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No, the video doesn’t show the new hospital set up by China for Coronavirus patients - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 3, 2020
A video is being widely shared on social media claiming that it shows the new hospital set up by China, in Wuhan, to tackle the novel Coronavirus outbreak. Let’s analyze the claim about the video.
Video of the new hospital set up by China for Coronavirus patients.
Fact: The video is found to exist on the internet at least since 2018. So, the claim that it shows the new hospital set up by China for Coronavirus patients is FALSE.
From the ‘Business Insider’ article, it can be learnt that China has constructed an emergency hospital for Coronavirus patients to tackle the virus outbreak. But, it does not consist of 57 floors.
In the post, it is mentioned, the new hospital is of 57 floors and was constructed in 19 days. So, when searched on YouTube with the keywords ‘57 floors hospital constructed in 19 days’, many search results were obtained. In the search results, the same video was found. It has been uploaded by a user in May 2018. But, no more information was found from it.
A search result of ‘The Guardian’ had  similar visuals as seen in the viral video and had the timestamp – ’30 April 2015′. The visuals between -1:37 and -1:27 in the viral video can be seen in that video during 0:00 and 0:19. The video shows the construction of a 57-storey skyscraper in 19 days in Changsha, Hunan Province (China). The visuals between -0:47 and -0:40 in the viral video can be seen in a 2011 video (0:25 to 0:32) that shows the construction of a 6-storey building in 5 days. So, the video in the post is a combination of many videos.
The video of the emergency hospital constructed in China for Coronavirus patients can be seen here.
To sum it up, the video in the post doesn’t show the new hospital set up by China to tackle the novel Coronavirus outbreak.
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created: February 3, 2020


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No, the video of a leopard walking across a road is not from Hyderabad - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 21, 2020
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows a leopard walking across a road in Banjara Hills (Hyderabad). Some users are claiming that the video was taken in Jubliee Hills (Hyderabad). FACTLY has found that the video was taken on Tirumala-Tirupati road. The timestamp on the video shows that the video was taken on 18 April 2020. The video is not related to Hyderabad.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. News Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC2TV6gKaUo
2. News Video – https://www.facebook.com/News18Telugu/videos/263125784862261/
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source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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No, the video of a traffic signal post being swept away in floodwater isn’t from Mumbai - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 6, 2019
On social media, a video of a traffic signal post being swept away in floodwater is being shared widely with the claim that the incident took place in Mumbai. Let’s try to check the veracity of the claim made in the post.
Video of a traffic signal post being swept in floodwater is from Mumbai
Fact: The video is from Yulin city in China. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When one goes through the video carefully, one can easily identify that the video isn’t from Mumbai. The shop boards and a sticker on a bike are in the Chinese language.
When searched on YouTube with keywords “china rainwater traffic signal”, a longer video of the clip posted on Facebook was found. The video was uploaded by the Chinese government’s news channel ‘CGTN’ in 2018. The video has the following description – “The video, which was filmed in Yulin City of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, shows a temporary traffic light being swept down a street by floodwaters. Heavy downpours have affected more than 70,000 people in 15 countries”.
To summarize, the video of a traffic signal post being swept away in floodwater isn’t from Mumbai. It’s from Yulin city in China.
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created: September 6, 2019


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The woman criticising the Modi government in this video is not Kamala Harris, the Vice President of USA - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 15, 2022
A video through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that the woman criticising the Modi government  in the video is the Vice President of USA, Kamala Harris. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of US Vice President Kamala Harris criticising the Modi government.
Fact: The woman in the video criticising PM Modi is Vijaylakshmi Nadar, and not Kamala Harris. The video is from a City Council Meeting held in the city of Troy, Michigan. Vijaylakshmi Nadar is the Bureau Chief of ‘The India Observer’, a web news portal. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the screenshots of the video, a video with the same visuals was found on YouTube. The YouTube video is of better resolution, and it can be clearly seen that the woman is not Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the USA. At 19:48 timeframe, the YouTube video had been cut to make the 2:09 long viral video. At 19:30 timeframe, it can be clearly heard that the announcer had called the name ‘Vijaya Nadar’, and not ‘Kamala Harris’. The YouTube video is a City Council Meeting held on 11 October 2021 in the city of Troy, Michigan (USA).
On further search using relevant keywords, another YouTube video with the same speech was found. According to the title of this YouTube video, the woman criticising the Modi government is Vijaylakshmi Nadar, Bureau Chief of ‘The India Observer’ web news portal. On the Twitter handle with the same name, a similar video criticising the Modi government was found.
To sum it up, the woman criticising the Modi government in this video is not Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the USA.

created: February 15, 2022


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No, the woman in the picture was not beaten up by the Policemen - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 30, 2019
A collage with the photos of an injured woman with Policemen is being shared widely on Facebook. The claim is that the woman was beaten up by the Policemen. Let’s try to check the veracity of the claim made in the post.
The woman in the picture was beaten up by the Policemen
Fact: The woman was first groped by two men in UP’s Mainpuri, and was then beaten by a crowd for protesting against it. So, the claim that the woman was beaten up by the Policemen is FALSE.
When the image in the collage is cropped and subjected to Google reverse image search technique, a search result thus obtained lead us to an article of ‘India Times’ that carried both the images seen in the collage. As per the article, the woman was beaten up by a crowd in UP’s Mainpuri after she has spoken against two men who groped her. This incident took place in 2016. In the article, it was also reported that the woman has said to the Police, who arrived after she made a call to them, that she would shoot herself if they wouldn’t arrest the men who groped her. So, the Policemen seen in the photo might be the ones who arrived after she has made a call to the Police.
The video clip of the woman being beaten up by the crowd can be seen in the ‘Aaj Tak’ news video that reported about the incident.
To conclude, these images are not of thecrime against a woman by the Policemen.
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The World Economic Forum did not advocate for the criminalization of home cultivation of food - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 29, 2024
A post circulating on social media and blogs suggests that the World Economic  Forum (WEF) has endorsed the idea of governments arresting individuals who grow their food. Furthermore, the blog asserts that this proposal originates from research funded by the WEF at the University of Michigan. Through this article let’s fact-check the assertion made in the post.
Claim: The World Economic Forum (WEF) has proposed the criminalization of home cultivation of food.
Fact: While there is a University of Michigan study indicating that fruits and vegetables cultivated in urban farms and gardens typically exhibit a carbon footprint six times larger than conventionally grown produce,  there is no evidence of the World Economic Forum endorsing this study or advocating for governments to criminalize the cultivation of personal food. They have categorically refuted the claim. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral post embeds a news report that alleges the World Economic Forum advocating criminalizing cultivating own food. Further, the report alleges that WEF’s suggestion is based on research conducted by the University of Michigan, funded by the WEF.
University of Michigan research:
There exists an international study led by the University of Michigan comparing the carbon footprints of urban and traditional agriculture. This study indicates that fruits and vegetables cultivated in urban farms and gardens typically exhibit a carbon footprint six times larger than conventionally grown produce.
The project received backing from the UK Economic and Social Research Council, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the French National Research Agency, the U.S. National Science Foundation, Poland’s National Science Centre, and the European Union’s Horizon 202 research and innovation program.
Nevertheless, the research also revealed that certain city-grown crops matched or exceeded conventional agricultural practices in specific scenarios. To illustrate, tomatoes cultivated in the soil of open-air urban plots exhibited lower carbon intensity compared to those grown in traditional greenhouses. Conversely, the emissions contrast between conventional and urban agriculture disappeared for air-freighted crops such as asparagus.
“The exceptions revealed by our study suggest that urban agriculture practitioners can reduce their climate impacts by cultivating crops that are typically greenhouse-grown or air-freighted, in addition to making changes in site design and management,” said study co-lead author Jason Hawes.
WEF did not endorse the findings :
Further, there are no records of the World Economic Forum endorsing this study or advocating for governments to criminalize the cultivation of personal food, as asserted in the blog. If the WEF had made such statements, they would likely have been reported by the media. However, we have been unable to locate any such reports.
Moreover, in our communication with the World Economic Forum, they explicitly denied making any such statements. Additionally, they confirmed that they did not provide funding to the University of Michigan.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) showcased several studies conducted by the University of Michigan. This may have contributed to a misunderstanding suggesting that the WEF provided funding to the university. However, we could not find any reports of WEF funding the university, and WEF has also clarified that it did not finance the university.
In the meantime, the blog that disseminated this information is recognized for publishing unverified and deceptive content. This particular website has been identified as a “fake news website” by numerous fact-checkers and research studies.
To sum it up, no, the World Economic Forum did not advocate for the criminalization of home cultivation of food.

created: February 29, 2024


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There is no information on any safety belt for cars that goes around the neck - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 16, 2023
A photograph which claims to show a concept design of car safety belts in the 1960s is being widely shared. In this design, the belt goes around the neck of the passengers. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Concept design of car safety belt in 1960s that goes around the neck.
Fact: Considering the chronology of evolution of the seat belts, there is no mention of any safety belt that goes around the neck. Volvo developed a modern three-point seat belt, which is in use now. After this successful intervention, it is highly unlikely that inventors tested a safety belt that goes around the neck. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In the 1930s, cars used to have lap belts as a safety measure. These belts used to avoid passengers to fall out of the car. It is in 1955 a breakthrough came in, when two Americans named Roger W Griswold and Hugh DeHaven designed the first iteration of the 3-point seatbelt that we see in cars today.
The seat belt which we know now, the three-point seat belt, is developed in 1959, by Nils Bohlin, a Volvo engineer. This was a biggest breakthrough and has set the standard for seat belts. Back then, it was widely considered among the most cost-effective public health interventions. Although Volvo holds patent for this design, they made it available for all the manufactures to use.
After this, most of the car manufacturing companies used the three-point seat belts, as it proved to be most effective design. In other words, contrary to the claim, it is very unlikely that inventors tested a safety belt that goes around the neck after the successful intervention (3-point seatbelt).
Further, if we consider the chronology of evolution of the seat belts, there is no mention of any such design, which goes around the neck (here ,here & here). If any such intervention was indeed made, there would be information available about the design. However, we could not find any information about such design.
The concept shared in the viral post could be humorous take, inspired by a scene in 2008 comic film, The Onion Moive. Snopes, a fact-checking agency had earlier debunked the same photograph, stating that no such design was proposed, which goes around the neck.
To sum it up, there is no information on any safety belt for cars that goes around the neck.

created: February 16, 2023


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No, there is no separate subject as ‘Islamic studies’ in the UPSC Examination - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 23, 2022
A post is being shared widely on social media with a request to the Hindus to either support the removal of ‘Islamic studies’ or the addition of ‘Vedic studies’ to the UPSC Examination. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: UPSC Examination has ‘Islamic studies’ as a separate subject but  not ‘Vedic studies’.
Fact: None of the examinations conducted by the UPSC has a separate subject by name ‘Islamic studies’ in the syllabus. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts several examinations like Engineering Services Examination, Combined Defence Services Examination, Civil Services Examination, etc. None of those examinations has a separate subject as ‘Islamic studies’. In the UPSC Civil Services Examination, one can find the mention of ‘Islam’ in the syllabi of optional papers like Anthropology and History. However, it is either given as a dimension (along with other religions) to study certain aspects or as a period in history.
In the ‘List of optional subjects for Main Examination’, while there is no separate subject as ‘Islamic studies’, one can find ‘Urdu Literature’ as an option. However, it can be seen that the literature of various other languages (like Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, etc.) are also given as options. Also, it can be seen that the syllabus of Sanskrit literature has topics such as – ‘Main characteristics of Vedic Sanskrit language’, ‘General Knowledge of Ramayana, Mahabharata’, etc.
When a similar claim went viral previously, Somesh Upadhyay (IAS) has tweeted saying – “There is a parallel universe where UPSC offers Islamic Studies as optional subject. It’s called WhatsApp Universe.” A tweet made by Arun Bothra (IPS) on the viral claim can be seen here.
To sum it up, there is no separate subject as ‘Islamic studies’ in the UPSC Examination.

created: February 23, 2022


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No, these are not the latest photos from Kashmir. Also, one photo is from Odisha - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 6, 2019
A post with some images is being shared on social media with a claim that these are the latest photos from Kashmir taken after the decision by the central government to abolish Article 35A and 370. Let’s try to check whether these photos are taken recently in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Photos are taken in Kashmir after the decision by the central government to abolish Article 35A and 370.
Fact: The photos in the post are old photos. While three photos belong to Kashmir, one photo belongs to Odisha. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
While the post does not explicitly claim that the posted photos are taken recently, the timing of the post (just after the Home Minister’s announcement in the Rajya Sabha that they are going to abolish Article 35A and 370) is making users on social media to believe that these are recent photos.
When the images in the post were run through the Google Reverse Image Search one by one, it was found that three photos in the post were old photos taken in Jammu and Kashmir whereas one photo did not belong to Jammu and Kashmir at all. It was taken in Bhadrak (Odisha) in 2017.
Picture 1:
Picture 2:
Picture 3:
Picture 4:
To sum it up, these are not the latest photos from Kashmir.
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created: August 6, 2019


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No, these are not the only Indians whose names are listed in the book ‘365 People Who Changed The World’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 11, 2022
A post is being shared on social media claiming that it shows the only six Indians whose names are listed in a book named ‘365 People Who Changed The World’. The list in the viral post includes prominent Indians Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Rabindranath Tagore, Sachin Tendulkar, Sharukh Khan, and Mukesh Ambani. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The only six Indians whose names got listed in the book ‘365 People Who Changed The World’.
Fact: The Indian personalities mentioned in the post are not the only Indians whose names are listed in the ‘365 People Who Changed The World’ book. Many other prominent Indian personalities like Jawaharlal Nehru, Aurobindo Ghosh, Satyajit Ray, Kapil Dev, A. R. Rehman, and a few other names are also listed in the ‘365 People Who Changed The World’ book. All the Indian personalities mentioned in the post, except Mukesh Ambani, are listed in the book. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On searching for the details of the book named ‘365 People Who Changed The World’, the Kindle edition of that book was found on the  ‘Amazon’ website. When we checked whether the six Indian personalities mentioned in the post are the only Indian names listed in the ‘365 People Who Changed The World’ book, we found that a number of other Indians, along with the names mentioned in the post, are listed in that book.
The book ‘365 People Who Changed The World’ listed 365 most prominent personalities in the world by categorizing their contributions and works in different fields like Incredible Innovators, Legendary Leaders, Business Boomers, Sports Stars, and others. Aryabhata, Ashoka, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, JRD Tata, Narayan Murthy, Aurobindo Ghosh, Satyajit Ray, Dhirubhai Ambani, Kapil Dev, Ravi Verma, A. R. Rehman, and a few other prominent Indian personalities are also listed in the ‘365 People Who Changed The World’ book. All the Indian personalities mentioned in the post, except Mukesh Ambani, figure in the ‘365 People Who Changed The World’ book. But they are not the only Indians whose names are listed in this book.
To sum it up, these are not the only Indians whose names are listed in the ‘365 People Who Changed The World’.


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No, these men in Khaki uniform weren’t fighting over the distribution of money collected through Challans - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 11, 2019
A video of a scuffle between two men in Khaki uniform is being shared widely with a claim that they were fighting over the distribution of money collected through traffic challans. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of Policemen fighting with one another over the distribution of money collected through traffic challans.
Fact: Video shows a fight between a Prantiya Raksha Dal (PRD) jawan and a home guard in Mandi Chowki (UP) over a car-related issue. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
When the video in the post was run through the ‘InVid’ plugin, several keyframes were obtained. On subjecting these keyframes to reverse image search, a certain keyframe led to the tweet of ‘ANI News’. The tweet had the following information in it- “#WATCH Baghpat: A fight broke out between a Prantiya Raksha Dal (PRD) jawan and a home guard in Mandi Chowki under Baraut police station, yesterday”.
When searched on Google with relevant keywords, a news article of “ANI” regarding the incident was found. As per this article, a Prantiya Raksha Dal (PRD) jawan and a home guard were involved in a fight in Mandi Chowki under Baraut police station in Uttar Pradesh. Regarding the incident, Circle Officer Baraut, RK Kushwaha said, “RTO had seized a car which was released yesterday. The car was under home guard’s observation and the PRD jawan stopped the car at the mandi gate, because of which a fight broke out between them.”
To conclude, in the video, the men in Khaki uniform weren’t fighting over the distribution of money collected through challans.
Did you watch our new Episode of the DECODE series on Indian Rivers?

created: September 11, 2019


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No, these prominent people are not masquerading as Hindus while being Muslims. They are Hindus by birth - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 29, 2023
A photo collage featuring notable individuals such as Mahesh Bhatt, Swami Agnivesh, Aacharya Pramod Krishnam, and Congress leader Digvijay Singh is being shared across various social media platforms. Sharing the image, a post alleges that these four individuals are masquerading as Hindus while being Muslims. Additionally, the post reveals the Muslim names of these individuals. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Mahesh Bhat, Swami Agnivesh, Aacharya Pramod Krishnam, and Congress leader Digvijay Singh are masquerading as Hindus while being Muslims.
Fact: Aacharya Pramod Krishnam and Congress leader Digvijay Singh were born as Hindus and actively follow the Hindu faith. Swami Agnivesh, born into a Hindu Brahmin family, chose to renounce his caste, religion, family, and all material possessions, embracing the path of a sanyasi. On the other hand, reports suggest that Mahesh Bhatt converted to Islam in order to marry Soni Razdan but is currently not practicing the Islamic faith. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Contrary to the viral claim, Aacharya Pramod Krishnam and Congress leader Digvijay Singh are born Hindus practicing Hinduism. Swami Agnivesh, a born Hindu, renounced his religious identity. Mahesh Bhat, born to a Hindu father and Muslim mother, reportedly embraced Islam to marry Soni Razdan, but he is not currently practicing the Islamic faith. Further, let’s look into the religious inclination of each individual below.
Swami Agnivesh:
Swami Agnivesh, an activist, and spiritual leader, hails from Andhra Pradesh and was born into a Brahmin family. However, he renounced his name, caste, religion, and family, as well as all his possessions and property, embracing the life of a sanyasi as per his website notes.
He was elected as the President of the World Council of Arya Samaj (Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha) in 2004 and remained in the chair till 2014. News articles that reported that Swami Agnivesh was born to a Hindu family can be read here and here.
Aacharya Pramod Krishnam:
Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam who contested the 2019 general elections from the Lucknow Parliament constituency, was born on 04 January 1965, in a Brahmin family in Bihar. In his election affidavit, Acharya Pramod Krishnam stated his name as such and identified his late father as Jaswanth Singh. No additional aliases were mentioned in the document.
Previously, when similar news circulated on social media platforms, falsely claiming that he comes from a Muslim family and his original name is Gul Shamad Khan, Factly debunked the news and categorically classified it as false.
Digvijay Singh:
According to the biography on the Election Commission of India website, Digvijay Singh was born in Indore on 28 February 1947, to the late Shri Balbhadra Singh and late Shrimati Aparna Kumari. Moreover, he self-identifies as a follower of the Hindu faith.
Furthermore, his election affidavit reaffirms these details, and there is no evidence or information suggesting his affiliation with Islam or any aliases associated with him.
Mahesh Bhatt:
According to news reports, Bhatt was born to a Muslim mother, Shirin Mohammad Ali, and a Hindu father, Nanabhai Bhatt, out of wedlock. Speaking to the media, Bhatt revealed that his mother was Muslim and had to disguise herself as a Hindu. ‘Reportedly, his mother was a Shia Muslim and after the partition, lived in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, which was a Hindu-dominated area. Hence, his mother used to hide her religion,’ Bhatt stated.
Further, according to news reports, later in life, Bhatt converted to Islam to marry Soni Razdan but is not currently practicing Islam. News reports discussing Bhatt’s religious inclination can be read here, here, and here.
To sum it up, these prominent people are not masquerading as Hindus while being Muslims. They are Hindus by birth.


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No, these school girls in Tamil Nadu did not throw their dupattas as a sign of protest - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 17, 2023
A video showing school girls flinging off their dupattas is being widely circulated with a claim that reads ‘Girls studying in a school for tribals (indigenous people) in Tamil Nadu are throwing away their dupatta (scarves) in protest against school uniforms that they think North Indian and patriarchal.’ Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals showing girl students at a school in Tamil Nadu throwing their dupattas as protest against the patriarchal/North Indian school uniform.
Fact: This incident took place at the government residential school in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi. These girls in Tamil Nadu threw their dupattas welcoming a guest, Geeta Ilangovan, an author, who was supposed to address them. Multiple news agencies reported the incident. Speaking to Quint, Ilangovan said ‘the girls told her that they didn’t like to wear dupattas but were forced to’. However, neither the author nor the media reports claimed that students did so, as protest against the North Indian style. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The visuals in the viral video indeed show girl students flinging off their dupattas, however, they did not do this as part of a protest, but as a welcome gesture, for a guest.
Google search with relevant keywords led us to India Today news article that reported the same visuals. As per this article, female students in a government residential school in Tamil Nadu’s Kallakurichi welcomed author Geeta Ilangovan by throwing their dupattas in the air.
‘Author Geetha Ilangovan’s articles published under the name ‘Her Stories’ were translated into Tamil and given the name ‘Dupatta Podung Thozhi’ (wear your dupatta friend). It spoke about how women were told to behave and how they were enslaved’, the article added.
Further search yielded few more news articles which reported the incident (here & here). As per these articles Geeta Ilangovan, was scheduled to interact with these students at the camp focused on eradicating child marriages.
Geeta Ilangovan, shared the same video on her Instagram account, expressing joy over the reception.
According to a Quint report, Ilangovan said ‘the girls told her that they didn’t like to wear dupattas but were forced to.’ Though, no where she mentioned that the girls did so to express displeasure to North India style, as claimed in the viral post.
Thus, it is clearly evident from these pieces of evidence that the girls threw off their dupattas as a gesture of welcome and not as a sign of protest.
To sum up,  these school girls did not fling off their dupattas as a sign of protest.


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No, these three IPS officers are not siblings, they are batch mates - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 8, 2020
A post with the image of three persons dressed in the police uniform is being widely shared on social media with a claim that they are siblings and they are selected for IPS. Through this article lets fact-check the claim made in the post.
Image of two brothers and a sister from a same family who became IPS officers.
Fact: The three people in the image are identified as Pooja Vashisth, Tushar Gupta and Shruta Kirti Somavanshi. All these three are IPS officers. They are batchmates but not siblings which was confirmed by Tushar when we reached out to him. Also, Somavanshi reiterated the same through an Instagram account called ‘upscmeme’ of which he is the admin. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search of the photo led us to an Instagram account which shared the same image. According to the bio, the account is of Pooja Vashisth, IPS Probationer (the woman in the image). As per the tags in the image, the person to the left of Pooja is Tushar Gupta and the person seated to her right  is Shruta Kirti Somavanshi. Both these men are also IPS Probationers. Even Tushar Gupta has shared the same image on his Instagram account which can be seen here.
Taking a cue from here, we reached out to Tushar Gupta for a clarification regarding the claim. He denied that news that they are siblings and clarified that they are batchmates.
According to the Instagram bio of Shruta Kirti Somavanshi, he is also the admin of the popular Instagram account upscmeme. Through ‘upscmeme’ account, Somavanshi has clarified that they are batchmates and not siblings.
According to the information provided on IPS website, Somavashi is allotted to Madhya Pradesh cadre who is from UP (Home state). Pooja Vashisth is allotted to Haryana cadre which is also her Home state. On the other hand, Tushar Gupta is allotted to Punjab which is also his home state. These details clearly indicate that they are unlikely to be siblings as their Last Names and the Home States are different.
To sum it up, the three IPS Probationers in the image are batchmates and not siblings.

created: September 8, 2020


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These three Russian gymnasts are not related to each other - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 1, 2023
A video featuring the performance of three Russian female gymnasts is currently circulating widely, accompanied by the claim that these gymnasts represent three generations from the same family. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video displaying the gymnastic performances of three generations of Russian gymnasts from a single family.
Fact: This video showcases the performance of three Russian gymnasts named Aigul Shaikhutdinova, Ekaterina Stroynova, and Ekaterina Loginov, performing in the 2010 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships. As per the records, the three were born in 1994, 1987, and 1985, respectively. And these three are not related to each other. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral video does, in fact, feature the performances of three Russian gymnasts. However, it’s important to note that these three individuals are not related to each other. At the beginning of the video, the names of the Russian gymnasts are identified as Aigul Shaikhutdinova, Ekaterina Stroynova, and Ekaterina Loginov.
Taking a cue from this, a search on the internet led us to a report that included the same video. According to the report, the performance took place during the 2010 Acrobatic Gymnastics World Championships. The trio secured the top position in the women’s group category at the 2010 championship, earning them the first prize.
However, it’s important to note that this report does not mention the three individuals being related. Additionally, our search did not yield any information confirming that these gymnasts are indeed from the same family.
Moreover, according to records from the Russian Federation for Aerobatics, Aigul Shaikhutdinova, Stroynova, and Loginov were born in 1994, 1987, and 1985, respectively. This information reinforces the fact that these three individuals could not be related (grandmother, mother, and daughter ) to each other, as claimed in the post. It’s worth noting that when this video previously went viral with the same claim, AFP had debunked it by clarifying that there is no familial relation among the three gymnasts.
To sum it up, although the three gymnasts are from Russia, they are not related to each other.

created: October 1, 2023


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No, these visuals do not show soldiers refusing to lathi charge the protesters - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 20, 2022
After the central government’s announcement of Agnipath scheme for future army recruitments at certain levels, protests have erupted in many parts of the country, opposing the scheme. Police have resorted to lathi charge to control the protesters. In this context, a video of students greeting  soldiers plying on road is being widely shared with a claim that soldiers refused to lathi charge the protesters, sympathising with their cause. Further, the post also requests the state police to follow suit. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of soldiers refusing to lathi charge the protesting opposing the Agnipath scheme.
Fact: Students have staged protests in multiple parts of the country opposing the Agnipath scheme. However, it is the respective police who are dealing with these protests and there are no reports of army deployment in any state to deal with these protesters. Also the extended version of the viral video only shows protesters greeting the soldiers passing on the road. The visuals do not suggest any situation of lathi charge. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Angry students have staged protests in many parts of the country opposing the Agnipath scheme for army recruitment. Multiple incidents of protesters vandalising public properties have also been reported. However, it is the respective state police who dealt with these protesters (here & here).
Contrary to the claim made in the post, there are no reports of army deployment to deal with the protesters. Hence there is no question of soldiers refusing to lathi charge on the protesters, as claimed in the post.
As far as the viral video is concerned, reverse image search of the screen shots of the video led us to little extended version of the same video. This extended version shows protesters stopping army vehicles passing on the road and greeting them, raising pro-army slogans.
These visuals do not suggest any situation of lathi charge, which implies that the visuals of protesters greeting soldiers are taken out of context and are being shared with a false claim.
To sum it up, these visuals do not show soldiers refusing to lathi charge the protesters.


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No, these visuals do not show making of plastic eggs - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 1, 2023
A video which appears to be showing the making of plastic eggs is being widely shared on social media platforms as if these are being traded in the market as real ones. We have even received the same on our WhatsApp tipline, enquiring about the authenticity of the video. Through this article, let’s look into the authenticity of the video.
Claim: Visuals showing making of plastic eggs.
Fact: These are old visuals from China. These visuals show making of egg like toys meant for children. When the same visuals went viral on Chinese social media platforms back in 2017, the concerned Chinese authorities clarified that visuals does not show making of plastic eggs but toys. Earlier in 2018, FSSAI also ruled out rumours related to plastic eggs.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search coupled with keyword search yielded multiple 2017 Chinese news articles that reported the same screenshots (here, here & here). According to one such article, these very visuals were circulated on Chinese social media platforms claiming these eggs are being sold as real eggs
However, as the video went viral, Jiangning Branch of the Nanjing Public Security Bureau clarified that these visuals show making of egg like toys meant for children and not any fake egg making. A screen shot of the clarification is also shared.
Further, the article reported that these toys are available on Chinese e-commerce platforms and shared the screenshot of these toys available on one such e-commerce platform. These products carry a similar logo as on the eggs shown in the viral video.
Few other Chinese news articles that debunked the same video can be read here and here.
Thus, it is evident that the viral video is at least five years old and these visuals actually show a toy making but not plastic eggs.
Earlier FSSAI clarified on such plastic eggs:
Earlier in 2018, when similar rumours about such plastic eggs were circulated,  FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) released a ‘Guidance Note’ to bust the myths about the plastic/ fake eggs. The document released by FSSAI reads, ‘Plastic eggs or artificial eggs are a myth mainly due to the fact that there is no technology available to produce a plastic/artificial egg that would perfectly resemble a natural egg’
Later, commenting on fake videos and irresponsible reporting on food safety, the then CEO of FSSAI, Pawan Agarwal, said that, ‘such news creates fear amongst public at large and erodes their confidence in the food control system in the country.’ He pointed out a few such instances including the false scare on issues of plastic eggs and plastic rice.
To sum it up, these visuals do not show making of plastic eggs.


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No, these visuals of airstrikes and associated firing are not related to the Russia-Ukraine crisis (2022) - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 15, 2022
A number of videos showing airstrikes and associated firing are being shared widely on social media with several claims that they are related to the current Russia-Ukraine crisis of 2022. The visuals are being shared in the context of Russia’s recent announcement of military operations against Ukraine. Let’s fact-check the claims made in the posts.
Post 1:
Claim: Video of a Russian fighter jet shot down by Ukrainian Air Defense.
Fact: It is an old video. The video shows a jet shot down by Libyan rebels more than a decade ago. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The extended version of the same video was found to be uploaded by the ‘Associated Press’ on YouTube, in 2011, with the title – “Raw Video: Plane Shot Down by Libyan Rebels”.
Post 2:
Claim: Video of a Russian aircraft shot down by the Ukraine Military.
Fact: The video was neither taken in Russia nor Ukraine. The video shows an old incident related to China. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The same visuals can be found in an article published by the ‘Daily Mail’ in 2020. The heading of the article is – “Taiwan denies shooting down a Chinese Su-35 fighter jet after social media footage shows crashed plane on fire”.
Post 3:
Claim: Video of Russian military paratroopers landing in Ukraine.
Fact: It is an old video. The same video is on the internet at least since September 2016. So, it is not related to the current Russia-Ukraine crisis. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On 04 September 2016, a Twitter user has posted the same video which can be seen here.
Post 4:
Claim: Recent video of a drone attack against Russian Forces.
Fact: The video is not related to the current Russia-Ukraine crisis. It does not show any recent drone attacks. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The same video (mirrored visuals of the posted video) can be found tweeted by ‘Clash Report’, in March 2020, with the description – “A #Syrian #Regime convoy consisting of tanks and armored vehicles were completely destroyed by #TB2 armed #UAVs, near #MaratAlNuman, South #Idlib.”
Post 5:
Claim: Recent video of Ukrainian sky getting lit up by the firing.
Fact: The video does not show a real-life incident. The video was posted by a 3D Animator in October 2021. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The same video can be found to be uploaded by a 3D Animator on Instagram in October 2021. The post can be seen here.
Post 6:
Claim: Video of helicopters firing in current Russia versus Ukraine war.
Fact: The video was taken during the EFES-2018 Military Exercise, which was held in Turkey. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
In an article published by the ‘Yeni Safak’ website, the same video can be found with the description – ‘Footage shows domestically-produced Turkish ATAK helicopters perfectly striking targets during the EFES 2018 military drill’.
Also, when other videos were shared with similar claims, FACTLY has debunked them and wrote fact-check articles, which can be read here, here, and here.
However, several media agencies have reported multiple attacks by the Russian forces on Ukrainian cities recently. Some of the recent visuals from Ukraine can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, the above visuals posted by different social media users are not related to the current Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Update (15 March 2022):Another video is being shared claiming that it shows Russian fighter jets attacking F22 Raptor fighter aircraft in Ukrainian airspace
Claim: Video of Russian fighter jets attacking F22 Raptor fighter aircrafts in Ukrainian airspace.
Fact: The video shared in the post shows the recent visuals of Russian Su-25 aircraft popping flares and flying over Kherson city in Ukraine. F22 Raptor is an all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed and run by the US Air Force. US Department of Defense in a press conference clarified that they don’t have any manned or unmanned aircraft flying in Ukrainian airspace. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, videos with similar visuals were found tweeted by a few defence analysts on Twitter. They can be seen here and here. They mentioned it as visuals of Russian Su-25 aircraft popping flares and flying over Kherson city in Ukraine. An extended version of the video can be seen here. F-22 Raptor is an all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed and run by the US Air Force. US Department of Defense official in a recent press conference stated that they don’t have any manned or unmanned aircraft flying in Ukrainian airspace.


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No, this car driver did not do a U-turn on the edge of a cliff. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 28, 2022
A video of a car driver doing a U-turn is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the car is on the edge of a cliff and any mistake could cost the life of the driver. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a car driver doing a U-turn on the edge of a cliff.
Fact: On seeing the video of the same U-turn from another angle, it is confirmed that the U-turn was not performed on the edge of a cliff. There is a road at some depth on the side of the path shown in the posted video. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, many posts with the same video were found in the search results. Among the search results, the ‘DrivingSkill’ YouTube channel’s upload on 25 December 2021 was the earliest. On that channel, one can see that a video of the same car U-turn from another angle was uploaded on the previous day. On watching that video, it is confirmed that the U-turn was not performed on the edge of a cliff. There is a road at some depth on the side of the path shown in the posted video.
There are also many other videos of the same car on the ‘DrivingSkill’ YouTube channel. They can be watched here. ‘Daily Mail’ has also published an article on the viral U-turn video which can be read here.
To sum it up, the car U-turn in the video was not on the edge of a cliff. There is a road on the side at some depth.

created: January 28, 2022


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NO, this girl was not injured in stone-pelting by Muslims during the hijab protests in Karnataka. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 11, 2022
In the wake of the ongoing hijab protests in Karnataka, a video of a man carrying a girl student is going viral on social media platforms with a claim that the video shows a Hindu girl injured in stone-pelting by Muslims during the hijab protests. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a Hindu girl injured in stone-pelting by Muslims during the hijab protests in Karnataka.
Fact: These visuals are from Government Pre University College in Rabakavi Banahatti in Bagalkot district of Karnataka, wherein a girl student fainted due to exhaustion and fatigue, after which she was helped out by the college staff. While it is true that Bagalkot witnessed hijab protests, the girl in the video was not injured in those protests. In correspondence with a fact-checking agency, the district SP and the college principal clarified that the girl was not injured in stone-pelting but fainted due to exhaustion and fatigue. A few other journalists have also reported the same. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
There are reports of stone-pelting in Bagalkot in the wake of the hijab protests. An internet search with relevant keywords led us to ‘The Hindu’ article which reported that a male student was injured due to stone-pelting outside the Government Pre University College in Rabakavi Banahatti in Bagalkot district. However, the article did not report any female causalities.
A journalist sharing the same video, clarified that ‘the girl was unwell, exhausted & nearly fainted after which she was helped out of the govt college campus in Bagalkot’s Rabakavi Banahatti while protests ensued outside.’
Fact check : Viral video claiming this girl was injured following stone pelting over the #Hijab Row is false.
The girl was unwell, exhausted & nearly fainted after which she was helped out of the govt college campus in Bagalkot's Rabkavi banhatti while protests ensued outside. pic.twitter.com/EBG9KVgFJX
In correspondence with Alt News, a fact-checking agency, the college principal clarified that no student was injured on the campus and the girl fainted as she attended the classes with an empty stomach. He further added the teacher present at the time informed him that she had fainted due to hunger and dehydration.
Further, Bagalkot SP Lokesh Jagalasar told that the girl who fainted was unwell and the situation outside the campus stressed her. All these establish the fact that the girl in the viral video was not injured in stone-pelting but fainted due to stress.
To sum it up, the girl in the video was not injured in stone-pelting by Muslims during the hijab protests in Karnataka.

created: February 11, 2022


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No, this image does not show Sachin Tendulkar taking part in Sindhutai Sapkaal’s funeral - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 6, 2022
A post accompanying an image of Sachin Tendulkar taking part in a funeral procession is being shared widely with a claim that the image shows Sachin participating in the funeral of Sindhutai Sakpal, the noted social activist, popularly known as ‘Mother of Orphans’, who passed away recently in Pune. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of Sachin Tendulkar taking part in the funeral procession of Sindhutai Sakpal.
Fact: The image is three years old, when Sachin took part in funeral procession of his childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar in 2019. While Sachin offered his condolences on Sindhutai’s demise through a tweet, he did not attend her funeral procession. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Sindhutai Sakpal, the noted social activist known for her work in raising orphans, the abandoned, and destitute children passed away in a hospital in Pune following a heart attack. She was popularly known as ‘mother of orphans’ and was awarded Padma Sri in 2021. The last rites of Sindhutai’s were performed on Wednesday (05-01-2022) with full state honours.
Sachin Tendulkar took to Twitter to mourn her death, he tweeted in Marathi which loosely translates to ‘The news of the demise of Sindhutai Sapkaal is very sad. May God give peace to her soul’ along with a couple of images of her.
सिंधुताई सपकाळांच्या निधनाची बातमी खूप दुःखदायी आहे. ईश्वर त्यांच्या आत्म्यास शांती देवो. pic.twitter.com/kOovT2uAAc
However, there are no reports of Sachin taking part in her funeral procession. On the other hand, the viral picture dates back to 2019, when Sachin took part in the funeral procession of his childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar. The same viral image was published by Indian Express back then.
Few other visuals of Sachin taking part in his coach’s funeral can be seen here. From all these, it is evident that Sachin did not participate in Sindhutai’s funeral, while an old image is being passed with a false message.
To sum it up, this image does not show Sachin Tendulkar taking part in Sindhutai Sapkaal’s funeral.

created: January 6, 2022


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No, this image does not show the oldest tree on earth; Baobabs are not the oldest tree species on earth - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 26, 2022
A social media post accompanying an image of a large baobab tree is being shared widely with a claim that it is a 6000 year old baobab in Tanzania. The post further claims that it is the oldest tree on earth. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image of the 6000 year old baobab tree in Tanzania ; it is oldest tree on earth.
Fact: In general, bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva) of California’s White Mountains are considered as the oldest living trees on earth not Baobabs. Methuselah, a specimen of  bristlecone and is dated in 1957 as being 4852 years old as of 2020, is considered as the oldest living tree. According to science journals, baobabs are longest and largest flowering trees but not the oldest, they can live up to 2000-3000 years. As far as the viral image is concerned, thought the exact location of the tree is not known, it is pretty evident that the particular baobab tree seen in the image is not the oldest tree on earth.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Oldest trees in the World :
According to Guinness World Records it is not baobab but bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva) of California’s White Mountains, USA that are deemed as the oldest living individual trees on earth.
Dr Edmund Schulman (USA) discovered a specimen of  bristlecone and is dated in 1957 as being 4852 years old as of 2020. The tree is named ‘Methuselah’. However, before his death, Schulman discovered another old specimen of living tree in the White Mountains. And it is carbon dated in 2009 as being 5070 years as of 2020; this unnamed tree is currently the oldest verified living tree in the world. However, the precise locations of these trees are kept secret to protect them from vandalism/damage from over-trampling.
Further, the Guinness records listed the longest living individual trees species, however, baobab is not featured in this list. ‘Other long-lived individual tree species include giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum, western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis and Patagonian cypress (Fitzroya cupressoides), all of which have had specimens aged to between 3,000–4,000 years and over’ reported the  Guinness records. News reports that claimed bristlecone pines as the oldest living tree species can be read here, here, here and here.
Recently, a Science journal reported that an alerce tree (Fitzroya cupressoides) known as Alerce Milenario or Gran Abuelo (great-grandfather) tree, might be claimed as the oldest living tree on earth.
Using a combination of computer models and traditional methods for calculating tree age, Jonathan Barichivich, a Chilean environmental scientist who works at the Climate and Environmental Sciences Laboratory in Paris, has estimated that the Alerce Milenario is probably more than 5000 years old. That would make it at least 1 century senior to the current record holder: Methuselah, a bristlecone pine in eastern California with 4853 years’ worth of annual growth rings under its gnarled bark’, reported the journal. However it is not officially recognized yet.
Age of Baobabs :
Baobabs are considered as the largest and longest living flowering trees but not the oldest one. They can live up to 2000-3000 years.
According to a scientific journal published in Nature, scientists discovered all the stems of a dead sacred baobab in Zimbabwe in 2010 and 2011. Dating of these specimens revealed that it was 2450 years old, making it the oldest known accurately dated African baobab and angiosperm.
Further, speaking to AFP, Tom Kirkwood, an expert in tree aging, said that he had never heard of a baobab tree that lived to be 6,000 years old.
As far as the image is concerned, the image is being shared on internet at least since 2004. Although the exact location of the tree is not known, earlier posts claimed that it is from Senegal. However, the above explanation confirms that the baobab tree shared in the viral post is not the oldest living tree on earth.
To sum it up, this image does not show the oldest tree on earth. Baobabs are not the oldest tree species on earth.


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No, this image doesn’t show a tree that's grown over the bicycle of a fallen war soldier - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 22, 2022
An image of a bicycle embedded into a tree is being shared widely across social media platforms associating it with a short story which goes like ‘A boy went to war in 1914 and left his bike chained to a small tree. He never made it home, and his family left the bike by the tree in his memory. This is that tree today.’  Through this article, let’s fact-check the veracity of the story.
Claim: Image of a cycle embedded into a tree, which was left behind a young boy going off to war in 1914.
Fact: According to various news reports, the bicycle was of Don Puz, a local resident of Vashon Island, and he’d probably left that behind back in 1954. Multiple news articles have reported the same. Experts have rejected that a sapling grew over the bicycle by swallowing it, rather they opined that the bicycle was hung onto to a well grown tree, which over the years grew over it. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Google search with relevant keywords yielded multiple news articles which have reported the same image. According to one such article, the bicycle was left behind by one Don Puz, a local resident of Vashon Island back in 1954.
The article reported Don Puz’s mother saying he left behind the bicycle after playing with his friends in the woods. Further, according to the article, Don identified that it was his bicycle, however, he does not remember how the bike was left behind.
Another news article also reported that it was left behind by Don Puz back in 1950s. However, Elizabeth Van Volkenburgh, Department of Biology professor at the University of Washington rejected the idea of a sapling growing under the bicycle and swallowing it. He rather opined that the bicycle had probably been hung onto the tree and later on the tree grew over it.
Few other articles which reported the actual story behind the bicycle can be read here and here. All these establish that the bicycle is not as old as claimed in the post and it has nothing to do with a fallen war soldier.
To sum it up, this image doesn’t show a tree grown over the bicycle of a fallen war soldier.

created: February 22, 2022


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This image doesn’t show P. Chidambaram touching Jayalalithaa’s feet - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 14, 2023
A social media post which claims to show an image of P. Chidambaram, touching the feet of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is being widely shared. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image showing P. Chidambaram touching the feet of Jayalalithaa.
Fact: The person touching the feet of Jayalalithaa in the viral image is former Tamil Nadu minister Thambi Durai, not P. Chidambaram. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral image indeed shows a man touching the feet of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. However, it is not P. Chidambaram, as claimed in the post.
Reverse image search of the viral photo led us to a blog titled “Tamil Nadu ministers falling at Jayalalitha’s feet”. This blog, dated 13 September 2005, sharing the images, takes a jibe at ministers for touching the feet of Jayalalithaa.
The viral image is also featured in this collection, however, as per this blog, the man seen touching the feet of Jayalalithaa is not P. Chidambaram but former Tamil Nadu minister Thambi Durai.
Thambi Durai was the Minister for Education, in AIADMK’s government, during the 2001-05 period (here & here).  Further, we could not find any information about P. Chidambaram falling at the feet of Jayalalithaa.
To sum it up, this image doesn’t show P. Chidambaram touching Jayalalithaa’s feet.


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No, this is not Aryan Khan but Bronson Pelletier, the Twilight actor arrested for urinating in public at an airport - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 3, 2022
A post accompanying a video of a young man, who appears to be highly intoxicated, urinating in public at an airport is being widely shared with a claim that the video shows Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan. Eventually,  the video shows the security personnel taking the man into custody. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Aryan Khan urinating in public at an airport.
Fact: The viral video actually shows Bronson Pelletier, the Twilight actor, who was arrested for urinating in public at the Los Angeles International Airport back in December 2012. Later on, he was found guilty and was sentenced to two years of probation. Multiple news agencies have reported the same back then. Moreover, there no such reports of Aryan Khan being involved in such an incident in recent times or in the past. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Neither the man in the video urinating in public is Aryan Khan nor the video shows any recent incident. Google search with relevant keywords yielded multiple 2013 news reports (here, here, and here) which reported the same visuals. According to these reports, the person in the video is Bronson Pelletier, the Twilight actor, who was seen urinating in public at the Los Angeles International Airport. The incident took place in December 2012, when the actor was initially removed from a plane after being caught in a highly intoxicated state and causing disturbance on board.
Bronson Pelletier was later found guilty and was sentenced to two years of probation. News articles that reported the incident earlier in December 2012 can be read here, here, and here.
Moreover, there are no reports of Aryan Khan being involved in any such incident in recent times or in the past. Also, there are also no reports of his public appearance after he was granted bail in October 2021 in a drug case.
To sum it up, this is not Aryan Khan but Bronson Pelletier, the Twilight actor arrested for urinating in public at an airport in 2012.

created: January 3, 2022


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No, this is not the 3D model of Adam, the first man, reconstructed by Princeton University - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 7, 2022
A post is being shared on social media with a picture of a man. Text in the post reads, ‘Scientists at Princeton University have reconstructed this 3D model of how Adam, the first human being created by God, might have looked.’ Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Scientists at Princeton University reconstructed a 3D model of the first man, Adam.
Fact: The image actually shows a 3D render of Vin Diesel posted by a 3D Character artist named Vitaly Tenishev 6 years ago. A theatre located in New York, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, tweeted this image, claiming it as the 3D reconstruction of the first man, Adam, reconstructed by scientists at Princeton University. This was tweeted by them as a joke, which is confirmed in their next tweet, which reads, ‘just a reminder that they were a movie theatre, not an academic journal..’. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We performed a keyword search on the internet to know if Princeton University has published any 3D-rendered images of the first man, but we could not find any relevant information. Instead, we found a few media reports (here and here) regarding a viral tweet which contained the same information as the viral post.
According to the New York Post, ‘Indie movie-theatre chain Alamo Drafthouse, NYC, tweeted  that “Scientists at Princeton University have reconstructed this 3D model of how Adam, the first human being created by God, might have looked.” The tweet can be seen here. Later Alamo Drafthouse made another tweet in which they mentioned that they are not an academic journal.
Just a reminder that we're a movie theater, not an academic journal. That said, here's our soundcloud: https://t.co/xXIPBVOMen
A joke/meme tweet is falsely being shared as a real 3D render of Adam in the viral post. Upon further searching, we found that this 3D render of Vin Diesel was posted 6 years ago on artstation.com by a 3D Character artist named Vitaly Tenishev.
To sum it up, the image in the viral post is not the 3D render of Adam, the first man. This picture is posted on Twitter as a joke by Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a theatre in New York.

created: November 7, 2022


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No, this is not the first time India has taken over the Presidency of the United Nations Security council - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 4, 2021
A post claiming that India has taken over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the first time is being widely shared across social media platforms. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: India will take over the presidency of United Nations Security Council for the first time.
Fact: As per the United Nations rules, each member of the UNSC gets an opportunity to act as president of the security council and each member country will take over the presidency for one month in alphabetical order. India was elected as non-permanent member of the UN security council seven times in the past and presided over presidency during these stints. PM Modi will chair an open Debate of the UNSC in virtual mode on 09 August 2021. This will be the 1st time an Indian Prime Minister will preside over Open Debate. However, the presidency of the UNSC is not the first time. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Following the news of India’s turn for the presidency of the UNSC, India’s former envoy to the UN Syed Akbaruddin tweeted stating Prime Minister Modi may perhaps preside one of the UNSC meetings during India’s presidency, making it the first time an Indian PM would preside a meeting. This tweet of the former envoy led to confusion as the tweet was misconstrued and shared across social media platforms as if India took over the presidency of the UNSC for the first time.
It is noteworthy to mention that presiding is not the same as the presidency.  Previously, former Indian PM PV Narsimha Rao participated in a UNSC meeting in 1992 though he did not preside the meeting.
The Ministry of External Affairs has tweeted that PM Modi will chair an open Debate of the UNSC in virtual mode on 09 August 2021. This will be the 1st time an Indian Prime Minister will preside over an Open Debate. Usually, ambassadors and envoys preside over the meetings of the security council.
PM @narendramodi will Chair Open Debate on "Maintenance of  international peace and security: Maritime security” in virtual mode @UN #SecurityCouncil on 9th August.
This will be the 1st time an Indian Prime Minister will preside over Open Debate.#PMChairsUNSC #IndiainUNSC
Composition of United Nations Security Council:
UN security council consists of 5 permanent members (US, UK, China, France & Russia) and 10 non-permanent members elected by the general assembly for a term of two years. Further, in order to achieve equitable geographical representation, these 10 non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis, which is as follows.
India began its present two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on 01 January 2021 and will remain as such for two years. As per the United Nations rules, every member country of the UNSC gets an opportunity to act as president of the security council for a month on a rotational basis.  Each member country takes over the presidency for one month in alphabetical order (Presidency is allotted to a country, not to a person). Accordingly, India will hold the presidency for the month of August 2021 and will pass it on to Ireland in September 2021.
However, this is not the first time India is holding the Presidency of the security council. India was elected as a non-permanent member of the security council even in the past in 1950-1951, 1967-1968, 1972-1973, 1977-1978, 1984-1985, 1991-1992 & 2011-2012 during different governments and presided over presidency during these stints.
To sum it up, this is not the first time India has taken over the presidency of the United Nations Security Council.

created: August 4, 2021


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No, this is not the only real picture of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 28, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that it was the only real picture of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Only real picture of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh.
Fact: There are four real pictures of Bhagat Singh which are in the public domain. According to some biographers of Bhagat Singh, there are only four real photographs of Bhagat Singh that are ever found. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo was shared by the official twitter account of Prasar Bharati. Prasar Bharati is India’s public service broadcaster. According to the tweet, the person in the picture is Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, and it was taken in 1927 in Lahore, during his first arrest. Bhagat Singh is said to have been photographed when he was detained in 1927 in connection with the Lahore Dussehra bomb case (25 October 1926), with Gopal Singh Pannu.
However, in the same Twitter thread by Prasar Bharati, another picture of Bhagat Singh was posted. In the next picture, Bhagat Singh could be seen standing fourth from the right. The photo was taken in 1923 with the students of National College Lahore. So, the picture shared in the viral post is not the only picture of Bhagat Singh.
History in the picx: Rare pic of students & staff of National College, Lahore. #BhagatSingh standing fourth from the right. pic.twitter.com/SN1Nfg50OS
Biographers of Bhagat Singh, Chaman Lal, and Malwinder Jit Singh Waraich had urged several times to the governments in Punjab and Delhi, to use only the real photos of Bhagat Singh in government correspondence. In Waraich’s Bhagat Singh: The Eternal Rebel (published by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting), and in Chaman Lal’s Bhagat Singh Reader, it is said that there are only four real photographs of Bhagat Singh.
There are a couple of other photographs of Bhagat Singh, in the public domain. One is the photo of Bhagat Singh when he was a child. The other is of Bhagat Singh when he was photographed in 1929, before the Assembly Bomb explosion.
Prof. Malwinder Jit Singh Waraich (a biographer of Bhagat Singh) had requested through his Facebook page, to share only these four genuine photographs of Bhagat Singh.
To sum it up, the photo shared in the post is not the only real picture of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh.


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No, this isn’t the video of ‘fish rain’ in Mumbai. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 8, 2019
On Facebook, many users are sharing a video that purportedly shows men gathering fish on streets while it is raining. They also mention that BBC has reported this news that ‘fish rain’ has occurred in Mumbai during this monsoon season. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the video and also the claim made in the post.
It rained fish in Mumbai during this Monsoon season.
Fact: BBC hasn’t reported any news regarding ‘fish rain’ this Monsoon. The video being shared in the post is a combination of clips from many videos each corresponding to different contexts. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In the post, it is alleged that BBC News has reported about ‘fish rain’ in Mumbai during this Monsoon season. When searched for any such BBC news reports, no relevant information was found. When Googled for ‘fish rain’ in Mumbai, many YouTube links of the same video as in the post are obtained and the title of many of the videos is ‘Fish Rain in Mumbai’. On looking at the date of upload of these videos, many of them are found to be uploaded in 2018. When the video in the post is run through InVid Plugin, and corresponding keyframes obtained are subjected to the Google Reverse Image Search technique, several individual keyframes directed to different videos (1, 2, 3). The Video in the post is created by taking clips from video-1, video-2 and video-3 i.e., the video is created by combining clips from these 3 individual videos.
FACTLY tried to verify the true context of these three videos but information from no authentic source was found. When one goes through the description of many YouTube uploads of the first video, it was mentioned that the clips were taken from a BBC documentary series ‘Supernatural’. Most of the users who uploaded the second video in YouTube have said that the incident shown in the video is that of people picking up fishes when a lorry loaded with them had met with an accident. Many YouTube up-loaders of the third video have mentioned it to be that of fish rain in Eluru of Andhra Pradesh.
Hence, this video isn’t that of ‘fish rain’ in Mumbai. It is a combination of clips from many different videos. BBC hasn’t reported anything about the occurrence of ‘fish rain’ in Mumbai this Monsoon.
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No, this isn’t the video of Haryana farmers protesting against Modi government - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 4, 2019
A video is being shared on Facebook with a claim that Haryana farmers are performing last rites to Modi as a sign of protest against his government. Let’s try to analyze the extent of truth in the post.
Video of Haryana farmers performing last rites to Modi as a sign of protest against his government.
Fact: The video shows ‘Guest teachers’ in Haryana protesting against the state government. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The Facebook post was made on September 30, 2019. In the comments section of the post, a user has commented that the video shows an incident that took place in Karnal 10-15 days back.
When searched on Google with that information, with a relevant time filter and keywords ‘protests in karnal haryana’, many search results were obtained. Among them, a search result of ‘Tribune’ was found to have some part of the video clip, in its news video aired on September 17, 2019, with the title ‘Karnal: Guest teachers hold state-level protest against Haryana government; police use water cannon’.
From the article of ‘Times of India’ published on September 18, 2019, it was found that Haryana Police have used water cannons on Guest teachers in Haryana who were protesting for regularisation of their jobs since September 1, 2019.
To conclude, this isn’t the video of Haryana farmers protesting against the Modi government. It is actually that of Guest teachers in Karnal protesting against the Haryana state government.
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created: October 4, 2019


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No, this isn’t the video of NRIs dancing ahead of the upcoming ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event at Houston - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 20, 2019
A video of few people dancing together wearing T-shirts printed with the text ‘Namo Again’ is being shared widely on Facebook with the claim that the video is of NRIs dancing ahead of the upcoming ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event at Houston. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video of NRIs dancing ahead of the ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event scheduled to take place on September 22 at Houston.
Fact: The video is an old one that shows NRIs dancing during a campaign to support ‘Bharatiya Janata Party’ for the General Elections- 2019 in April-May. So, the claim is FALSE.
From the “NDTV” article, it was found that the event ‘Howdy, Modi!’ will take place on September 22, 2019, at Houston, USA.
In the video, along with the flags of the USA and BJP, people can be spotted holding posters with the text ‘NRIs4MODI’. When searched on YouTube with keywords ‘NRIs 4 Modi dancing’, many search results were obtained. The same video was also found in the search results and had the title, ‘Now NRI’s 4 MODI American Indians Free campaign For Modi 2019 JOIN NAMO LAHAR (नमो लहर) JOIN TODAY’. When looked for the timestamp of the video, it was found to be uploaded on April 15, 2019.
To conclude, the video in the post doesn’t show NRIs dancing ahead of the upcoming ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event at Houston. It is a pre-election video that shows NRIs leading a campaign in support of ‘Bharatiya Janata Party’ for the General Elections- 2019.
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created: September 20, 2019


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No, this isn’t the video of Rahul Gandhi eating samosas during his aerial survey of flood-affected regions of Wayanad - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 20, 2019
On social media, a video of Rahul Gandhi eating samosas in a helicopter is being shared widely with a claim that he is doing so during his aerial survey of flood-affected regions of Wayanad. Let’s try to analyze the veracity of that video.
Video of Rahul Gandhi eating samosas during his aerial survey of flood-affected regions of Wayanad.
Fact: The video of Rahul Gandhi eating samosas in a helicopter is taken during his election campaign for the Lok Sabha Elections-2019 in the state of Madhya Pradesh in April 2019. So, the claim made in the post stands FALSE.
When the video in the post is run through ‘InVid’ plugin, several keyframes were obtained. On subjecting these keyframes to reverse image search technique, a certain keyframe directed to the same video uploaded by ‘ABP News’ channel. From the description present below the video, it was found that Rahul Gandhi has tasted famous Shahdol (a place in M.P) samosa during a break in his election campaign in the state of Madhya Pradesh during Lok Sabha Elections-2019.
To conclude, the video posted shows Rahul Gandhi eating samosas in a helicopter during his election campaign in the state of Madhya Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections-2019 not during his aerial survey of flood-affected regions of Wayanad.
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No, this list of COVID-19 precautions was not issued by ICMR - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 13, 2020
A list of COVID-19 precautions to be followed for the next 6 to 12 months is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it was issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR – New Delhi). But, FACTLY has found that no such list was issued by ICMR. When ICMR was contacted, they have mentioned that if they come with any such instructions, they would post them on their website and official social media handles. One can see that no such list of precautionary measures, as mentioned in the post, was posted anywhere by ICMR.
Sources:
Claim – Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. ICMR website – https://main.icmr.nic.in/
2. ICMR Twitter – https://twitter.com/ICMRDELHI
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No, this Phallus-shaped coffin was not used to bury a woman with ten kids from ten different men. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 28, 2023
A video that seems like the last rites of a person put in a coffin that is shaped like the phallus is being shared on social media. The post which shares this video claims that the deceased person in this video is a woman with ten children from ten different men. Let’s verify the claim in this post.
Claim: A woman with ten kids from ten different men was buried in a Phallus-shaped coffin in Ghana, Africa.
Fact: The person buried inside the Phallus-shaped coffin is not a woman but a man named John Nii Addo Allotey. When he was alive, he used to perform circumcision. John’s family decided to build a Phallus-shaped coffin for him as an honour to his profession. Hence the claim made in the post is Misleading.
We performed a basic keyword search on the internet to learn more details about the video and the claim. It led us to a few news reports (here and here) from 2020, which contained the same video as the post.
According to GhanaWeb, this incident occurred in the city of Accra, Ghana. Building coffins of the deceased based on their occupation while they were alive is a custom there. The person who was buried in this coffin was shaped in the form of a phallus used to circumcise baby boys to make a living. His name was John Nii Addo Allotey.
In an interview given to Television C K, John’s brother William said that he ‘was a certified ‘Wanzam'(circumciser) who had been practising the profession for over 35 years, and hence his family wanted to honour him with the act.‘ He explained this in an interview with the Television C K. The well-known fact-checking website AFP also debunked this claim to be misleading.
To sum up, a woman with ten kids from ten different men was not buried in this coffin that looks like the phallus.


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No, this photo of Australia’s new PM with a saffron scarf was not taken at his oath-taking ceremony - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 24, 2022
A photo of Anthony Albanese, the newly elected Prime Minister of Australia, with a saffron Hindu scarf is being shared on social media with a claim that he wore it during his oath-taking ceremony. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese with a saffron Hindu scarf during his oath-taking ceremony.
Fact: The photo was not taken at the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese. Anthony Albanese did not wear a saffron scarf during his oath-taking ceremony. The posted photo was taken at an event organised by ‘Hindu Council Australia’. The previous Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also attended a similar event organised by ‘Hindu Council Australia’ and wore a similar saffron scarf. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When the photo was run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found in an article published by ‘ABC News’ with the following description – “Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese wore the scarf at a Hindu Council event in Parramatta earlier this month”. Anthony Albanese posted similar photos with the same saffron scarf on 6 May 2022 and wrote – “A warm reception in Parramatta tonight with leaders from the Hindu faith and subcontinental communities. My deepest thanks to the Hindu Council Australia for the invitation to tonight’s event.” So, the photo was taken before he was elected as the PM of Australia.
More visuals related to the event on 6 May 2022 can be found on the ‘Hindu Council Australia’ page. They can be seen here, here, and here.
Not only Anthony Albanese, but the former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also attended a similar event organised by ‘Hindu Council Australia’ and wore a similar saffron scarf. ‘ABC News’ wrote – “The photo-ops took place earlier this month as the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader attended separate events where they were courting the support of voters among Australia’s Indian diaspora.”
The visuals of the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected Australia’s PM can be seen here. Anthony Albanese did not wear a saffron scarf during his oath-taking ceremony.
To sum it up, the posted photo of Australia’s new PM Anthony Albanese with a saffron scarf was not taken at his oath-taking ceremony.


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No, this Robot is not the bodyguard of the King of Bahrain - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 18, 2020
A post with the video of a robot seen walking behind a man in thawb is doing rounds on social media with a claim that the robot is the bodyguard of the King of Bahrain. Also, according to the post the robot is equipped with a 360-degree camera and inbuilt pistols. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Video of a robot claimed to be the bodyguard of the king of Bahrain.
Fact: According to a news article, the name of the robot is Titan. It is the world’s first entertainment robot developed by a British company called Cyberstein. It is featured in the International Defense Exhibition (Idex) in 2019 in Abu Dhabi (UAE). Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Reverse image search of the screenshots of the video led us to a news article dated 19 February 2019, which published the image of the same robot. According to the article, the name of the robot is Titan and it is featured in the International Defense Exhibition (Idex) in 2019 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Also, according to the article, Titan is the world’s first entertainment robot developed by a British company called Cyberstein. An extended version of the video can be seen here.
When we compare the screenshots of the video in the post with that of the image in the article, we found some similarities pertaining to the military vest that the robot had adorned and also the UAE flags on the chest, arm and shoulder part of the robot. This proves that both the video in the post and the article are representing the same robot. According to the article, the robot has nothing to do with the King of Bahrain. Also, in the article, it is nowhere mentioned that the robot is equipped with a 360-degree camera or inbuilt pistols.
Also, we could not find any articles related to robot bodyguard of the king of Bahrain.
To sum it up, the robot in the post has nothing to do with the king of Bahrain.
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No, this video does not show a meeting point of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 2, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of the meeting point of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This post claims that though the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet at a point, they do not mix with each other. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing the meeting point of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Fact: The video shared in the post shows the Fraser River flowing into the Pacific Ocean water at the Strait of Georgia in Vancouver, Canada. This video was filmed by Steve Pearson while crossing the Strait of Georgia on a BC Ferries boat in July 2015. During early summer when the Fraser River carries high sedimented loads, a plume edge is easily distinguishable at the meeting point with the ocean water at the Strait of Georgia. The Ocean Network Canada and other research institutes confirmed that Fraser River mixes with the Pacific Ocean water. The video does not show the meeting point of the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, an extended version of the same video was found published by a YouTube channel named Maryan Pearson on 05 July 2015. This YouTube user described it as the visuals of Fraser River flowing into the Strait of Georgia in Vancouver, Canada. This video was shot while travelling on the BC Ferries boat from Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Also, in the description of the video, the uploader also alerted that the video was circulating with false information and emphasised that he is the copyright holder of this video.
This YouTube channel had shared a link of the AFP fact-check article about a similar claim. According to the article, Steve-Pearson, a Seattle resident had filmed this video. Speaking to the AFP fact-check team, Steve-Pearson said, “It’s terrible that people would steal a video and make false claims about it”. On comparing the images of BC Ferries boat with the one seen in the video, it is confirmed that the video was shot from this very boat at the meeting point of Fraser River and the Strait of Georgia.
When we searched for further details regarding the Fraser River plume in the Strait of Georgia, we found details of the reasons for the plume formation in an article published by the NASA Earth Observatory website. According to the article, Fraser is a snowmelt fresh-water river that flows alongside the Rocky Mountains, coast mountains and Fraser canyon before reaching a 130-kilometer-wide floodplain that empties into the Strait of Georgia. Along its journey, the river picks up and carries a huge load of silt about 20 million tons each year. These abundant sediments in the Fraser River form a distinct water plume extending across the Strait of Georgia.
The Fraser River plume is the brackish surface layer formed when the Fraser River discharges into the Strait of Georgia. According to an article published by the Ocean Network Canada, during the spring or early summer season, the plume edge formed between the Fraser River and Strait of Georgia is easily distinguishable. As the river water spreads out over the Strait, its motion is strongly affected by winds and tide. Several news websites confirmed the mixing of Fraser River water with the Strait of Georgia water. They can be seen here and here. The ‘Wonder World’ YouTube channel published a detailed video explaining the mixing process of Fraser River water with the ocean waters. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post does not show a meeting point of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
To sum it up, this video does not show a meeting point of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

created: February 2, 2022


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This video does not show farmers in India standing on the Indian flag and damaging it - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 27, 2021
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows Indian farmers standing on the Indian national flag and damaging it. In the video, it can be heard that the people are making ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ slogans. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Indian farmers standing on the Indian flag and damaging it.
Fact: The video was shot in Sacramento in California (US). The people in the video damaged the Indian flag as a protest against India for ‘1984 Sikh Genocide’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In the posted video, a profile ID – ‘amanvir_singh5’ can be seen on the top-left corner. So, when we searched with that name on the internet, it was found that a TikTok profile exists with that same ID. On looking through that profile, a similar video (archived) was found to be uploaded by him. The Sikh man (same shirt and turban) in the video can be seen in the posted video. The video can be watched here.
In one of his previous videos, ‘amanvir_singh5’ asks people to assemble at ‘7609 Wilbur Way, Sacramento, CA 95828’ on ‘25 January 2021 – Monday – 11 am’ to protest against India for the ‘1984 Sikh Genocide’.
On looking at the mentioned address on Google Street View, it was confirmed that the posted video was taken at the address mentioned by ‘amanvir_singh5’ in his video. Hence, we can conclude that the video was not taken in India. It was shot in California (US).  Below is the comparison in the similarities of the visuals shared in the post and the Google Street Video.
Also, ‘amanvir_singh5’ has posted a video on his profile on 07 January 2021 saying that he will be burning the Indian flag, which he ordered on the Amazon website. A Twitter user has tagged Jeff Bezos and Amazon and asked them not to deliver the flag, and tagged Tik Tok with a request to ban ‘amanvir_singh5’ account for spreading hate and disrespecting the Indian flag. Even in the Amazon order details, it is written – “Ship to: Amanvir – Bakersfield, CA”.
To sum it up, the posted video does not show farmers in India standing on the Indian flag and damaging it. The video was shot in California (US).

created: January 27, 2021


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No, this video does not show the final moments of late Lata Mangeshkar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 7, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the last moments of Lata Mangeshkar before her death. Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar died in Mumbai’s breach candy hospital on 06 February 2022. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing the last moments of the late veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar.
Fact: The video shared in the post shows Lata Mangeshkar’s old Facebook live interaction with her fans on 04 January 2017. The video shared in the post does not show the last moments of the late Lata Mangeshkar. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, a video with similar visuals was found published on the Lata Mangeshkar official Facebook page. This video shows Lata Mangeshkar’s live Facebook interaction with her fans on 04 January 2017. During this Facebook live interaction, Lata Mangeshkar first paid respects to the late Hindi Music director R.D. Burman and then started answering questions by her fans. Hence, it can be confirmed that the video shared in the post is an old one.
On 07 February 2022, The ‘Bombay Times’ tweeted a video showing Lata Mangeshkar’s final moments before she was admitted into the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. On comparing the visuals, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post does not show the final moments of late Lata Mangeshkar.
This video will melt your heart ❤ When #LataMangeshkar was admitted in the hospital… pic.twitter.com/gL95Ln3ENR
To sum it up, an old video of Lata Mangeshkar interacting live with her fans on Facebook is falsely shared as her final moments before death.

created: February 7, 2022


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No, this video does not show the supply of oxygen to India from Saudi Arabia - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 10, 2022
A video is being widely shared on social media platforms claiming that oxygen is arriving in India from Saudi Arabia. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing arrival of oxygen from Saudi Arabia to India.
Fact: The video shows the transportation of LPG tanks in Saudi Arabia for a National Gas & Industrial Company named GASCO. There are no reports of any oxygen being supplied to India via these tanks. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A TikTok username was mentioned on the video, when one skims through the profile of the TikTok user, the same video was found to have been uploaded on 27 April 2021. This means this video is not a recent one. The TikTok video was of better quality than the viral video. It could be seen that the logo on the huge tank was of a company named GASCO. However, on 07 April 2021, the company released a statement announcing a new logo that was different from the one seen in the video. GASCO- National Gas & Industrial Company, is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
When searched on YouTube using relevant keywords, similar videos (here and here) of the same vehicle with the same huge tank on its back, were found. According to these videos, the huge tanks that were being transported are Liquified Petroleum Gas tanks for GASCO’s project in Riyadh. FTE Logistics is said to have been given the contract of transporting these LPG tanks to GASCO’s expansion project. Its YouTube channel had uploaded similar videos (here and here).
In early 2021, Zamil Industrial Investment Company had announced the arrival of these steel tanks (for storing LPG) at GASCO’s headquarters in Riyadh. The same was tweeted by GASCO from its official Twitter account on 13 February 2021. There was no mention of any oxygen being transported to India via these tanks.
لحظة مهمه في تاريخ #غازكو 💚
وصول واستلام الخزان الفولاذي الأول لتخزين غاز البترول المُسال إلى الرياض من شريكنا في النجاح @Zamilindustrial pic.twitter.com/reri6Ig4wg
To sum it up, no, this video does not show the supply of oxygen to India from Saudi Arabia.


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This video does not show Vladimir Putin interacting with the Indian Nationals being evacuated - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 2, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the recent visuals of Russian President Vladimir Putin interacting with the Indian nationals being evacuated from Ukraine. This post claims that Putin had directly gone to the Indian nationals on board Air India flight and convinced them about their ongoing war with Ukraine. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Vladimir Putin interacting with the evacuated Indian nationals from Ukraine.
Fact: The man in the video interacting with the evacuated Indian nationals from Ukraine is Indian Ambassador to Romania, Rahul Shrivastava. Several Union Ministers and prominent news channels have published this video on 26 February 2022. This video has nothing to do with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, a video with similar visuals was found tweeted by the ‘ET Now’ news channel on 26 February 2022. ‘ET Now’ reported it as visuals of the Indian Ambassador to Romania, Rahul Shrivastava, interacting with the evacuated Indian nationals from Ukraine.  ‘DD News’ channel had tweeted the same video and said that Rahul Shrivastava had gone inside the Air India flight and interacted with the evacuated Indian Nationals on their way to Mumbai from Ukraine.
“Whenever you face difficulty in life, remember this day & everything will be fine” – Listen in to India's Ambassador to #Romania Rahul Shrivastava's special message to Indian nationals onboard #AirIndia flight@AmbShrivastava @DrSJaishankar @sameerdixit16 #Ukraine #Evacuation pic.twitter.com/jfSm5Ev1ZZ
Several Union Ministers have shared this video on 26 February 2022. They can be seen here and here. ‘The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting’ YouTube channel too published the video of Rahul Shrivatsava’s interaction with Indian nationals aboard an Air India flight in Romania. Recent pictures of Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiradithya Scindia interacting with Rahul Shrivastava about the ongoing Indian nationals’ evacuation operations can be seen here. There are no reports of Russia President Putin interacting with the evacuated Indian Nationals from Ukraine.
To sum it up, the video of the Indian Ambassador to Romania interacting with the evacuated Indian nationals from Ukraine is falsely linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin.


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No, this video doesn’t show Ambedkar statue being vandalised at Wayanad - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 5, 2019
On social media, a video of Ambedkar statue being vandalised by a person is being shared with the claim that the incident took place at Wayanad in Kerala. Let’s try to check the veracity of that claim.
Video of Ambedkar statue being vandalised at Wayanad.
Fact: The video shows the Ambedkar statue being destroyed at Nagapattinam in Tamilnadu. So, the claim is FALSE.
When searched on YouTube with the keywords “Ambedkar statue vandalised”, many search results were obtained. A search result among them carried the same video clip that was in the Facebook post. That video was uploaded by “Kanak News” on August 25, 2019. As per this video, the incident has taken place in Tamilnadu state.
When searched further, a news video of “BBC News Tamil” that covered about the incident was found and it corroborated that the incident has taken place at Nagapattinam in Tamilnadu.
To conclude, this video doesn’t show Ambedkar statue being vandalised at Wayanad. The incident took place in Nagapattinam of Tamilnadu.
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created: September 5, 2019


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No, this video doesn’t show an aircraft cabin on Air India flight - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 10, 2019
“Air India flight with hajis. We can only sympathise with the cabin crew”, claims a Facebook post that enclosed a video that shows disgusting condition of an aircraft cabin. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
The video showing the disgusting condition of an aircraft cabin travelled by persons with skull caps is on Air India flight.
Fact: The footage was filmed on Saudia Airlines flight from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Hence, the claim that it is an Air India flight stands FALSE.
When the video in the post is run through ‘InVid’ plugin, several keyframes were returned. On subjecting these keyframes to Google Reverse Image Search technique, a certain keyframe directed to an article of “Gulf Business” newspaper. As per this article, this incident has taken place on an inaugural flight from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. This flight belonged to Saudia Airlines (also known as Saudi Arabia Airlines).
When searched with keywords to find reports on this incident by any other news agencies, an article of “Daily Mail” was found. In this article, a video was also included and this is the same video as in the post.  The Daily mail reported that this video recording of the aircraft cabin is on a Saudia Airlines flight from Jeddah. This article was published in 2016.
During our search process, it was found that, earlier, this video was also in circulation alleging that the flight shown in the video belonged to British Airways. AFP FactCheck organisation has written a fact-check article on it.
To summarize, this video doesn’t show an aircraft cabin on Air India flight. It is that of a Saudia Airlines flight.
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