these events held in Gujarat.
A reverse image search of the viral photo led to a similar photo on the stock photo repository Flickr, uploaded in 2008. According to the accompanying description, the photo shows a crowd in Guangzhou city, China, gathered to welcome the Olympic torch.
Additional news reports from 2008, which published the same photo asserting that a large crowd gathered to welcome the Olympic torch, can be viewed here and here. This evidence confirms that the viral photo is not from Gujarat and is unrelated to Kejriwal. The same photo is being shared with claims that it depicts a crowd at a Modi roadshow in Kolhapur.
To sum up, an old photo from China is being falsely shared as showing a crowd gathered at Sunita Kejriwal’s rally in Gujarat.


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An old image from Spain falsely shared as 'protests in U.S. for improper handling the COVID-19 pandemic' - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 6, 2020
An image is being shared on social media with a claim that the people in the USA gathered in large numbers to protest against the government for its incompetency in handling the COVID-19 pandemic. FACTLY has found that the image shared in the post was shot during a protest in Spain which took place in 2017. The people of Spain protested against their government in support of refugees. Carrying a banner – “Prou Excuses! Acollim Ara!” which means “Enough Excuses! Take them in now!”, they demanded their government to take in refugees who fled the war in Syria and other violent conflicts. Some reports can be found regarding Americans giving poor ratings to Trump administration in handling the COVID19 pandemic, but the posted photo has nothing to do with any such protests.
Sources:
Claim –
1. Facebook post (Archived)
Fact –
1.’The Atlantic’ article: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/02/a-weekend-of-protest/517365/
2.’Independent’ article: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/barcelona-march-refugees-protest-spain-more-160000-people-thousands-catalan-a7587996.html
3.’The Guardian’ article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/18/protesters-in-barcelona-urge-spain-to-take-in-more-refugees
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An old image is being falsely shared as ‘Condoms found in drainage at Shaheen Bagh’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 20, 2020
An image is being widely shared on social media with a claim that the photo shows condoms found in drainage at Shaheen Bagh. Let’s analyze the claim about the image.
Condoms found in drainage at Shaheen Bagh.
Fact: At Shaheen Bagh, women are protesting against CAA since ‘15 December 2019’. But, the image in the post is found to exist on the internet at least since 2016. So, the claim is FALSE.
From the article of ‘Indian Express’, it is learnt that women are holding a sit-in protest at Shaheen Bagh since 15 December 2019 against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).
On subjecting the image to Google reverse image search technique, it was found in an article on the news website – ‘Doisongphapluat’. In the article, no concrete information was given about that image but the article was published in 2016. So, it is in no way related to the Shaheen Bagh protests going on since 15 December 2019.  The same image is found on multiple websites and all of them were published years ago.
To conclude, an old image is being shared as ‘Condoms found in drainage at Shaheen Bagh’.
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created: February 20, 2020


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An old image is being shared as ‘COVID-19 infected woman hugged her child for the last time before death’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 21, 2020
An image of a woman with protective covering hugging a child is being shared on social media. The claim is that the woman is a critically-ill COVID-19 patient in Italy, and when she told the doctors of her final wish to hug her crying child, the doctors put a protective covering on her entire body and placed the child on her chest. Then the child at once stopped crying and the woman left the world. ‘FACTLY’ has found the image to be old and not related to any recent incident. The image was found to exist on the internet at least since 1997. So, an old image is being shared in the context of COVID-19 outbreak.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. Earlier source – https://www.cloob.com/c/vangeva/127862279
2. Earlier source – https://medizzy.com/feed/842778
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An Old image is passed off as protesting farmers demand for restoration of Art 370 in Kashmir - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 16, 2020
A post accompanying an image of protesters holding a banner demanding restoration of Article 370 and 35A in Jammu & Kashmir and repealing of UAPA Act is being widely shared across social media platforms linking it to the ongoing farmers’ protest. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Banners demanding restoration of article 370 & 35A in Jammu & Kashmir and repealing of UAPA Act displayed in ongoing farmer’s protest.
Fact: This is an old image. The same image was shared by a Facebook user back in 2019. This image has nothing to do with the ongoing farmers’ protest against the new farm bills. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Google reverse image search of the photo coupled with keyword customization led us to a 2019 Facebook post which shared the same image. This establishes that the image is old and is available on internet at least for a year.
Further, we did not find any latest news article reporting about the protesting farmers’ demand for restoration of article 370 & 35A in Jammu & Kashmir and repealing of UAPA Act.
In the wake of the ongoing protests by farmers over the farm bills, posts like these are being widely shared on social media platforms with misleading claims.
To sum it up, an old image is being passed off saying protesting farmers are demanding for restoration of Article 370 in Kashmir.

created: December 16, 2020


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An old image of an answer sheet with currency notes is being used to spread a false narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 27, 2022
A widely shared post on social media claims that a Bihar student has put 500 rupees in his chemistry answer sheet to bribe the evaluator. Let’s fact-check the claim.
Claim: Image of Rs. 500 bribe offered to an evaluator by a Bihar student to make him pass the chemistry examination.
Fact: The photo in the post showing the currency notes and the answer sheet is of a 2018 incident that happened in Uttar Pradesh. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search of the photo on the internet led us to a Hindustan Times article reporting the incidents that happened in Uttar Pradesh Board exams in 2018.
Reportedly, students kept currency notes in their answer sheets requesting the evaluators to pass them. Many media organisations have reported these incident back then. These articles can be read here, here, here and here.
When we searched to check if any such incidents took place recently  in a High School in Bihar as the post claims, no such reports were found.
To sum it up, an old image of an incident in Uttar Pradesh is being shared as Bihar student bribing his examination evaluator.


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An old image taken before the lockdown falsely shared as ‘Poor Hindus stranded due to lockdown’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 14, 2020
An image of people lying on the floor of a corridor is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows poor Hindus who were stranded due to the lockdown. ‘FACTLY’ has found that the image is on the internet at least since November 2019. The image was seen on some media reports which reported about illegal immigrants in Malaysia waiting at the country’s Immigration office in Kuala Lumpur to return to their country of origin. As the image is an old one, it has nothing to do with the current lockdown in India that came into effect from 25 March 2020.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1.Earliest Source –https://www.facebook.com/560457480761065/photos/a.564415127031967/1590186804454789/?type=3&theater
2. Old Facebook Post – https://www.facebook.com/ProbashirDiganta/photos/a.449306748544190/1677677012373818/?type=3&theater
3. News article – https://matopath.com/2019/12/25
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An old image that was captured during the 2017 UP assembly elections is falsely shared as related to current times - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 16, 2020
The image of a woman holding an IV tube for a child in an open field is shared on social media with the tag line, ‘Is this how Aatmanirbhar Bharat is built?’ indicating it to be a recent picture showing the failure of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self Reliant India Mission) was first mentioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 May 2020, while announcing an economic package to handle the COVID-19 crisis in India. Let’s check if the image shared in the post is a recent one or not.
: Image of a woman holding an IV tube of her child shows the failure of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Fact: The image was shot by an assistant producer of the news portal ‘The Lallantop’ during his election coverage in Uttar Pradesh in 2017. Thus the image is old and cannot be liked to Aatmanirbhar Bharat. Hence the claim made is FALSE.
On reverse image search it is found that Shashi Tharoor, Congress leader and a member of parliament tweeted the same image linking it to Aatmanirbhar Bharat. As the image went viral, Amitesh Kumar (Assistant Producer at The Lallantop) replied to Shashi Tharoor with his Instagram post stating that this photo was shot by him in 2017 during the Uttar Pradesh assembly election in Mirzapur. ‘The Lallatop’ also published a fact-check article related to this incident.
To sum it up, an image that was captured during the UP assembly elections in 2017 is falsely linked to Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
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An old incident of RPF Jawan taking bribe is falsely linked to the recent incidents of migrants walking on railway tracks - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 12, 2020
A video of cops collecting money from women walking on the railway tracks is being shared widely on social media linking it to the exodus of migrant labourers during the current lockdown. But FACTLY has found the video to be an old one. It is not related to any recent incident. The same video was found in an article published in July 2019. As per the article, the video shows an RPF Jawan in Surat taking bribe from bootlegger women. As the video went viral last year, the RPF Jawan was dismissed from service for taking bribe. More information about the incident can be found here and here.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. News article – https://www.deshgujarat.com/2019/07/13/rpf-jawans-in-surat-dismissed-from-service-after-his-video-taking-bribe-goes-viral/
2. News article – https://ahmedabadmirror.indiatimes.com/videos/sectionhomelist/rpf-constable-dismissed-after-video-of-him-demanding-bribes-goes-viral/videoshow/70277220.cms
3. News video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5EYbyKauww
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An Old Lok Adalat Order is Being Circulated as Recent and Generalized Court Ruling - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 26, 2023
A newspaper clipping is circulating on social media, claiming that a recent court ruling allows both the wife and girlfriend to cohabit in the same house. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A recent judgement by an Indian Court allows both the wife and girlfriend to live in the same house.
Fact: The post has been circulating since 2013, and it refers to a specific case that was resolved during a Lok Adalat proceeding in Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh. The case involved a man, his wife, and his live-in partner. The Lok Adalat judge resolved the dispute by ordering the man to spend alternate fortnights with his wife and partner, who continued to live together under the same roof. However, it’s important to note that Lok Adalat decisions are case-specific and do not establish binding legal precedents. Hence the claim mad in the post is MISLEADING.
Upon conducting an internet search using relevant keywords, it has been found that the viral post has been circulating since 2013. A clear version of the news clip specifies that this incident took place in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh during a Lok Adalat proceeding. The case involved a man, his wife, and his live-in partner.
Taking a cue from this, We searched for media reports to know more about this incident, and came across several prominent sources such as The Hindu, Aaj Tak, and Zee News. According to these reports, a disagreement arose due to a live-in relationship, leading the wife to file a complaint with the Lok Adalat in Madhya Pradesh. She claimed that her husband, who had been living with his other partner in their house for two years, was spending most of his time with her. However, the Lok Adalat judge, Ganga Charan Dube, came up with an unusual solution to resolve the issue.
Judge Dube issued an order that the man should spend every other fortnight with his wife and his live-in partner. Both the wife and the partner were to continue living together in the same house and share the space, while the man would stay in the middle room. To ensure fairness, the middle room would have doors connecting to both the wife’s and the partner’s rooms. The court directed the man to spend two weeks with each of them in rotation. Additionally, as part of the agreement, the live-in partner would have an equal share in the man’s belongings and properties. This unique decision by the Lok Adalat judge aimed to find a practical solution to the situation, considering the interests of all parties involved and promoting a harmonious living arrangement.
(In order to respect privacy concerns, we will refrain from disclosing the names of the individuals involved in this case.)
Lok Adalat is one of the alternative dispute redressal mechanisms, it is a forum where disputes/cases pending in the court of law or at the pre-litigation stage are settled/ compromised amicably. Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. Under the said Act, the award (decision) made by the Lok Adalats is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all parties. While Lok Adalats share some similarities with courts, such as the ability to resolve legal disputes, they function with a more informal and conciliatory approach. It’s important to note that the decisions made in Lok Adalats pertain to specific cases and do not set legal precedents that are binding on other courts.
To sum it up, a specific order delivered by a Lok Adalat court in 2013 for a particular case is being circulated on social media as a recent and generalized ruling by the court.


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An old false message viral again as ‘10 new rules by the Indian Railways from 01 July’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 11, 2021
A message with 10 rules is being shared widely on social media with a claim that they are new rules of the Indian Railways which are going to be effective from 01 July 2021. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: 10 new rules by the Indian Railways which are going to be effective from 01 July 2021.
Fact: The same message is being shared on the internet at least since 2015. The Ministry of Railways has clarified multiple times in the past that the message is incorrect. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched about the message in the post, it was found that a similar message is being shared on social media at least since 2015. Some of those old posts can be seen here and here.
A similar message was also published by certain news agencies in June 2016. But later many news agencies have reported that the Railway officials clarified – “This news is totally incorrect and baseless. A section of media has also published the news without verifying it from authorised sources of the Indian Railway system and it has created confusion among the minds of the people”.
Again, in June 2017, the Ministry of Railways issued a detailed clarification on the viral message, which can read here.
The staggered timings for booking the Tatkal tickets of AC and non-AC categories were notified in June 2015 itself. The official circular can be seen here.
The Suvidha trains were also started long back in 2015. The existing refund rules can be seen here.
To sum it up, an old false message is being shared again as ‘10 new rules by the Indian Railways from 01 July’.


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An old microburst video in Austria is shared as a cloudburst video in Sikkim - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 9, 2023
A video containing the visuals of a cloud burst is being shared claiming that it took place in Sikkim and that it led to a rise in the water level by 15 feet and caused about 24 deaths. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals show recent cloud burst incident in Sikkim.
Fact: This is a timelapse video of a microburst captured by the mountaineer Peter Marier  in Lake Millstatt, Austria in 2018. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On conducting the reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, we found that the same video was uploaded on the Nav Bharath Times YouTube channel on 29 July 2023 with the caption ‘See how cloud burst happens.’
Further research about the video led us to articles published by Insider and News18. We found that this is a timelapse video of a microburst captured by the mountaineer Peter Marier while he was staying in Lake Millstatt, Austria in 2018.
Based on the above clues, we found the original video posted by Peter on his YouTube channel and Instagram page.
Cloudburst is an extreme weather event characterized by the occurrence of a large amount of rainfall over a small area within a short span of time. On the other hand, a microburst is a small column of intense and localized sinking air that results in a violent outrush of air at the ground.
To sum up, an old microburst video in Austria is shared as a cloudburst video in Sikkim.

created: October 9, 2023


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An old Pakistan video falsely shared as ‘Women locked up by Police for shopping during the lockdown’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 5, 2020
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that police locked women in a shop who went shopping during the lockdown. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Video of women jumping from a building after being locked by the Police for shopping during the lockdown.
Fact: It is an old video. The video was taken in Karachi (Pakistan) and it is not related to the current lockdown. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched with the relevant keywords, a post by a Pakistani news agency ‘Karachi Today’ with the same video was found in the search results. In the post, ‘Karachi Today’ has mentioned that it is an old video that was taken at Khadda Market, Karachi.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same video was found to be upload on YouTube and Facebook in 2015 with the title: ‘Sex workers fleeing after FIA raid at a brothel in Karachi’. So, it can be concluded that it is an old video.
When searched on Google Maps with the shop names seen in the video, the location in the video can be found in the Khadda Market (Karachi).
To sum it up, an old Pakistan video falsely shared as ‘Women locked up by Police for shopping during the lockdown’.
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An old photo falsely shared as ‘Ramzan gift by the Telangana Government during the lockdown’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 12, 2020
A photo of a Ramzan gift kit by the Government of Telangana is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the government is giving gifts for a Muslim festival during the lockdown. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Photo of a Ramzan gift kit given by the Telangana Government during the lockdown.
Fact: The posted image is an old one. It was found to be circulating on the internet at least since July 2015. Also, Telangana CM KCR has clarified that they are not distributing Ramzan kits this year due to COVID-19 crisis. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the posted image was run through Google Reverse Image Search, it was found that the photo is an old one. The same photo was found to be circulating on the internet at least since July 2015. A Facebook user has also posted the same photo in 2015. The photo can be also found in an article published by the ‘Sakshi Post’ in 2018. So, the photo is not related to the current Ramzan month during the lockdown.
Also, in a recent press conference on 5 May 2020, Telangana CM KCR has clarified that they are not giving Ramzan gift kits this year due to the COVID-19 crisis as distributing them may have the risk of spreading the virus. The same can be watched in the press conference video at 1:40:00. Also, it should be noted that the Telangana government has previously distributed sarees for a Hindu festival – Bathukamma and gift packs for Christmas.
To sum it up, an old photo falsely shared as ‘Ramzan gift by the Telangana Government during the lockdown’.
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An old photo from 2019 is being falsely linked to the I.N.D.I.A bloc's Ramlila Maidan rally - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 1, 2024
A photograph (here, here and here) showing a sea of people is currently circulating on social media platforms. It is being claimed that the photograph depicts the crowd at the I.N.D.I.A bloc rally held at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. We fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The viral photograph shows the large gathering at the I.N.D.I.A bloc’s rally at Ramlila Maidan.
Fact: The photograph in question is from 2019 and actually shows an enormous public assembly for a meeting organised by the left-front parties at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground. Therefore, the claim made in the post is False.
To determine the truthfulness of the claim, we performed a reverse image search on the photograph. This led us to an article from 2019, which indicated that the image was actually of a large crowd assembled for a public meeting organised by the left parties in Kolkata.
Further investigation led us to a tweet (archived post) from 2020 by CPI (M) West Bengal, which contained the same photograph. The caption of this tweet read, “A bird’s eye video of last year’s Brigade Rally at #Kolkata.”
“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”
A bird eye view of last year Birgade Rally at #Kolkata #LalSalaamComrade pic.twitter.com/EmuvpqaiXI
While the I.N.D.I.A bloc rally conducted at Ramlila Maidan on 31 March 2024 reportedly drew thousands of supporters (here), the viral image is unrelated to this event.
To sum up, the photograph in circulation does not depict the I.N.D.I.A bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan but a different event from 2019.


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An old photo from Bangladesh falsely shared as ‘RSS terrorists in India’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 12, 2020
A photo is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows ‘people of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)’ in India and refers to them as terrorists. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Photo of ‘RSS terrorists’ in India.
Fact: The photo is neither related to RSS nor India. It is was taken in Bangladesh. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the image was run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found in a blog post published in 2013. In the blog, it can be read that the picture is related to Bangladesh’s Chhatra League (It is the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League). Also, the picture in the blog has the watermark of ‘www.SylhetTimes24.com’ (Sylhet is a city in Bangladesh). Another website (‘facts of Bangladesh’) has published some other photos related to the posted photo in 2013. The website also mentions that the photo is related to Chhatra League.
Also, if properly observed, one can see that the individuals in the photos have wrapped their heads with a cloth that looks similar to a Bangladesh flag (Even Awami League Flag and Bangladesh Chhatra League logo have similar colours).
To sum it up, an old photo from Bangladesh falsely shared as ‘RSS terrorists in India’.
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An old photo from Bangladesh is falsely shared as the condition in flood-hit Bihar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 27, 2020
Photo of a family, sitting on the top of their flood-hit house is being shared on social media claiming it as the condition of houses in Bihar because of the recent floods. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Family sitting on the top of their flood-hit house in Bihar.
Fact: The photo shared in the post was shot during the floods in Bangladesh. Sharing this photo, many articles described the conditions faced by the people of Bangladesh because of the floods and riverbank erosions. This photo has nothing to do with the recent floods in Bihar. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in an article published on the official website of  ‘PERMACULTURE Research Institute’. Highlighting the importance of Sundar cropping, the article mentioned about the adverse condition of people in Bangladesh because of the floods and riverbank erosions. In the article, the photo is credited to Shiree, Practical Action Bangladesh. Using this information when we searched for the photo in ‘EEP Shiree website’, we found a link that had the ‘flickr’ link of the organization. It is mentioned under the photo that it was shot during the year 2011, as a part of the programme ‘Practical Action Bangladesh’. A similar photo was found in an article published by ‘weADAPT’ online platform. In the article, they proposed a project for promoting household-level adaptation practices to deal with flood and waterlogging in south-central coastal region of Bangladesh. This photo has nothing to do with Bihar.
With most parts of Bangladesh being less than 10 metres above the sea level, more than one million people become Environmental refugees every year as their houses and Livestock are washed away by the floodwaters and riverbank erosions. Several banks promoted the Climate-smart projects in Bangladesh. Documents related to that funding could be seen here and here.
To sum it up, an old photo related to the floods in Bangladesh is falsely shared as the condition of the flood-hit Bihar.
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An old photo from Gujarat falsely shared as the crowd at UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s meeting in Kerala. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 22, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows the crowd who came to listen to UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Kerala as he flagged off BJP’s ‘Vijaya Yatra’ on Sunday. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of the crowd at UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s meeting in Kerala on Sunday.
Fact: The posted photo is not related to Yogi Adityanath’s meeting in Kerala. The photo was taken in Gujarat when BJP workers formed a human party flag to mark the occasion of BJP Foundation Day in 2015. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo was run through Yandex Reverse Image Search, the same picture was found in an article published by ‘The Indian Express’ in April 2015. The description of the photo reads – ‘More than 25,000 people form BJP flag as Chief Minister Anandiben Patel reads out the party’s “Panch Nishtha pledge” on its 35th foundation day, in Dahod on Monday. (Source: Express Photo by Bhupendra Rana)’.
The video related to the event in 2015 can be seen here. Also, PM Modi has tweeted a similar image on 06 April 2015. So, the photo is related to an event that happened in Gujarat in 2015.
An innovative way to mark BJP's 'Sthapana Diwas.' Congrats to the Karyakartas. http://t.co/DlxyrMzbX8 pic.twitter.com/HXmPnE5Eob
The actual visuals related to the crowd at Yogi Adityanath’s meeting in Kerala on Sunday can be seen here and here.
യോഗിയെ ശ്രവികാനായി കാസർഗോട്ട് തടിച്ചുകൂടിയ പ്രവർത്തകർ  💪#KeralaVijayaYatra#KeralaWelcomesYogiJi pic.twitter.com/ksZliKiOEZ
To sum it up, an old photo from Gujarat falsely shared as the crowd at UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s meeting in Kerala.

created: February 22, 2021


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An old photo is being falsely shared as a photo taken today at Lal Chowk (Srinagar) - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 29, 2019
A photo is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it was taken today at Lal Chowk, Srinagar. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Lal Chowk’s (Srinagar) photo taken today.
Fact: It is an old photo. The same photo can be found in various articles published before this month. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the posted photo was run through Google Reverse Image Search, several news articles with the same photo can be found in the search results. It can be seen that those articles were published before this month. Those articles can be read here, here and here. The position of people and vehicles can be seen to be similar in the posted photo and the photo in the articles. So, an old photo of Lal Chowk is being shared as the photo of Lal Chowk taken today.
Also, the profile – ‘Ajit Doval’ which posted the photo on Facebook is not the official Facebook account of NSA Ajit Doval. In the About section of the profile, it can be seen that it is being maintained by Ajit Doval fans.
To sum it up, an old photo is being falsely shared as a photo taken today at Lal Chowk (Srinagar).
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created: October 29, 2019


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An old photo is shared as two brothers who died recently in a road accident in Hardoi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 21, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that the image of two young brothers was from a recent road accident in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of two young brothers who died in a road accident in Hardoi recently.
Fact: This photo has been shared at least since 2019 by Nepali news sites on Facebook. So, it is not a recent photo. We could not find any recent articles of any road accident in Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo is found in a Facebook post uploaded in 2020, which means the photo is old and not a recent one. The Facebook post uploaded on 19 November 2020 is by ‘Nepal Khabar’, a Nepali news website.
On further search, we found several Facebook posts from 2019 with the same photo. The last upload was from 07 June 2019, by ‘Madhesh Express News’ Facebook page. But we could not find any recent articles of any road accident in Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh.
To sum it up, an old photo is shared as two brothers who died recently in a road accident in Hardoi.


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An old photo of a Rohingya man taken in Bangladesh shared as a migrant worker in India. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 14, 2020
A photo is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows the suffering of a migrant during the current lockdown. The official Twitter handle of ‘Dalit Congress’ has also posted the photo with the same claim. But, FACTLY has found that the photo is not related to the current lockdown. Also, the photo was taken in Bangladesh and not in India. The same man can be also seen in a video posted by ‘UkhiaNews.com’ in 2017. In the description of the video, it can be read that he is a Rohingya who entered Bangladesh. While it is true that migrants are facing a lot of problems due to the current lockdown in the country, the photo is not related to India.
Sources:
Claim –
1. Facebook post (archived)
2. Dalit Congress tweet (archived)
Fact –
1. News article – https://www.pressenza.com/2017/11/rohingya-refugees-coxs-bazar-bangladesh/
2. Facebook video – https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1624412180923619
3. Twitter video – https://twitter.com/aziznur1989/status/906079861747404800
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An old photo of an elderly man throwing a stone is being shared with a false narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 24, 2019
A post with an image is widely shared on Facebook with the claim that the man in the photo was sent a notice of Rs 1,50,000 by the UP government for pelting stones. Let’s analyze the authenticity of the claim in the post.
The man in the photo is sent a notice of Rs 1,50,000 by the UP government for pelting stones.
Fact: The image is on the internet at least since 2016. A few users have posted in January 2016 saying that the image is related to ‘Malda riots’ (West Bengal). The photo in the post has nothing to do with the recent protests in Uttar Pradesh. So, the claim is FALSE.
In Uttar Pradesh, there have been protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act over the past few days. From an ‘India Today’ article, it can be found that UP CM Adityanath had said that if the protesters destroy public property, the government will seize their assets.
When the image in the post is subjected to Google reverse image search technique, a tweet with the photo was found in the search results. The tweet was made on January 8, 2016, and the user has written that the photo is that of ‘Malda riots’ in West Bengal. The January 6, 2016 article of ‘India Today’ has reported that riots broke out in West Bengal’s ‘Malda’ in opposition to the speech of ‘All India Hindu Mahasabha’ leader Kamalesh Tiwari. While the exact context of the photo cannot be ascertained with the available information, the image in the post is an old one and has nothing to do with the recent protests in Uttar Pradesh.
During Malda Riots..Very Peaceful Protestor Tries to Pacify Situation by Throwing a Stone @tathagata2 @bengaleebabu pic.twitter.com/mXtQrESTvM
To summarize, an old image is being shared with a false narrative of ‘the man in the photo is sent a notice of Rs 1,50,000 by the UP government for pelting stones’.
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created: December 24, 2019


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An old photo of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with his son is falsely linked to the ongoing conflict - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 12, 2023
A photo of Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly sending his son off to army duty during the current conflict is being shared on social media. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Viral photo shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sending off his son to the ongoing war.
Fact: This photo is Nine years old. This was taken in 2014 when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara bid farewell to their youngest son, Avner, when he was going for army training. Hence, the claim made in this post is Misleading.
A reverse image search of this photo revealed that the photo was taken almost nine years ago. It was taken in 2014 when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara’s youngest son Avner left for army training and waved goodbye to them (here and here). Avner began his mandatory three-year army service in 2014 by joining the Combat Intelligence Collection Corps of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
“Like any parents sending their child off to the army,” Netanyahu said, “we are excited to see our son” begin his army service,” the Jerusalem Post reported. This evidence proves that the claim that the Prime Minister’s son has joined the military in the context of the current developments between Israel and the Palestine is untrue.
To sum up, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s photo with his son, taken in 2014, is now shared with a false story linking it to the ongoing Israel-Palestine war.

created: October 12, 2023


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An old photo of Kanhaiya Kumar is being shared now in the context of the recent attack on him - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 24, 2024
Congress leader and former JNU student union president Kanhaiya Kumar is contesting from the North-East Delhi parliamentary constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. On 17 May 2024, Kanhaiya Kumar was slapped, and ink was thrown at him by two persons during his election campaign in Delhi (here & here). In this context, a photo (here, here, & here) of Kanhaiya Kumar lying on a bed with his eyes closed, seemingly unconscious, is being widely shared across social media platforms with the claim that it shows his condition after being slapped. In this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Kanhaiya Kumar lying unconscious on a bed after a recent attack on him in Delhi during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign.
Fact: This viral photo of Kanhaiya Kumar is not related to the recent attack on him in Delhi during his 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign. This viral photo dates back to 2016 when he was hospitalized after falling ill following a hunger strike. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To verify information about this viral photo, we conducted a Google reverse image search. This search led us to a news report published on the ‘NDTV’ website on 07 May 2016  featuring the same viral photo. According to this report, JNU Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar was taken to the JNU Health Center after he fell ill following a hunger strike.
Additional news reports featuring similar pictures from different angles can be seen here, here, here and here. According to these reports, on 09 February 2016, an event was held at JNU where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. Following this event, student leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, and Anirban Bhattacharya were arrested on sedition charges. After this controversy, JNU appointed a high-level committee. The committee’s report, released on 25 April 2016, led JNU authorities to fine Kanhaiya Kumar ₹10,000 and to rusticate Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya for one semester each. Kanhaiya and his fellow students went on a hunger strike against this punishment. After several days of striking, Kanhaiya’s condition started deteriorating, and he was admitted to JNU’s health center. Later, he was also taken to AIIMS. Kanhaiya ended his hunger strike after his health worsened.
To sum up, this viral photo of Kanhaiya Kumar was captured in 2016 when he was hospitalized after falling ill following a hunger strike. It is not related to the recent attack on him during the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign.


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An old photo of Mehbooba Mufti offering milk to goddess Ragnya Devi is shared as recent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 21, 2023
A newspaper clip of Mehbooba Mufti offering milk at a temple is being shared on social media with the claim that says, “the world of these people has changed after article 370 got scrapped.’ Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: A picture of Mehbooba Mufti offering milk at a temple.
Fact: This photo is from 2016, when Mehbooba Mufti visited Kheer Bhavani Mela. She offered milk to the goddess Ragnya Devi and met Kashmiri Pandits that day. Hence the claim made in the post is Misleading.
In the cutline of the photo of the news clipping, it is mentioned that Mehbooba Mufti offered her prayers at the Kheer Bhavani Mandir along with Kashmiri Pandits. Based on this, we searched the internet to learn more details about the photo. This search led us to various new articles (here and here) from 2016, in which Mehbooba Mufti was seen in the same attire and offering milk in a temple.
As per these reports, Mehbooba Mufti, the then Chief Minister of erstwhile Jammu and Kasmir state, visited the Kheer Bhavani Mandir in June 2016 and offered prayers to the goddess Ragnya Devi.
The viral post uses an old photo to claim that Mehbooba Mufti has visited the temple now. The Quint and AmarUjala also reported this event, and you can access them from here and here.
To sum up, an old photo of Mehbooba Mufti offering milk to goddess Ragnya Devi is shared as recent.

created: February 21, 2023


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An old photo of Muslims praying in front of the US Capitol is being shared as a recent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 25, 2021
A photo of thousands of Muslims offering prayers in front of the US Capitol is being shared on social media claiming it as the picture of new America, under the Governance of new US President Joe Biden. In the wake of recent attacks on the US Capitol, this photo going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Thousands of Muslims offered prayers in front of the US Capitol after Joe Biden became the US President.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is an old one. On 25 September 2009, thousands of Muslims gathered in front of the US Capitol building to offer prayers during the ‘Islam on Capitol Hill 2009’ event. This photo has nothing to do with the new United Stated  President Joe Biden. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found published on the ‘Getty’ images website. In the description of the photo, it is mentioned that thousands of Muslims gathered for the ‘Islam on Capitol Hill 2009’ event held on 25 September 2009 in Washington, DC.
When searched for other reliable sources using these keywords, we found a similar image in an article published by ‘Vox’ news. In the article, it is reported that thousands of Muslims offered prayers during the “Islam on Capitol Hill 2009” event held at the West Front lawn of the US Capitol on 25 September 2009. Reporting the same, few other news websites shared the same photo. They can be seen here and here.
‘CNN’ also published an article about the ‘Islam on Capitol Hill 2009’ event held in front of the US Capitol on 25 September 2009. ‘VOA Urdu’ news channel published a video on their YouTube channel, reporting the ‘Islam on Capitol Hill 2009’ held in Washington DC. We can see similar visuals of thousands of Muslims praying in front of the US Capitol building in the video. Other news articles published on the ‘Islam on Capitol Hill 2009’ event can be seen here and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it is concluded that the photo shared in the post is an old one and has nothing to do with the US new President Joe Biden.
To sum it up, an old photo of Muslims praying in front of the US Capitol building is being shared as the recent picture of America after Joe Biden became the  US President.

created: January 25, 2021


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An old photo of the USS Ingraham ship, sunken by the US Navy, is shared with a false claim - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 5, 2024
A photo (here, here, and here) that purportedly depicts the American Navy Intelligence vessel ‘USS Liberty’ engulfed in smoke has been gaining traction on social media. The claim suggests that the ship was hit by a barrage of Iranian missiles off the coast of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. We verify this claim in this fact-checking article.
Claim: The photo shows a damaged USS Liberty Navy vessel hit by Iranian missiles in Bahrain.
Fact: The photo does not depict the USS Liberty Navy vessel. Rather, it shows a decommissioned US Navy ship named the USS Ingraham, which was intentionally sunk by the US joint forces during a naval exercise. The USS Liberty, a US Navy technical research ship, was attacked by the Israeli army back in June 1967. As of now, there is no USS Liberty in the US Navy fleet. Hence, the claim made in the post is rated as False.
To verify the claim made in the viral post, an internet search was conducted using relevant keywords. The aim was to identify any news reports about an attack on the USS Liberty by Iranian missiles in the Persian Gulf. However, no such reports were found.
To understand more about the ship shown in the viral photo, a reverse image search was done. This led to a few articles (here and here) dating back to 2021, describing the ship as the decommissioned US Navy ship named USS Ingraham.
Reportedly (here and here), the USS Ingraham was destroyed and sunk by the US joint forces during a drill known as the Sinking Exercise (SINKEX) in Hawaii.
Further research revealed that the US Navy did operate a ship called the USS Liberty in the past. This vessel was attacked by the Israeli forces during the 1967 ‘Six-Day War’. However, according to the current US Navy website, there is no functional navy vessel named USS Liberty in their fleet.
To sum up, the photo shared does not depict the USS Liberty as claimed. Instead, it shows the USS Ingraham, a decommissioned US Navy ship that was sunk intentionally during a naval exercise.


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An old photo of UP Police shared as ‘Delhi Police throwing stones along with rioters’. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 29, 2020
A photo of a policeman throwing a stone is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows Delhi Police throwing stones along with rioters in Delhi. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Photo of a Delhipoliceman throwing stones along with rioters in Delhi.
Fact: The photo was taken on 19 December 2019 in Lucknow. It shows Uttar Pradesh Police, not Delhi Police. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the photo was run through the Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found on the ‘Getty Images’ website. On the website, the photo has the following description: ‘Police throw stones towards protesters during demonstrations against India’s new citizenship law in Lucknow on December 19, 2019’. Also, the posted photo is a cropped photo. In the full version, the address of the shop in the background suggests that the photo was taken in Lucknow. So, the photo is not related to recent riots in Delhi.
To sum it up, anold photo of UP Police shared as ‘Delhi Police throwing stones along withrioters’.
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created: February 29, 2020


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An old photoshopped image of Priyanka Gandhi from UP Congress rally-2017 is being circulated with false claims - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 1, 2019
A post carrying the pic of Priyanka Gandhi is being shared by many Facebook users since the past few days. In the post, it is alleged that Priyanka Gandhi has worn Christian Cross over her neck during her election rally in Kerala. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the claim made in the post.
The archived version of the post can be found here.
Priyanka Gandhi has worn a Christian Cross over her neck during a Congress election rally in Kerala.
The image in the post was the one captured during Priyanka Gandhi’s Uttar Pradesh election campaign in 2017. It was photoshopped by a few to gain political mileage for the upcoming general elections. Hence, the claim made in the post stands FALSE.
When the photo in the post is searched using Google reverse image search technique, it was found in Bloomberg’s article titled “A New Gandhi Enters Politics and Shakes Up India’s Election”. From the article, we can also find that the image was the one captured during Priyanka Gandhi’s Uttar Pradesh election rally-2017.In the original image, the chain worn by Priyanka Gandhi doesn’t carry any Cross with it as alleged in the post. So, the image in the post is a photoshopped one. The original image can be found on Getty Images.Finally, Priyanka Gandhi hasn’t worn a Cross over her neck during her election campaign and the photo is from UP Congress’s election rally-2017.


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An old photoshopped image of Priyanka Gandhi wearing a ‘Christian cross’ over her neck is being shared again - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 5, 2020
A collage with a couple of photos of Priyanka Gandhi is being widely shared on social media. It is being claimed that one photo in the collage shows Priyanka wearing a Rudraksha mala during her visit to Uttar Pradesh and the other photo is of Priyanka wearing a ‘Christian cross’ over her neck during her Kerala visit. But, FACTLY has found that the photo of Priyanka Gandhi wearing a ‘Christian cross’ over her neck is photoshopped. In the original image, the chain worn by Priyanka Gandhi does not have a ‘Christian cross’. The photo was captured during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh 2017. Also, FACTLY has debunked the photo when it went viral in 2019.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. Getty Images – https://www.gettyimages.in/detail/news-photo/indian-congress-party-leader-priyanka-gandhi-arrives-at-a-news-photo/642274474
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An old picture of Bal Thackeray and Anand Dighe is shared as that of Bal Thackeray with Eknath Shinde - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 1, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that the photo is an old picture of Bal Thackeray with Eknath Shinde. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Old picture of Bal Thackeray with Eknath Shinde.
Fact: This is an old picture of Bal Thackeray applying tilak to Anand Dighe. Anand Dighe was a leader of Shiv Sena who reportedly mentored Eknath Shinde. He was a prominent leader in Thane, Maharashtra; he died at the age of 50 after suffering from a heart attack. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo was found on Twitter. The official Twitter account of ‘Shiv Sena’ tweeted the same picture on 26 August 2021. The picture was tweeted saying that it was posted in the memory of ‘Anand Dighe’, a prominent member of Shiv Sena. The tweet does not mention anything about Eknath Shinde.
धर्मवीर आनंद दिघे साहेब यांच्या स्मृती प्रत्येक शिवसैनिकाच्या मनात कायम आहेत. त्यांना स्मृतिदिनानिमित्त विनम्र अभिवादन. pic.twitter.com/SQ7heuq9pc
According to various news reports, the picture is of Bal Thackeray applying tilak on Anand Dighe. Anand Dighe was a leader of Shiv Sena who reportedly mentored Eknath Shinde. He was a prominent leader in Thane, Maharashtra; he died at the age of 50 after suffering from a heart attack.
To sum it up, an old picture of Bal Thackeray and Anand Dighe is shared as that of Bal Thackeray with Eknath Shinde


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An old picture of Modi and Sachin is now being circulated with misleading claims - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 12, 2019
Many Facebook users are sharing a post with the picture of Sachin Tendulkar and his wife with Narendra Modi. In the post, it is claimed that Sachin Tendulkar has met Modi to show his support for BJP in the General Elections-2019. Let’s try to analyze the claims made in the post.
The archived version of the post can be found here.
Former Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar along with his wife met Narendra Modi to show his support for BJP in the General Elections-2019.
The picture in the post is the one taken in the context of Sachin Tendulkar briefing Modi about the release of his biopic “Sachin: A Billion Dreams”. So, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On doing Google Reverse Image search, the picture in the post was found to be the one taken during the meeting of Sachin Tendulkar and his wife with Narendra Modi, to give information about his then-upcoming movie “Sachin: A Billion Dreams”. ‘AajTak’ has published an article regarding the same on May 19, 2017. There was no mention regarding Sachin’s support to BJP anywhere in it.
Hence, an old picture of Modi and Sachin is now being circulated with misleading claims.