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A fake message claims ‘AYUSH Ministry removed Dr Mujahid Hussain for blocking Coronil approval’. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 25, 2020
A photo of a tweet is being shared widely on social media with a claim that Dr Mujahid Hussain has been removed by the AYUSH Ministry for blocking the approval of ‘Coronil’, the medicine proposed by Patanjali company for COVID-19. The original tweet can be found here (archived). It is being shared in the context of a recent statement by the AYUSH ministry that it has not yet approved any such medicine and asked the company to provide the details regarding the medicine. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post
The AYUSH Ministry has removed their official Dr Mujahid Hussain for blocking the approval of Patanjali’s ‘Coronil’.
Fact: The Ministry has clarified that they have not removed any doctor or medical officer from duty or service at any time in the recent past. The Press Information Bureau has tweeted that the post is fake. Also, FACTLY could not find any official with that name on the AYUSH website. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched for the information given in the post, it was found that the AYUSH Ministry has already issued a clarification regarding the issue. The Ministry has posted on its official Facebook and Twitter accounts that ‘the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, has not removed any doctor or medical officer from duty or service at any time in the recent past’. It has also posted the picture of the same tweet in its clarification. The Press Information Bureau has tweeted that the post is fake. Also, FACTLY could not find any official with the name (‘Mujahid Hussain’) on the Ministry’s website
In a recent update to the ‘Coronil’ issue, Acharya Balkrishna (M.D. of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd) has tweeted the photo of a letter that they received from the AYUSH Ministry, in which the Ministry has said that it will verify the documents for validation of the data related to the research.
To sum it up, the AYUSH Ministry has not removed any doctor or medical officer from duty or service in relation to the ‘Coronil’ issue.
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A Fake newspaper article clip claims Rahul Gandhi disgraced 'Baniyas' by calling them as thieves - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 4, 2019
A post carrying the clip of a newspaper article is being shared by many Facebook users saying that Rahul Gandhi should be defeated in the upcoming general elections for his disgraceful remarks on ‘Baniyas’. The enclosed article states that Rahul Gandhi in his election speech during Rajasthan State Assembly Elections 2018, has referred ‘Baniyas’, a merchant community, as ‘robbers’. Let’s try to analyze the authenticity of the newspaper clip and also the claims made in it.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has called people of ‘Baniya’ community as ‘robbers’ in his election speech during Rajasthan State Assembly Elections 2018.
When searched for any newspaper article regarding Rahul Gandhi’s disgraceful remarks on the ‘Baniya’ community, no such information was found. Even there was no such news reported by the media houses that covered Rahul Gandhi’s election speeches during Rajasthan State Assembly Elections 2018. Hence the claim made is FALSE.
When googled for any news regarding such bizarre remarks made by Rahul Gandhi on the ‘Baniya’ community, no information is found either in the print or the broadcasting media that covers the election speeches. On looking for any other information, it was found that similar newspaper clip was in circulation last year with the same claims on BJP President Amit Shah which was later on proved to be false. So, the last year fake newspaper clip on Amit Shah is now edited and circulated on the name of Rahul Gandhi.
Hence, the newspaper article clip claiming Rahul Gandhi degraded ‘Baniyas’ by calling them as thieves is a fake one.

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Fake videos peddled as visuals of Indian Idol judges getting emotional over singers' performances - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 6, 2024
Several videos are currently circulating on social media, showcasing the judges of the Indian Idol show becoming emotional after seeing the performances of various singers. Let’s examine the validity of these claims in each instance.
Update (06 February 2024):
Another video showcasing the Indian Idol judges’ astonishment at a group’s performance is circulating widely.
However, this video has been digitally created by incorporating clips featuring the judges’ reactions from season 12 of the popular Indian Idol show. These specific reactions were prompted when a contestant named ‘Jeli Keyi Tamin’ performed using both male and female voices.
Several YouTube users posted the video on their channels (here & here), and Jeli Keyi shared a reaction video for this performance on his official Instagram account. The clip features identical visuals of the judges’ reactions, confirming that the viral video was digitally produced by integrating Indian Idol clips into a random singing performance.
Update (09 January 2023):
Video 3:
Another video of a man allegedly performing a song praising Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and PM Narendra Modi in Indian Idol is doing the rounds on social media. Apart from this show’s regular judges and contestants, one can also see Yo Yo Yo Honey Singh applauding the singer in this video.
However, the viral video is an edited one. It was made by splicing up bits from the original TV show and adding them to a video of singer RJ Arvind performing the Yogi and Modi songs, mostly in front of a green screen. We can see the original version of the viral video uploaded on a YouTube channel named Rj Arvind Shorts. Therefore, the viral video does not show a singer performing the ‘Har Taraf Modi Yogi’ song in the Indian Idol.
Update (04 December 2023):
Video 2:
A video of Indian Idol judges crying while a singer sings ‘Tu jitni bhi Chahe Daulat Kama le’ is being widely shared as a real incident. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
The reverse image search of the viral video directed us to the original footage, which was uploaded on the SET India YouTube channel on 08 March 2021. This original video depicts the judges and the audience becoming emotional in response to a tribute song performed by Pawandeep for Major Mohit Sharma. The original footage was subsequently edited to create the impression that the judges were moved by the song performed by the singer in the viral video.
Published (11 August 2023):
Video 1:
A video of a singer allegedly performing like legendary playback singer Mohammad Rafi in the Indian Idol contest is doing the rounds on social media. Let’s verify this video through this claim.
Claim: A singer in the Indian Idol singing exactly like Mohammad Rafi.
Fact: This video contains two different types of clips. One is the actual footage from the Indian Idol show, and the other is footage of a boy named Md Shanu lip-synching to the original audio of the song ‘Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil ’ sung by Mohammed Rafi. Shanu did not perform this on the Indian Idol Stage, his footage is cross cut to the reaction shots of the judges and contestants sitting in the gallery to create an illusion that this is an actual Indian Idol performance. Hence, the claim made in the viral post is False.
Upon observing that the audio of this video sounds like an old recording (listen to the original recording of Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil here ), we suspected that this could be a fake video. Firstly, we performed a keyword search on the internet to see if this was actually a performance featured in Indian Idol, but we could not find any episode of the person featured in the viral video singing this song.
A further search revealed that this video was made by a young boy named Md Shanu, who hails from Rajasthan. This video was uploaded two weeks ago on a channel named ‘Busy Comedy Ltd · 4.7M views · 2 days ago …’ There are a few more similar videos (here and here) on this channel that feature Shanu performing on the Indian Idol stage.
But these videos do not show him actually performing in the Indian Idol; these are edited videos. In a typical episode of the Indian idol, the cheering sounds of the audience are audible, which is absent in the viral video.
Moreover, through further search on the internet, we found a video uploaded on the official channel of SET India, which proved that the viral video was fake. This is a video from the Indian Idol season 13; the reaction shots (here and here) of judges and contestants in this episode are the ones that are seen in the viral video. But, this video does not show the boy performing  ‘Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil ’; it shows singers Mani and Navdeep.
This evidence shows that Shanu has filmed a video of him lip-syncing to the original track of ‘Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil ’ and edited it in a way to make it look like it is a genuine Indian Idol performance. We also found out that there are multiple such videos (here, here, and here) featuring different people on YouTube, which show them lip-syncing to popular Bollywood songs.
These videos are edited to the reactions of the judges taken from the original Indian Idol episodes. Also, there are videos on YouTube on how one can make such videos using a greenscreen; watch them here and here to learn a very basic video on how such videos can be made. All this evidence is clear to conclude that the viral video is not a performance from a real Indian Idol episode.
To sum it up,  fake video is peddled as visuals of an Indian Idol contestant singing exactly like Mohammed Rafi.

created: February 6, 2024


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A fictional story is passed off as real-life incidents of Malappuram collector - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 28, 2022
A social media post that shares excerpts of an alleged conversation between school students and Kerala’s Malappuram district collector Rani Soyamoi is going viral across social media platforms. As per the excerpt, the collector explains the hardships she has gone through in her childhood working in a mica mine. Further, she explains the reason why she does not wear makeup. Through this article, let’s fact-check the veracity of the viral conversation and the story of the collector.
Claim: Real-life story of Malappuram district collector Rani Soyamoi.
Fact: The alleged story attributed to the Malappuram district collector is fictional. It is taken from a Malayali writer Hakeem Morayur’s short story collection ‘Three Women’. Even the name attributed to the collector in the viral post is also taken from the book. Hakeem Morayur himself clarified the same through a Facebook post. On the other hand, the image shared in the post is of Shainamol IAS, who in the past worked as Malappuram collector. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The story narrated in the name of Malappuram district collector Rani Soyamoi is fictional. It is extracted from a Malayali short story collection written by Hakeem Morayur.
Hakeem Morayur through a Facebook post confirmed that the viral story is extracted from his fictional short story collection ‘Three Women’. The short story titled ‘Shining Faces’ from his book is being shared as a real story in the name of Rani Soyamoi, which also happened to be the name of the main character in his book. He also shared an image of the story from his book to substantiate his claim.
On the other hand, the image shared in the viral post is of Shainamol IAS, who in the past worked as the Malappuram collector (here & here). From all these, it is evident that a fictional story is being shared in the name of the Malappuram district collector.
To sum it up, a fictional story is passed off as real-life incidents of the Malappuram collector.

created: January 28, 2022


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A fictional story linked with an old unrelated photo shared as retired Colonel’s suicide in Lucknow - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 18, 2023
Update (18 October 2023):
Another image is now being widely shared on social media with the claim that a retired colonel residing in Lucknow had shot himself as his sons were unconcerned with their lives. However, as explained below, the same story has been going viral with different images over the last few years. There are no news reports of the suicide of a retired Colonel from Lucknow for the reasons mentioned.
Published (15 September 2023):
An image of dead bodies of an elderly couple placed on the pyre is being widely shared on social media claiming that the man was a retired colonel residing in Lucknow and he shot himself as his sons were unconcerned with parents’ lives. Let’s fact check the claim made in the post.
Claim:  Photo of a retired colonel from Lucknow who shot himself in distress as one of his sons couldn’t even attend the last rites of his mother.
Fact: This photo does not show any retired colonel from Lucknow who shot himself in distress. The same story has been going viral with different images over the last few years. There are no news reports of the suicide of a retired Colonel for the reasons mentioned. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Had there been a suicide of a retired Colonel, the media would have covered it widely. So, we searched for national and local news reports regarding this incident in English and Hindi languages but couldn’t find any. We then ran a reverse image search of the viral photo and found that the same photo has been viral since 2018 with different stories. One such post from 2018 can be seen here. The accompanying description says, “Porsa’s Panditji died yesterday evening. When he was being taken for funeral this morning, his wife also sacrificed her life”. We found that Porsa is a town in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh.
Also, the same story as in the viral post has been shared at least since 2019 with various other images. Some of them can be seen here and here
Though we couldn’t independently verify the identities of the deceased couple shown in the viral photo, a report by AajTak states that the couple seen in the viral pic was Chhotelal Sharma (90) and his wife Gangadevi (87) of Puranakhedi, Madhya Pradesh. Chhotelal was a farmer and not a Colonel. The couple had 4 sons and 6 daughters. When Chhotelal died at around 4 am on 03 september 2018, his wife couldn’t bear the shock and died the same evening. Both were cremated on the same pyre.
To sum it up, a fictional story linked with an old unrelated photo is being shared as a retired Colonel’s suicide in Lucknow.

created: October 18, 2023


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A fight over Ganesh statue installation in Hyderabad is shared with a false communal narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 24, 2020
Video of a fight between two groups is being shared widely on social media with a claim that some local Muslim goons in Hyderabad opposed the installation of Ganesh statue and even damaged it. The video shows a few persons beating others. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Muslims opposing the installation of Ganesh statue in Hyderabad and damaging it.
Fact: Moghalpura Police Station SHO has confirmed to FACTLY that both the groups in the video are Hindus. They are also distant relatives and that there is no communal angle to the incident. A minor scuffle broke out when one group opposed the installation of the Ganesh state in front of their house while the other group argued that there were installing the statue at the same place for many years. Also, the statue was not damaged during the fight. It was damaged during transport i.e. before the fight took place. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched about the video, it was found that the same video was posted (archived) by many users on social media claiming the incident happened at Lal Darwaza in Hyderabad.
To know the factual status of this issue, FACTLY contacted Moghalpura Police Station SHO for further information regarding the incident. He has clarified that there is no communal angle to the incident. He said, ‘both the parties in the video are Hindus. They are also distant relatives. A minor scuffle broke out when one group opposed the installation of the Ganesh in front of their house while the other group argued that there were installing the statue at the same place for many years. Later, both the groups came to a compromise and no case has been registered’.  Also, he clarified that the statue was not damaged during the fight. It was damaged during transport i.e. before the fight.
To sum it up, both the groups in the video are Hindus. There is no communal angle to the incident.


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A five-year-old news is being shared as recent incident of fake doctor racket busted in West Bengal - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 29, 2022
A video of ‘NDTV’ news clip is being shared on social media claiming that 560 doctors who carried out medical practice based on fake medical degrees were arrested recently from the top hospitals in Kolkata. This post claims that one of these 560 fake doctors had recently received an award from the President of India. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: News clip reporting a recent fake doctor racket busted in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Fact: The video shared in the post shows an old news clip published by the ‘NDTV’ in June 2017. In June 2017, West Bengal CID identified over 500 doctors practising medicine in government and private hospitals using fake degrees. As part of this fake doctors racket, CID arrested Subhendu Bhattacharya, who received an award from then President Pranab Mukherjee at the inauguration of the 6th Dr. Malati Allen Nobel Award on 19 May 2017. This is not a recent incident. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched for this video using relevant keywords on the internet, we found the same video published on the official YouTube channel of the ‘NDTV’.  ‘NDTV’ published this video on 09 June 2017, with the title, “6 Fake Doctors Arrested In Bengal In A Month, 3 From Top Kolkata Hospitals”. The description of the video states, “ Six fake doctors have been arrested in West Bengal in the last one month. A seventh person was arrested for selling fake MBBS certificates. According to latest reports, large quantities of fake medicines too have been seized in Hooghly district”.
When we searched for further details of this fake doctors rocket busted in West Bengal, we found the details in an article published by ‘The Hindu’ on 07 June 2017. According to the article, over 500 fake doctors who practice medicine using fake medicine degrees were identified by the CID in West Bengal. CID reportedly arrested six fake doctors including two doctors working in renowned private hospitals for practising medicine using fake degrees in West Bengal.
As part of this fake doctors racket, on 02 June 2017, Howrah Police arrested Subhendu Bhattacharya, a well-known doctor in Ramrajatalla Kedarnath Bhattacharya Lane in Howrah, West Bengal. Subhendu Bhattacharya received an award from the then President Pranab Mukherjee at the inauguration of the 6th Dr. Malati Allen Nobel Award on 19 May 2017. Subhendu Bhattacharya was arrested on the charges of using a duplicate registration number and carrying out his practice based on fake medical degrees. However, this is not a recent incident.
To sum it up, a five-year-old news video is being shared as a recent incident of a fake doctor racket busted in West Bengal.


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A flight simulation video shared as video of Air India Express flight just before its accident - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 10, 2020
A video is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows the visuals of Air India Express flight just minutes before its accident at the Kozhikode airport. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Last minutes video of Air India Express flight just before its accident at Kozhikode airport.
Fact: The video does not show real visuals. It is only a flight simulation video representing the accident of Air India Express flight at Kozhikode airport. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On 07 August 2020, the Air India Express flight from Dubai slipped on the runway at Kozhikode airport and fell into the valley. Nearly 18 people lost their lives and many were injured in the accident. Further details regarding the accident can be read here and here.
On observing the video, it can be easily figured out that it looks like an animated video. So, when searched with the keywords, many animated videos which were uploaded as related to the Kozhikode accident were found in the search results. The posted video can be found to be uploaded on YouTube on the day of the accident. In the description of the video, it is mentioned that it is ‘a video simulation with real data of Air India Express flight 1344’. Also, in the title, ‘P3D’ is mentioned. ‘P3D’ or ‘Prepar3D’ is a flight simulation software. Some more simulation videos posted as related to the Kozhikode accident can be watched here and here.
To sum it up, a flight simulation video shared as video of Air India Express flight just before its accident at Kozhikode.
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A fraudulent web link is being shared in the guise of an Aaj Tak news report on Penirun capsule - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 7, 2022
A link is being shared on social media which redirects to an alleged Aaj Tak news article on the Penirun capsule, touted as a solution for erectile dysfunction. Let’s verify this through this article.
Claim: Aaj Tak news report on the Penirun capsule, a medicine made with 100% natural ingredients to treat Erectile Dysfunction.
Fact: The weblink is made to resemble the Aaj Tak website, but the web address of this link is different from that of Aaj Tak. This link is being used to promote a product known as the Penirun capsule. No articles were published on this capsule on the official website of Aaj Tak. Hence the claim made in this post is FALSE.
Upon careful observation, one can notice that the URL of this webpage which looks like the news website Aaj Tak does not contain the words Aaj Tak, in it. The actual URL of Aaj Tak website is ‘https://www.aajtak.in/‘, and the domain name of the viral web link is ‘candies.vintage-store.uk.’
Upon searching for further details about this phishing website, we found that the domain name candies.vintage-store.uk was registered on 7 June 2022. Clicking on the home page buttons on this viral link leads to the purchase box of the product Penirun capsule, where it asks for sensitive information like name and phone number.
We searched the internet with relevant keywords to know if Aaj Tak had published an article on the Penirun capsule but found no relevant information. The viral weblink is just a ploy to lure users into buying the product shown and is being done under the guise of Aaj Tak. Factly recommends that all readers cross-verify such links and the details of the products sold through them before purchasing or entering sensitive (read and read) personal information. Factly has also debunked a few similar scams earlier (here and here). We have noticed a growing trend in such fraudulent links being shared under the guise of some famous personality or brand promoting it. If you find such suspicious posts on social media, please share them with us on our WhatsApp tipline – +91 92470 52470
To sum up, a fraudulent web link is being shared through social media in the guise of an Aaj Tak news report on Penirun capsule.

created: October 7, 2022


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A clip of the video game 'Spintires: MudRunner' is shared as real visuals of a truck driver crossing a difficult pass - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 3, 2023
A video of a heavy truck crossing a canal is being shared on social media through a post. The post’s description showers praise towards the drivers’ skill in crossing a hard pass and the progress in our infrastructure. Let’s fact-check this video through this article.
Claim: A video in which a driver skilfully crosses a difficult pass over a makeshift bridge.
Fact: The viral video clip is from a gameplay video of the video game ‘Spintires: MudRunner,‘ uploaded to Facebook by a gaming video creator named Jim Natelo. Jim uploads gameplay videos of various video games on his Facebook page. Hence the claim made in the post is False.
We ran the viral clip through the InVID tool, which fetched a few video keyframes. Using those keyframes, we performed a reverse image search to know the details behind the video. This search led us to the Facebook page of a ‘Gaming video creator‘ named Jim Natelo, on which we found a video same as the viral clip.
Jim uploaded this video on this page on 22 March 2023 titled ‘emergency bridge technology is very helpful when in a situation like this.’ Jim has around 719K followers on Facebook, and he uploads gameplay videos of various games on his page. This video of a truck crossing a canal on an emergency bridge is a gameplay clip of the video game called ‘Spintires: MudRunner,‘ and he uploaded this to a playlist on his page known as Driving Sills. Spintires is an off-road truck-driving simulation game. When one user commented on Jim’s video that it looked like a game, Jim replied by saying, ‘Yes, Sir.’. Jim also uploads some of his gameplay clips on his Instagram page, which can be seen here and here
To sum up, gameplay footage of a ‘gaming video creator’ is falsely shared as real footage of a driver skilfully crossing a difficult path.


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A gaming video is being shared as visuals of ‘Russia vs. Ukraine MiG-29 vs C- Ram Fight’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 21, 2022
In the context of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, a video is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows ‘Russia Vs Ukraine MiG-29 vs C- Ram Fight’. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a fight between the forces of Russia and Ukraine (MiG-29 vs C-RAM).
Fact: The video shows a clip from the ‘ARMA – 3’ game. The posted video has nothing to do with the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched about the video on the internet with some keywords, the same video was found to be streamed by ‘Warpig Gaming’, a Facebook page that streams gaming videos. As the video went viral with a similar claim, the video creator wrote in the comments that it is from a game called – ‘Arma 3’.
Many similar videos from the ‘Arma 3’ game can be watched here and here. When similar videos from the ‘Arma 3’ game were shared with other false claims previously, FACTLY has debunked them. Those fact-check articles can be read here and here.
To sum it up, the posted video shows a clip from the ‘Arma 3’ game. It is being falsely shared as visuals of ‘Russia Vs Ukraine MiG-29 vs C- Ram Fight’.

created: February 21, 2022


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A GST of 5% is levied on the domestic LPG cylinders; no State imposes 55% tax - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 16, 2021
A post with some figures related to the domestic LPG cylinder price is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the Central government’s tax on an LPG cylinder is just 5% whereas the respective State governments levy a tax of 55%. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: On the domestic LPG cylinders, the State Government levy a tax of 55% whereas the Central Government’s tax is just 5%
Fact: The domestic LPG cylinders fall under the 5% GST (CGST – 2.5% + SGST – 2.5%) slab. The Central and the State governments do not levy separate taxes of their own on the LPG cylinders. There is no basis for the claim that the State government impose a tax of 55% on the LPG cylinders. The numbers given in the post regarding the dealer’s commission are also not correct. The dealer/distributor’s commission is Rs. 61.84 on a 14.2 kg LPG gas cylinder. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Many details are given in the post regarding the components of the domestic LPG cylinder price. Let us try to check the veracity of them individually.
Do State governments impose a 55% tax on LPG?
The GST (Goods and Services Tax) is levied on the domestic LPG cylinder. The Central and the State governments do not levy separate taxes of their own on the LPG cylinders. On the official website of ‘Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)’, it can be found that the domestic LPG cylinders fall under the 5% GST (CGST – 2.5% + SGST – 2.5%) slab. The same information can be also found in the ‘Ready Reckoner’ (November 2020) document released by the ‘Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC)’, of the Government of India.
For example, the 14.2 kg domestic LPG cylinder bill in the below photo can be seen. It can be observed in the bill that there is a CGST of 2.5% and an SGST of 2.5% (i.e., a total of 5% GST). So, there is no basis for the claim that the State government impose a tax of 55% on the LPG cylinders.
How much is the dealer’s commission?
The dealer’s commission is given as Rs. 5.50 in the post. However, on the PPAC website, it can be seen that the dealer/distributor’s commission is Rs. 61.84 on a 14.2 kg LPG gas cylinder. An order was issued by the government in July 2019 for increasing the dealer’s commission to Rs. 61.84 and it can be read here. It was found that the Rs. 61.84 includes Rs. 34.24 as ‘Establishment charges’ and Rs. 27.60 as ‘Delivery charges’. So, the numbers given in the post regarding the dealer’s commission are also not correct.
Different components of the domestic LPG cylinder price:
In the ‘Indian Petroleum & Natural Gas Statistics 2019-20’ report released by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the details regarding the prices of domestic LPG cylinders in four major cities of India, as of 1 April 2020, were found. The details of the cylinder price in Delhi, as of 1 June 2021, can be found here. The retail price of a cylinder includes ‘Market Determined Price’, ‘Distributor Commission’, and ‘GST’. We have already explained the GST and the distributor commission.  Below are the components of the ‘Market Determined Price’.
What are the components of ‘Market Determined Price’?
The details regarding the different components of ‘Market Determined Price’ can be found in the PPAC’s ‘Ready Reckoner’ (June 2018) document. Some of these components’ prices vary according to the States. However, the difference is not due to taxes but due to other factors like location, uncompensated costs under PAHAL, etc.
To sum it up, a GST of 5% is levied on the domestic LPG cylinders; no State imposes 55% tax.


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A gunfight scene from a web series is falsely linked to the Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 8, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming it footage showing the murder of Sidhu Moose Wala. On 29 May 2022, Punjabi singer and politician Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district. Goldy Brar, a Canadian gangster associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has claimed responsibility for Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing the footage of Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder.
Fact: The video shared in the post shows a shootout scene from the web series ‘Shukla the Tiger’.  This video has nothing to do with Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder. Hence, the claim made in the post is FACTLY.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, we found several old social media posts sharing a clearer version of the video. They can be seen here and here. A YouTube channel named ‘MKV Arts Film’ has published a video with similar visuals and described it as the making video of the ‘Shukla the Tiger’, a web series streaming on the MX Player digital platform.
On searching for further reliable sources of this video, we found the same video on actor Ravi Bhatiya’s Facebook page. Ravi Bhatiya posted this video on 23 October 2019 with a description, “Glimpse Of my Upcoming web series ‘Shukla-the terror’ for OTT Rapchee”.  Ravi Bhatiya played the lead role in the ‘Shukla the Tiger’ web series.
When we searched for this gunfight scene in the ‘Shukla the Tiger’ web series, we found this shootout scene in the first season’s eighth episode of the ‘Shukla the Tiger’ web series. From 6:12 minutes of this episode, we could see the shootout scene in the web series. ‘Shukla the Tiger’ web series is inspired from the story of a gangster of Gorkhapur in the 1990s. This web series was released on the MX Player platform in May 2021.
On the other hand, CCTV footage showing the visuals of two cars following Sidhu Moose Wala’s car minutes before his murder can be seen here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post shows a shootout scene from a web series, not the footage of Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder.
To sum it up, a gunfight scene from a web series falsely linked to the Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder.


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A Hindu religious leader was also present at the inauguration ceremony of the newly formed Salumbar district - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 10, 2023
A video of a Muslim religious leader speaking during the Inauguration of the newly formed Salumbar district of Rajasthan (here and here) is going viral on social media (post), claiming that the Congress party has conducted the inaugural ceremony by showing their true colours (asli roop). The post further states that Rajashthan will not tolerate the politics of appeasement. Let’s fact-check this claim through his article.
Claim: Congress party invited a Muslim religious leader to the inaugural ceremony of the newly formed Salumbar district in Rajasthan. This is the actual face of the Congress party.
Fact: Although Muslim leaders were present at the inaugural ceremony of the Salumbar district, it is not true that they were the only religious leaders who graced the event. As per the news reports on this event, Hindu religious leaders like Peethadeeswar Atchyuthanand Maharaj of Beneshwar Dham and Prakashananad Maharaj were also present at the ceremony. A havan ceremony was also performed before the Inauguration. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
To learn more about the viral video, we performed a basic keyword search on the internet, leading us to several news reports (here, here, and here) about the inauguration ceremony of the newly formed Salumbar district in Rajasthan.
This event took place in Rajasthan’s Salumbar on 7 August 2023. In a news report published by Dainik Bhaskar, the presence of Peethadeeswar Atchyuthanand Maharaj of Beneshwar Dham, Muslim religious leader Yamin Qadri, Ishaq Momani of Bohra Samaj, Prakashanand Maharaj was mentioned which signifies that religious leaders from both Hindu and Islam Faiths were present in the event. News reports (here) on this event even mention that a havan ceremony was also conducted before the inauguration event. Havan is a Hindu fire ritual in which grains or ghee are poured into a fire as an offering.
In a live stream of this event uploaded by a YouTube channel named ‘Mewad News 86’, we can see the fire ritual set up in front of the main stage (watch). In the same video, we can also see the host of this event inviting Atchyutanand Maharaj to the podium to speak. You can find the Muslim leader featured in the viral clip giving a speech here in this video. With all this evidence, it is clear that religious leaders from both the Hindu and Islam faith were present at the ceremony, contrary to the viral claim.
To sum up, a Hindu religious leader was also present at the Inauguration ceremony of the newly formed Salumbar district in Rajasthan.


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A JNU Student did not break his iPhone 11 out of anger due to the hostel fee hike. It is satirical news - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 20, 2019
A post is being shared on social media with a claim that a JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) student has broken his iPhone 11 out of anger. The post also claims that the hike in hostel rent was the reason behind his anger. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Due to hike in hostel rent, an angry JNU student broke his iPhone 11.
Fact: The news that a JNU Student breaks his iPhone 11 in anger due to the hostel fee hike is reported by ‘The Fauxy’, which describes itself as ‘India’s Finest, Fastest & Fictitious News Source’. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched on Google with the keywords, it was found that except ‘The Fauxy’, no other news agency has reported about a JNU student breaking his iPhone 11 due to hike in hostel fees.  The news about this incident was published by ‘The Fauxy’ on its website on 11 November 2019. The posted image is the screenshot of ‘The Fauxy’ article. On the ‘Fauxy’ website, the following disclaimer can be seen:
Also, on its Twitter account, it can be seen that ‘The Fauxy’ describes itself as ‘India’s Finest, Fastest & Fictitious News Source’. So, a piece of satirical news is being shared as a true incident.
A lot of people are sharing this on social media assuming this to be true.
To sum it up, a JNU Student did not break his iPhone 11 out of anger due to the hostel fee hike. It is satirical news published by a satirical portal.
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created: November 20, 2019


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A Kashmiri woman will not lose residency rights if married to a non-permanent resident and a Pakistani will not get Kashmiri citizenship by marrying a Kashmiri woman - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 6, 2019
A post is being shared on social media with a claim that the Article 370 is completely anti-national as it allows a Pakistan man to get Kashmiri citizenship by marrying a Kashmiri woman but denies the Kashmiri citizenship to Kashmiri women who marry men from other states of India. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
According to Article 370, if a Kashmiri woman marries a person from a different state then the girl will lose her Kashmiri Citizenship. But, if she marries a person from Pakistan then that Pakistan man will get Kashmiri Citizenship.
Fact: According to the J&K High Court judgement in 2002, the Kashmiri women will not lose her residency rights if they marry a man from another state. Also, a Pakistan man will not get Kashmiri citizenship if he marries a Kashmiri woman. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
There are two parts in the claim: One is Kashmiri woman losing Kashmiri Citizenship and the other is Pakistan men getting Kashmiri Citizenship. Let’s check each one of them individually.
Kashmiri Women losing Kashmiri Citizenship or Residency rights
When searched for the information on this issue on Google with keywords ‘Kashmiri women loses citizenship if married to non-citizen’, an article by Business Standard on this issue can be found in the search results. According the article, the former Advocate General of Jammu and Kashmir government Ishaq Qadri told PTI, “This issue was settled by a full bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court in the case titled State and others vs Dr Susheela Sawhney and others in October 2002 by striking down the provision of the state subject (permanent residency) law according to which women marrying outsiders would lose their permanent resident status“. Also, when looked at the judgement of the J&K HC, it can be found that the judgement reads: ‘In view of the majority opinion, we hold that a daughter of a permanent resident marrying a non-permanent resident will not lose the status of permanent resident of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.’ The same can be found in the document prepared by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
As per news reports, the Jammu & Kashmir Government confirmed that it had no intentions to re-introduce the Permanent Resident Women Disqualification Bill contradicting the 2002 High Court judgement. This bill was supposed to nullify the J&K high court judgment. But the J&K government did not go ahead.
Pakistan men getting Kashmiri Citizenship by marrying Kashmiri women:
In the document prepared by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, it can be found that the 1927 notification of Maharaja Hari Singh talks only about acquiring of residency rights by a female spouse (who is a non-citizen) from the husband (who is a citizen). It does not talk about men acquiring residency rights from marrying women (who are citizens of Kashmir). It can be found in a document uploaded by ‘The Hindu’ that this provision is being ‘interpreted as also suggesting that a woman from Jammu and Kashmir who marries outside the state would lose her status as a state subject.’
The HC court judgement in 2002 retained the residency rights to Kashmiri women, who marry non-permanent residents, but the judgement did not explicitly mention anything about the status of her child and non-permanent resident spouse. According to an article in the Economic Times, even in 2019, ‘the women of the state still can’t pass on their state subject rights to their children and non-permanent resident spouses.’ So, any man, who is not a permanent resident of Jammu and Kashmir, marrying a woman from Jammu and Kashmir will not get Kashmiri citizenship, he may be either Pakistani or Indian.
To sum it up, a Kashmiri woman will not lose residency rights if married to a non-permanent resident as per a J&K High Court judgment of 2002 and a Pakistani will not get Kashmiri citizenship by marrying a Kashmiri woman.
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created: August 6, 2019


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A land dispute over a Muslim man’s memorial is shared with a false communal narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 19, 2022
Video of a muslim man breaking the entrance of a temple like structure with a sledgehammer is being widely shared on social media. The post claims that it shows muslims demolishing an ancient temple in Andhra Pradesh. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Visuals of a Muslim man demolishing an ancient Hindu temple in Andhra Pradesh.
Fact: The incident shown in the video took place in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh on 12 October 2022. According to the media reports and Guntur police, the structure shown in the video is not a temple. It is ‘Hazrat Baji Baba Nishan’ Dargah built by a converted-Muslim person named Rahman alias Yesu Ratnam 40 years ago. As a tribute to his late wife Naga Ratnamma, he put snakes along with star and crescent at the entrance of the structure. Locals irrespective of religion used to worship there. But after the death of Rahman few years ago, his daughter and others claimed that his father wanted a mosque to be built at this place and tried demolishing it on 12 October 2022. This outraged locals who wanted to keep the existing structure. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We searched the internet with relevant keywords and found several news articles regarding this issue. They can read here, here, and here. According to these reports, on 12 October 2022, some unidentified people tried to demolish ‘Hazrat Baji Baba Nishan’ Dargah located at LR colony, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. People belonging to all the communities have been offering prayers at the dargah for the past 40 years. When the landowner died a few years ago, the locals used to maintain it and also collected money for its repair work. However, a few people on 12 October 2022 attempted to demolish the dargah, claiming that they will construct a new mosque at that place.
After enquiring into the issue, Lalapet police station Circle Inspector Prabhakar, said “Yesu Ratnam alias Rehman along with his wife Naga Ratnamma used to live in Guntur’s LR colony. After his wife’s death around 40 years ago, he built a Dargah like structure (memorial) and offered prayers there. Other residents also used to visit this place irrespective of their religion. After Yesu Ratnam’s death a few years ago, his daughter Sathyavathi and members of a nearby Mosque in Sangadi Gunta claimed that Yesu Ratnam wanted a mosque to be built in this dargah’s place after his death. On, 12 October 2022, some unknown persons tried to demolish the compound wall, while the locals protested it. The entire incident is regarding the land dispute and not a communal one. Strict action will be taken on people who spread false information about this incident on social media.”
“Rahman was a Christian, and he later converted to Islam, his late wife’s name was Naga Ratnamma, and thats why he put Nag (snakes) statue and he also put moon and star at the dargah. However, those sharing fake news are only pointing to the nag statue,” said Prabhakar in an interview with Boom. The visuals of then entrance can be seen here
Also, during an investigation by Guntur district waqf board inspector Mukhtar Basha, the locals revealed that this place doesn’t contain grave of any Muslim person. According to Times of India, Dargahs are shrines built on the graves of religious figures.  As on date, the locals are urging the state government to look into this issue and do them justice.
To sum it up, a land dispute over a Muslim man’s memorial is shared with a false communal narrative.

created: October 19, 2022


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A Latin American artist’s work is falsely portrayed as French people urinating on an African child - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 13, 2023
A video depicting a few individuals urinating on a black child is circulating along with a claim that the individuals in the footage are urinating on a Malian child in a French village, in the wake of Mali’s decision to expel the French ambassador. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: A video depicting a few individuals urinating on a Malian child in a French village, in the wake of Mali’s decision to expel the French ambassador.
Fact: The visuals showcase an artwork created by Regina José Galindo; a Guatemalan performance artist renowned for her body art. This particular artwork is called PIEDRA, which aims to shed light on the historical violence experienced by Latin American women. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
In January 2022, Mali made the announcement that it was expelling the French ambassador, Joel Meyer, in response to what they perceived as hostile and offensive comments from France, their former colonial power, regarding Mali’s transitional government. Furthermore, recently the military junta in Niger also took the step of expelling the French ambassador.
However, it’s important to clarify that the viral visuals in question do not portray any form of retaliation by the French. Instead, they showcase an artwork created by Regina José Galindo, a Guatemalan performance artist renowned for her body art. When conducting a reverse image search on the viral visuals, we discovered identical imagery on Vimeo under the title ‘PIEDRA by Regina Jose Galindo’, uploaded seven years ago.
Taking a cue from this, further search with relevant keywords led us to articles that documented this performance (here & here). According to these sources, the artwork’s purpose is to shed light on the historical violence experienced by Latin American women. Additionally, Regina José Galindo’s website showcased this specific art performance, describing it as follows: “My body remains motionless, covered in coal, resembling a stone. Two volunteers and an audience member urinate on my stone-like body.”
A few more artworks of Regina José Galindo can be viewed here & here. Consequently, all of this evidence confirms that the circulating work is inaccurately presented as an act of revenge by French individuals in response to the expulsion of their ambassador.
To sum it up, a Latin American artist’s work is falsely portrayed as French people urinating on an African child.

created: September 13, 2023


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A list with names of Nepali casualties and injured in Hamas attacks is shared as that of Indian citizens - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 17, 2023
A post claiming that 17 Indians have been kidnapped by Hamas in Israel and that out of 17 members, 10 are killed is being shared widely on social media. It further criticizes the I.N.D.I alliance for not addressing this issue. Let’s verify the claim made in the post
Claim: 17 Indians have been kidnapped by Hamas in Israel and 10 among them are killed
Fact: The names in the list are of 17 Nepali students who went to Israel as a part of the ‘Learn and Earn’ scheme. Among them, 10 were killed in the attack whereas one went missing and the rest were injured. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
On a relevant keyword search about the claim, we did not find any credible reports stating that Indian citizens were kidnapped or killed in the Hamas attacks. Moreover, in such a case, the Ministry of External Affairs would have confirmed the news to the media.
Further research, led us to posts on X (here and here) with a list of the same names and stating them as Nepali citizens. Subsequently, we confirmed that these are the names of 17 Nepali citizens who went to Israel as a part of the ‘Learn and Earn’ scheme. The names mentioned in the claim are the same as those mentioned by the Nepali ambassador to Israel as per the news reports (here, here, and here). Among 17 students, 10 were killed in the attack whereas the rest were injured and one went missing.
As far as the latest information regarding Indian citizens in Israel is concerned, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs during the recent media briefing stated that they have not received any information regarding Indian causalities in the Hamas attacks so far. We also found news reports confirming the same (here and here).
To sum up, a list with names of Nepali casualties and those injured in Hamas attacks is shared as that of Indian Citizens.

created: October 17, 2023


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A little Girl's photo from Bangladesh now revived as seen with beggars in Jaunpur, UP - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 7, 2020
A collage with photos of a girl is being shared on social media claiming that she was spotted along with the beggars in Jaunpur city in Uttar Pradesh. The post also claims that she was found in a train coming from Mumbai, and requests everyone to help the girl in reaching her parents. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Photos of a little girl seen with beggars in the streets of Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: The girl in the photo can be seen holding a tray filled with Bangladeshi currency notes. A Bangladesh newspaper reports her as a kidnapped girl of Bagerhat city in Bangladesh, found begging in the streets of Dhaka. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On observing the currency notes in the tray held by the girl, we found out that it is not Indian Currency. When they are carefully observed, it is found that the currency notes in the tray show the image of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Only Bangladeshi Currency has the image of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman printed on them.
On reverse image search of the photos shared in the post, we found an article (archived) published by ‘Ajker Comilla’ on ‘13 July 2019’. In the article, it is mentioned that a girl who was kidnapped two years ago from Bagerhat city in Bangladesh, was found begging in the streets of Banani, a Neighbourhood town of Dhaka. It is also mentioned in the article that this girl was earlier found begging at multiple places in Dhaka.
The same photo was earlier shared as a girl seen with Tamil beggars in Mangalore.
To sum it up, photos of a girl from Bangladesh is falsely shared as a girl seen with beggars in Jaunpur, UP.
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created: August 7, 2020


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A made-up story is viral with old visuals of two separate incidents of air hostesses getting heckled - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 18, 2024
A collage of three photographs showing a flight attendant in an aisle where she seems to be trying to hide her face with her hands is doing the rounds on social media. It is claimed that these photos belong to an incident in which the pilot of this flight forgot to turn off the mic inside the cockpit. Allegedly, after announcing the time of the landing, he told his co-pilot that he would have a cup of chai and kiss the air hostess. Apparently, she fell in the aisle, attempting to turn off the mic. This article aims to verify the authenticity of this claim.
Claim: Visuals of an embarrassed flight attendant after she fell in the aisle attempting to turn off the pilot’s cockpit microphone.
Fact: These visuals show two separate old incidents that occurred in 2014 and 2016, respectively. The first one took place on an AirAsia flight, and the second and third photos belong to an incident that happened on a Russian airline named Aeroflot. The first screenshot of the collage shows a 2014 incident in which a Chinese passenger threw a cup of boiling hot water at a flight attendant on an Air Asia flight. The remaining two images show a 2016 incident that was reported to have happened when a flight attendant was giving the flight safety instructions, and a bunch of football fans onboard tried to distract her. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Through performing a reverse image search on the three individual pictures of the viral collage, we learned that these images show two different incidents that happened on flights; none of them match with the viral claim that these photos showed an embarrassed flight attendant who fell while trying to turn off a cockpit microphone kept on by a pilot. The first image from the left in a clockwise direction is from an incident that happened in 2014, while the remaining two are linked to an incident from 2016.
Image one
News reports (here, here, and here) from December 2014 that contained this image stated that the picture shows a flight attendant who was attacked by a passenger.
Reportedly, this incident took place on an AirAsia flight travelling from Bangkok to Nanjing, where a female Chinese passenger attacked a flight attendant with hot water after an argument broke out between her and the air hostess.
Images two and three
Reverse image searches and keyword searches regarding these two images led us to news reports (here and here) and social media posts from 2016 that contained screenshots similar to the second and third images in the viral collage.
Reportedly, these visuals show an Aeroflot (Russian Airlines) flight attendant being distracted by a few football fans on a flight while she was performing the safety drill. Speaking to Dailymail online, a spokesperson for the airline said, “…safety is always our top priority, and we encourage even frequent flyers, and even excitable football fans, to pay attention to demonstrations, as they contain important information that all passengers need to know.’ ”
All of this evidence makes it clear that these visuals from two separate incidents are being shared with a false and made-up story of a pilot who forgot to mute his cockpit microphone.
To sum up, the viral collage shows flight attendants being heckled by a bunch of passengers in two separate incidents but not the made-up incident in which the pilot forgot to turn off his cockpit microphone.

created: January 18, 2024


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A major Dravidian language is now the mother tongue of only 18.9% Indians, down from 23% in 1971
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 29, 2018
The Census office recently released the 2011 census data on language and mother tongue. As is the case with population growth rates, the Dravidian languages, spoken in the southern states are now the mother tongue of only 18.9% Indians, down from 23% in 1971.
The Census office recently released the 2011 Census data on language and mother tongue. On account of the lower growth rate of population in the southern states, the major Dravidian languages are now the mother tongue of a lesser proportion of Indians compared to 1971. Hindi is now the mother tongue of 43.63% Indians compared to 36.99% in 1971.
Scheduled languages still the most widely spoken
The 22 languages included in the 8 schedule of the constitution account for the mothe tongue of 96.72% Indians as per the 2011 census.  This has been more or less consistent at around 97% since 1971 except for the year 1981.  As far as the 1981 census is concerned , the full figures for Tamil are not available as the records were lost in floods. Similarly, the 1981 census could not be conducted in Assam because of disturbed conditions.   Hence the figures for even 1981 could have been similar if they were part of the census.
Hindi is the most widely spoken
Among the 22 scheduled languages, the most widely spoken language is Hindi. As per the 2011 census, 43.63% Indians reported Hindi as their mother tongue. Bengali with 8.03% is next in the list. Marathi was reported as the mother tongue by 6.86% whereas Telugu was reported by 6.7%. Tamil with 5.7% is the only other language to be reported as the mother tongue by more than 5% of the population. In all, 13 of the 22 scheduled languages were reported as the mother tongue by at least 1% of the population. In other words, each of the 13 languages (out of the 22 scheduled languages) is the mother tongue of at least 1 crore Indians. Except for Sanskrit, each of the 21 scheduled languages was reported as the mother tongue by at least 10 lakh people. Sanskrit is the only language to have been reported by a negligible set of people (about 25000).
Major Dravidian languages lose their share
As is the case with population growth rates, the percentage of Indians who reported one of the four major Dravidian languages as their mother tongue has gone down significantly since 1971. The four major Dravidian languages (Telugu, Tamil, Kannada & Malayalam) were reported as the mother tongue by 23% Indians in the 1971 census. It has come down to 18.89% in the 2011 census. In terms of proportion, the major Dravidian languages lost close to 18% in these 40 years. On the other hand, the percentage of Indians who reported Hindi as their mother tongue increased from 36.99% in 1971 to 43.63% in 2011, owing to the higher population growth rate of the Hindi speaking states.Among the four languages, Malayalam, Telugu & Tamil have seen significant reduction in their share. Malayalam, which was reported as the mother tongue by 4% Indians in 1971 is now down to 2.88%. Telugu on the other hand decreased from 8.16% in 1971 to 6.7% in 2011.


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A man chopped off his friend’s head for speaking ill of his mother, not for raping his sister. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 22, 2019
A picture of a man carrying the head of another man is being shared on Facebook with the claim that the man in the photo chopped off the head of a rapist. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
In Chennai, a man chopped off the head of a rapist who raped his sister. Then he took that head to the police station
Fact: The photo is real and the man in the photo chopped off the head of another man. But, the reason for that crime is not rape. The man chopped off the head of his friend who spoke ill of his mother. Also, the incident took place in the Mandya district of Karnataka, not in Chennai. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the images in the post are run through Google Reverse Image Search, links to various articles with similar photos can be found in the search results. According to ‘The News Minute’ article, the photos were taken at Malavalli Police Station in Mandya district of Karnataka, not in Chennai. The accused chopped off the head of his friend in a fight which started when the victim spoke ill of the accused’s mother. So, the incident is not connected to any rape.
To sum it up, a man chopped off his friend’s head for speaking ill of his mother, not for raping his sister.
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A manipulated video falsely portrays CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan discussing BJP's crisis in Madhya Pradesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 30, 2023
In recent times, a video showcasing Madhya Pradesh’s Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan engaged in an official meeting is viral on social media platforms. The video seemingly shows the Chief Minister addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) current predicament in Madhya Pradesh, attributed to public dissatisfaction with the unemployment rate and inflation. As a solution to the presented dilemma, he recommends promoting votes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name to avoid an impending defeat in the upcoming assembly elections. This article seeks to fact-check the authenticity of this viral video.
Claim: Madhya Pradesh’s Chief Minister recommends appealing votes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s name in the upcoming 2023 assembly elections.
Fact: The video in question is an edited snippet from an older clip, and a voice-over has been added to this, which is not part of the original video. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
We started by noticing the ANI logo on the video, prompting us to search for related keywords on the internet. This search led us to ANI’s previously uploaded clips (here and here) on X and their YouTube channel, dating back to June 2023, which are identical to the viral video.
According to the video description, the original footage depicts Madhya Pradesh’s Chief Minister conducting an internal review meeting (here and here) to prepare for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state.
Interestingly, the ANI video does not contain the audio segment present in the viral snippet – a significant piece of evidence supporting the fact that the viral claim was morphed with a deceptive voice-over orchestrating a false narrative.
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a review meeting regarding the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state. pic.twitter.com/zThnisb1nP
We can conclude that the dialogue featured in the viral clip was not originally part of the video.
To sum up, this video of Madhya Pradesh’s Chief Minister addressing a crisis situation within the BJP and recommending election strategies is morphed.

created: October 30, 2023


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A map showing the movement of 20 eagles over one year period shared as the journey of a single eagle over 20 years - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 4, 2022
A collage of images is being shared on social media claiming that the map in  the collage shows an eagle’s journey over 20 years. According to the post, the eagle was fitted with a tracker in Russia and was recovered 20 years later after the bird finally died in Saudi Arabia. Sharing the pictures, this post claims that the eagle had travelled great distances crossing many countries but avoided crossing the sea. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Map showing an eagle’s journey over 20 years.
Fact: The map shared in the post depicts the journey of 20 juvenile steppe eagles (Aquila Nipalensis) over a period of one year. Each purple line shows an individual eagle’s journey over eight to ten months. These twenty eagles were tagged with GPS trackers in 2018, in Western Kazakhstan, by the team of Dr. Katzner and Dr. Bragin. The images shared in the post were taken after one of the twenty eagles was found dead in Saudi Arabia in 2019. The map does not show the GPS tracking of a single eagle over twenty years. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the photos shared in the post, similar pictures were found in an article published by the ‘Good Times’ website in March 2019. This article reported that a man from the Jizan region in Saudi Arabia had found a dead eagle with a tracking device that recorded every place the bird visited over one year. As per these reports, Fahd Qash, who found the GPS tracker on the dead eagle’s body in Saudi Arabia, later found that the tracker was fitted to the bird in Kazakhstan. Further, the article reported that the dead eagle was a part of a study conducted by a group of scientists on twenty eagles.
When we searched for further sources using the relevant keywords on the internet, we found that an ornithologist named Elena Schneider had published a Facebook post issuing a clarification regarding the rumours circulating about this map on social media. Responding to the social media claims about this map depicting the movement of an eagle over 20 years, Elena Schneider said, “Disclosure! FAKE NEWS! Today many Internet users are excited with a story of an eagle who was tracked by ornithologists for 20 years before it died in Saudi Arabia. Pictures are attached. Unfortunately, 20 years ago we didn’t have such technology of GPS/GSM data transmitting. The map, in fact, depicts tracks of 20 juvenile Steppe Eagles (Aquila nipalensis) that were tagged in 2018 in Western Kazakstan by the team of Dr.Katzner and Dr. Bragin. Photos represent a bird that died in Saudi Arabia. On all images, you can see a juvenile Steppe Eagle.”
The AFP fact-check team contacted Dr.Katzner, to whom Elena Schneider credited the pictures. Speaking to the AFP, Katzner said that he and his team had been studying the migration routes and behaviour of steppe eagles from Central Asia by attaching GPS trackers to the birds. Katzner clarified to AFP that the map shows about 10 months of movement data from 20 steppe eagles from Kazakhstan. Katzner said that each purple line in the map shows the movements of an individual eagle over eight to 10 months. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the map shared in the post shows the movement of 20 steppe eagles over 10 months, not a single eagle’s journey over 20 years. The tracking map does show all the eagles avoiding the sea route while travelling to different parts of East Asia and Africa.
To sum it up, a map showing the movement of 20 eagles over one year is shared as the journey of a single eagle over 20 years.

created: November 4, 2022


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A ‘meme’ is being circulated as ‘pro-Modi cartoon published in a European newspaper’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 30, 2019
A post with an image is being widely shared on Facebook with the claim that it shows a pro-Modi cartoon published in a European newspaper. Let’s check the authenticity of the claim.
Image of a pro-Modi cartoon published in a European newspaper.
Fact: The image is a ‘meme’. No such cartoon was found to be published  in any of the European newspapers. Hence, the claim is FALSE.
In the image, ‘spiderman’ is seen marked as ‘Modi’, ‘India’ as ‘child’ and the ‘bus’ as ‘Congress, Mamata Benerjee, China, Pakistan….’. When the image in the post is subjected to Google reverse image search technique, it was found that the cartoon is being used with various versions as a ‘meme’.
When searched if any of the newspapers in Europe had published the pro-Modi cartoon, no such cartoon was found. The templates of the above kind might have been created using ‘Meme Creator’.
To summarize, a ‘meme’ is being circulated as ‘pro-Modi cartoon published in a European newspaper’.
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created: December 30, 2019


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A Mexican professor carrying his student’s baby is shared with a false narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 4, 2021
A collage with the photos of a professor teaching with a baby in his arms is being shared on social media. This post claims him as the widower who is looking after his child and teaching in the college together. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photos of a widower professor teaching by holding his baby in his arms.
Fact: These photos show a Mexican professor carrying his student’s baby while she was taking the notes in his class. This incident took place at Inter-American University for Development (UNID) in Mexico in 2016. The baby in his arms is not his baby. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photos shared in the post, we found the same photos in a Mexican news article published on 13 July 2016. In the article, it is reported that Moisés Reyes Sandoval, a law professor at the Inter-American University for Development (UNID) in Acapulco, carried his student’s baby while she was taking notes in his class. Moisés Reyes Sandoval shared these pictures on his Facebook page on 06 July 2016. Moisés Reyes Sandoval, in his post, mentioned that ‘I have a student, who has not dropped out of school despite her different roles. So, I decided to carry her son without interrupting the class and her to take notes’.
News articles and videos reporting this incident can be seen here, here, and here. Few social media handles shared this information in 2016. They can be seen here and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the professor in the photo carried his student’s baby while teaching, not his baby.
To sum it up, the photo of a Mexican professor carrying his student’s baby while teaching is shared with a false narrative.

created: February 4, 2021


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A mock interview video by Drishti IAS Academy is shared as real footage of the UPSC Final Oral Interview - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 13, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming that it shows the UPSC final oral interview conducted by Dr. Vikash Divyakrithi. The video shows a panellist asking an aspirant about the Advaita Vedanta philosophy of Shankaracharya. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing real footage of the UPSC final oral interview.
Fact: The video shared in the post shows a mock interview conducted by the Drishti IAS Academy before the UPSC 2022 examination. The video features Vikas Divyakrithi, the founder of Drishti IAS Academy, interviewing Pooja Meena, who achieved the 467th rank in the UPSC Exam 2022. The video does not show real footage of the UPSC final oral interview. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched for the video using relevant keywords on the internet, a video with similar visuals was found published by the Drishti IAS Academy YouTube channel in May 2023. This YouTube channel in the description of the video stated it is a mock interview given by UPSC 2022 topper Pooja Meena at Drishti IAS Academy before the UPSC 2022 examination. The video features Vikas Divyakrithi, the Founder and Managing Director of Drishti IAS Academy, interviewing Pooja Meena.
The description of the video states- “Pooja Meena has secured 467th rank in UPSC CSE exam 2022. The mock interview she had given at Drishti IAS Institute has been uploaded on Drishti IAS Channel. We extend our heartiest congratulations to Pooja Meena on this great achievement. We feel immense pleasure to be a part of his beautiful journey and once again we wish him all the very best for a bright future.”
A disclaimer provided at the start of the video states, “Drishti IAS invites experts from various fields for its mock interview panel. So that candidates can be given real interview-like experience and training through various questions, answers, views, and feedback. The questions, answers, and discussions do not reflect the ideology of the panellists or our organization. Drishti IAS is ideologically committed to the constitutional values” (when the text was translated from Hindi to English). A few other mock interviews published by the Drishti IAS Institute can be seen here, here, and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post shows just a mock interview, not the final oral interview conducted by the UPSC. Further, the footage of the actual UPSC interviews is not published and they are not available in the public domain.
To sum it up, a mock interview video by Drishti IAS Academy is shared as real footage of the UPSC final oral interview.


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A morphed fake letter is being shared in the name of RSS that asks Hindu men to entrap Muslim women - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 11, 2023
A purported letter attributed to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is being shared on social media claiming that RSS is conspiring to trap Muslim women to convert them to Hinduism. The purported letter of RSS  encourages Hindu men to trap Muslim girls by providing a list of tips to gain trust, have a relationship with them and then force them to convert to Hinduism. The purported letter of RSS talks of a 15-day training programme to Hindu men on how to trap Muslim girls and says that RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat had set a target of converting one million girls to Hinduism every year. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of the purported RSS letter that is inciting Hindu men to entrap Muslim girls and convert to Hinduism.
Fact: RSS did not issue any such letter inciting Hindu men to trap Muslim  women and convert them to Hinduism. The RSS logo on the purported letter is not the logo used by the RSS in its official press statements. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched for this video using relevant keywords on the internet, we could not find any news report about such an open letter by the RSS targetting the Muslim women. No such letter was found published on the official Twitter and Facebook handles of the RSS.
A few official press statements issued by RSS can be seen here, here and here. On comparing the images of these official press statements with that of the purported RSS letter shared in the post, one can easily spot that the logo used in the purported letter is not the official logo of the RSS used it is press statements.
Similar letters have been viral on the internet for a few years now. But there is no evidence of RSS issuing such letters.
To sum it up, a morphed fake letter is attributed to RSS stating that the organization is inciting Hindu men to trap Muslim women to convert to Hinduism.


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YSRCP ఎన్నికల మేనిఫెస్టో విడుదల కార్యక్రమాన్ని చంద్రబాబు చూస్తున్నట్లుగా షేర్ చేస్తున్న ఈ ఫోటో మార్ఫింగ్ చేయబడింది - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 2, 2024
27 ఏప్రిల్ 2024న ఏపీ సీఎం, YSRCP అధినేత వై.ఎస్ జగన్మోహన్ రెడ్డి YSRCP 2024 అసెంబ్లీ ఎన్నికల మేనిఫెస్టో విడుదల చేశారు. ఈ ఎన్నికల మేనిఫెస్టో విడుదల కార్యక్రమాన్ని టీడీపీ అధినేత నారా చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు చూస్తున్నట్లుగా ఉన్న ఫోటో ఒకటి సోషల్ మీడియాలో వైరల్ అవుతుంది(ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ, & ఇక్కడ). ఈ కథనం ద్వారా అందులో ఎంత నిజముందో చూద్దాం.
క్లెయిమ్: YSRCP ఎన్నికల మేనిఫెస్టో విడుదల కార్యక్రమాన్ని చూస్తున్న చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు ఫోటో.
ఫాక్ట్(నిజం): ఈ వైరల్ ఫోటో మార్ఫింగ్ చేయబడింది. 26 నవంబర్ 2017న చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు రియల్ టైమ్ గవర్నెన్స్ స్టేట్ సెంటర్ ను ప్రారంభించినప్పడు తీసిన ఫోటోను మార్ఫ్ చేసి ఈ వైరల్ ఫోటో రూపొందించారు. కావున పోస్టు ద్వారా చెప్పేది తప్పు.
ఈ వైరల్ ఫోటోకు సంబంధించిన సమాచారం కోసం, గూగుల్ రివర్స్ ఇమేజ్ సెర్చ్ చేసి వెతికితే, ఇలాంటి దృశ్యాలనే చూపిస్తున్న ఫోటో ఒకటి లభించింది. ఈ ఫోటోను నారా చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు యొక్క అధికారిక ఫేస్‌బుక్ పేజీ 26 నవంబర్ 2017న పోస్ట్ చేసింది. ఈ ఫోటో వివరణలో, “ఈ రోజు సచివాలయలోని మొదటి బ్లాక్‌లో రియల్ టైమ్ గవర్నెన్స్ స్టేట్ సెంటర్ ప్రారంభించాను. సుసంపన్నమైన మరియు సాంకేతికంగా అభివృద్ధి చెందిన ఈ కేంద్రం నిఘా విభాగం, ఫిర్యాదుల పరిష్కారం, ప్రకృతి వైపరీత్యాల సమయంలో పౌరులను హెచ్చరిక చేసే వ్యవస్థలు మొదలైనవాటిని ఇ-గవర్నెన్స్, టెక్నాలజీ మరియు ఎలక్ట్రానిక్స్ కమ్యూనికేషన్‌లకు సమకాలీకరించబడిన వేదికగా పనిచేస్తుంది. ఇది 13 జిల్లాల్లో, రాష్ట్రంలోని అన్ని కుటుంబాల డేటాను సమర్ధవంతమైన పాలనతో వారి జీవితాలను ప్రభావితం చేయడానికి, ‘పీపుల్ ఫస్ట్’మంత్రానికి భరోసానిచ్చే పర్యావరణ వ్యవస్థగా కూడా పని చేస్తుంది”. 26 నవంబర్ 2017న ఈ రియల్ టైమ్ గవర్నెన్స్ స్టేట్ సెంటర్ ప్రారంభం గురించి రిపోర్ట్ చేస్తున్న పలు వార్త కథనాలు ఇక్కడ, ఇక్కడ & ఇక్కడ చూడవచ్చు.
వైరల్ ఫోటోను, ఈ ఫేస్‌బుక్ ఫోటోను పోల్చి చూస్తే, వైరల్ ఫోటోలో చంద్రబాబు ముందు ఉన్న స్క్రీన్‌పై వై.ఎస్. జగన్ చిత్రం తప్ప మిగతావన్నీ ఒకేలా ఉండడం గమనించవచ్చు. దీన్ని బట్టి 2017లో చంద్రబాబు రియల్ టైమ్ గవర్నెన్స్ స్టేట్ సెంటర్ ప్రారంభించినప్పటి ఫోటోను మార్ఫింగ్ చేసి ఈ వైరల్ ఫోటో రూపొందించారని నిర్ధారించవచ్చు.
చివరగా, టీడీపీ అధినేత చంద్రబాబు నాయుడు YSRCP ఎన్నికల మేనిఫెస్టో విడుదల కార్యక్రమాన్ని చూస్తున్నారని షేర్ చేస్తున్న ఈ వైరల్ ఫోటో మార్ఫింగ్ చేయబడింది.


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A Morphed photo is being falsely shared as gangster Vikas Dubey dancing with BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 13, 2020
A photo of gangster Vikas Dubey dancing along with BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra has gone viral on social media. Gangster Vikas Dubey & his men killed 8 police personnel including a Deputy Superintendent of police (D.S.P) and 3 Sub Inspectors in Bikaru village, Kanpur. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Image of Gangster Vikas Dubey dancing  with Sambit Patra.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is a morphed one. Vikas Dubey, 21 days before his encounter danced in a wedding reception of his follower Amar Dubey. By morphing the face of a person dancing with Vikas Dubey with that of Sambit Patra, this photo is being falsely shared on social media. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, we found the original photo in the article published by a Hindi newspaper website ‘Amar Ujala’. By observing the photo shared in that article, it is understood that the image shared in the viral post is a morphed one. In the article, they described that 21 days before his encounter, Gangster Vikas Dubey attended a wedding reception of his follower Amar Dubey. He danced along with his friends and followers in that wedding party. Morphing the face of a person who danced with Vikas Dubey with the face of Sambit Patra, this viral photo is being falsely sharing on the social media platforms. Article with similar content showing the original photo was found also in ‘Asr24news’ website.
On ‘02 July 2020’, Gangster Vikas Dubey and his mean killed 8 police personnel including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (D.S.P), 3 Sub Inspectors in Bikaru village, Kanpur. After a week on the run from the U.P police, Vikas Dubey was arrested on ‘09 July 2019’ in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. The very next day on  ‘10 July 2020’, Vikas Dubey was killed in an encounter with U.P police while he was being taken back to Kanpur. Even after his death, several viral posts continue on social media connecting Dubey to one or the other political leader, including Sambit Patra.
To sum it up, a morphed photo was being falsely shared as gangster Vikas Dubey dancing with BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.
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A morphed photo is being shared as a real photo of a Cockroach found in a chest X-ray. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 6, 2024
A photo of a live cockroach allegedly found in the chest X-ray of a patient in Kolhapur is doing the rounds on social media. It is being claimed that the patient was advised to undergo surgery in Mumbai, where the doctors found no cockroach and told the patient that the insect had entered the X-ray machine in Kolhapur. Let’s verify this claim through this article.
Claim: Photo of a live cockroach found in a chest X-ray.
Fact: The image in question is  a digitally altered version of an original X-ray image. Mikael Häggström uploaded the original on ‘radlines.org,’ an open-access website for radiologists worldwide. Therefore, the claim in the post is False.
To verify the truthfulness of this viral claim, we initially conducted an online search using appropriate keywords relevant to this incident. However, this search did not provide any credible news reports confirming this incident from Kolhapur.
Next, we performed a reverse image search on the viral image, which directed us to an X-ray photo that resembled the viral photo, minus the cockroach. The image was found on ‘radlines.org,’ a free-access website beneficial for radiologists.
According to the photo’s description, it represents a ‘Posteroanterior chest radiogram’ of a 21-year-old woman who complained of left-sided thoracic pain following a collision during a soccer match. The X-ray depicted a normal chest without any injury signs. This photo was uploaded by Mikael Häggström to ‘radlines.org.’
Thus, it is clear that the viral image is a manipulated version of Häggström’s X-ray image, deceitfully edited to add a cockroach, creating the illusion of a cockroach captured in a chest X-ray.
For reference, images illustrating foreign bodies detected in human bodies via X-ray have been shared in the past. You can find some of those images here, here and here.
To sum up, the viral ‘Cockroach in Chest X-ray’ image turns out to be a morphed version of an original X-ray photograph.


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A Morphed tweet of Amit Shah is falsely shared as Government passing an order to suspend Internet services in conflict regions. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 1, 2020
A screenshot of a tweet purportedly made by Home minister Amit Shah is being shared on social media with a claim that Fixed Line Broadband and Mobile internet services in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir were going to be snapped from 29 June 2020. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Amit Shah’s latest tweet on snapping Internet services in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir.
Fact: The tweet shared in the post is a morphed one. No such tweet related to snapping internet services in these conflict regions was not made by Home Minister Amit Shah. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When searched for the tweet shared in the post using Twitter Advanced Search, it is found that no such tweet was made by Amit Shah from his official Twitter account.  It is a morphed one. When the tweet in the screenshot is carefully observed, one can notice that the alignment of text and profile picture is not the same as the format of a normal tweet. Also, Amit Shah always used his official twitter handle either from his iPhone or from his twitter media studio. But, the tweet shown in the screenshot could be seen posted from an Android device.
When this morphed tweet went viral on social media, the official twitter handle of Spokesperson, Minister of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) clarified that the tweet is a fake one. They clarified that no such tweet was posted by Union Minister Amit Shah.
Claim : A tweet is circulating in the name of Union Home Minister mentioning fixed line broadband and internet in J&K and Ladakh to be snapped.#FactCheck : This tweet is #fake. No such tweet has been done from Union Home Minister’s  twitter handle.@PIBFactCheck @DDNewslive pic.twitter.com/2OUlZqBqZK
Earlier in May 2020,  during the Handwara Encounter operation, Mobile Internet services were completely suspended in the Valley of Jammu and Kashmir. On 27 May 2020, Indian Government restricted  Internet services in Jammu and Kashmir to 2G Network only, extending the ban on 4G network services till 17 June 2020. Yet Again, on 17 June, Government extended the ban on 4G services till 08July 2020. So, the Indian Government has only banned 4G Internet services in Jammu and Kashmir and not Internet services as such.
To sum it up, a morphed tweet of Home Minister Amit Shah is shared as Government passing an order for complete suspension of Internet services in Ladakh & Jammu and Kashmir.
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A Nataraja idol was discovered in Sriperumbudur during excavations at a temple; the viral video depicting the excavation of this idol is unrelated and scripted - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 3, 2024
Several posts (here, here, here, here, and here) accompanying a video of an excavator digging the earth resulting in the emergence of a Nataraja idol are widely shared across social media platforms. The claim suggests that the video depicts a Nataraja idol found recently in excavations in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, in March 2024. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claims made in the posts.
Claim: Video depicting the discovery of a Nataraja idol in excavations in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, in March 2024.
Fact: According to news reports, a Nataraja idol was discovered in March 2024 during excavations by the archaeology department at the premises of the Siva Kulundeswarar temple in Sivan Koodal village, near Sriperumbudur. However, the viral video is scripted and does not depict the recent discovery of a Nataraja idol in Sriperumbudur. This viral video was uploaded by a YouTube channel that has uploaded many such scripted videos. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
To verify the accuracy of the viral claim, we conducted a relevant keyword search on the internet. This search led us to a news bulletin video uploaded on YouTube by ‘Puthiyathalaimurai TV’ on 20 March 2024, titled: ‘Discovery of Ancient Aimbon Nataraja Statue | Kanchipuram | PTT’ (translated from Tamil to English). According to this video, “a Nataraja idol was discovered in Sriperumbudur. The archaeology department was excavating in the premises of the Siva Kulundeswarar Temple in Sivan Koodal village, which is close to Sriperumbudur. The temple is one of the oldest in Tamil Nadu and was built hundreds of years ago. During the excavation, they discovered a trident and an old Nataraja idol. The idol was sent to Chennai for inspection where officials estimated that it was over a millennium old and composed of panchaloha.”
Additional reports regarding the discovery of the Ancient Nataraja idol can be seen here and here. Upon close examination, it becomes evident that the Nataraja statue unearthed in the YouTube video is different from the one that went viral. The news video shows a broken image, while the viral video shows an intact one. Based on this information, it is evident that the viral video does not depict the recent discovery of a Nataraja idol in excavations in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, in March 2024.
To learn more about this viral video, we conducted a Google reverse image search using the keyframes from the video. This search led us to a YouTube video uploaded by ‘KRB YT VLOG’ on 28 March 2024, which appears to be an extended version of the viral video titled ‘250-year-old treasure found with the help of a trolley – Cursed Treasure’ (translated from Hindi to English). However, upon close observation, the video appears to be scripted. Further examination of the YouTube channel revealed many scripted videos related to ghosts and supernatural powers. Some scripted videos uploaded by this channel can be seen here and here. From this, we can conclude that the viral video is scripted.
To sum up, while a Nataraja idol was discovered in Sriperumbudur during excavations at a temple, the viral video depicting the excavation of this idol is unrelated and scripted.


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A newborn baby lifting a tray with the hands in this video was born before Chandrayan-3 landed on the moon - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 28, 2023
A video of a newborn baby lifting a stainless tray while a nurse holds the baby upside down in an operating theatre is being widely shared on social media. The post asserts that shortly after Chandrayan-3 hoisted the Indian flag on the moon, a new scientist was born in the country. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: A video of a newborn baby lifting a tray in the operation theatre, which was connected to the Chandrayan-3 mission.
Fact: The video shared in the post is circulating on social media at least since 21 August 2023. Though we could not ascertain the exact details of where and when this video was taken, it is confirmed that the video is old and was circulating on social media before the Chandrayan-3 landing on the moon. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, a video showing similar visuals was found published by a YouTube channel on 21 August 2023. The Chandrayan-3 was launched on 14 July 2023 and landed on the moon on 23 August 2023. So, it is confirmed that the video shared in the post was circulating on social media before the Chandrayan-3 landed on the moon.
Several news sites published articles reporting about this video of a newborn baby lifting the stain-less tray moments after birth. A few of those articles can be seen here, here, here, and here. But none of these news reports provided the details of when and where the video was taken. Though we could not ascertain the exact details of the video, it is confirmed that the video is old and had nothing to do with Chandrayan-3.
To sum it up, this newborn baby who is seen lifting a tray in the video was born before the landing of Chandrayan-3.


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A news clip about a Dalit woman beheading Muslim men in Varanasi is fabricated - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 20, 2023
A newspaper clip, the Hindi title of which loosely translates to ‘Dalit Hindu girl absconding after slitting the throat of 6 Muslim youths for threatening rape and conversion’ is being widely circulated. The viral clip further reports that the heads of these six men have been recovered from Babatpur Kali temple. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Dalit Hindu woman has slit throats of 6 Muslim youth for threatening rape and conversion in Babatpur, Varanasi.
Fact: Varanasi police confirmed that no such incident took place and dismissed the news as fake. UP Tak also clarified that viral clip is wrongly attributed to them, and they did not publish any such article. The viral is fabricated and created digitally. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Internet search with relevant keywords did not yield any news reports regarding the alleged incident. Additionally, we came across a tweet by the Varanasi police’s Gomti zone Deputy Commissioner of Police’s account, which dismissed the news as false.
आवश्यक सूचना…
कतिपय ट्वीटर हैंडलों द्वारा एक फेक न्यूज को पोस्ट कर वायरल किया जा रहा है, जो पूर्णतया असत्य है। वाराणसी गोमती ज़ोन पुलिस इस असत्य एवं भ्रामक खबर का खंडन करती है।#UPPolice #PoliceCommissionerateVaranasi #Gomti_Zone pic.twitter.com/eL37ECjQ9g
Further, the tweet clarifies that no such incident took place in the jurisdiction of Babatpur police station. The news clip shared by the police carries the logo of ‘UP Tak’, however, we could not find any such article published by UP Tak on their website or shared on social media platforms.
Further search led us to a tweet by UP Tak, distancing itself from the news clip. The tweet rated the news clip as fictitious and misleading.
सोशल मीडिया पर यूपी Tak के नाम (Logo) के साथ फैलाई जा रही ये काल्पनिक ख़बर पूर्णतया असत्य एवं भ्रामक है। कृपया ऐसी भ्रामक ख़बरों पर ध्यान न दें। वारणसी कमिश्नरेट ने भी इस ख़बर का खंडन किया है। पुलिस ऐसे पोस्ट को शेयर करने वालों पर वैधानिक कार्यवाही करेगी।#UPTak #FakeNews… pic.twitter.com/4CHtr2COX5
Additionally, the news stories and images featured in the viral clip are old. The news about the MP budget is old news published by a news portal ‘Web Dunia’, back in March 2022. The image of police personnel is a file photo published by Indian Express in their news articles. These indicate that the viral clip is fabricated and digitally created.
To sum it up, a news clip about a Dalit woman beheading Muslim men in Varanasi is fabricated.


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A news report from a satirical website published in February 2019 is falsely attributed to Kapil Sibal. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 7, 2024
A screenshot of a Hindi news article attributed to Congress leader Kapil Sibal is widely circulating on social media platforms, claiming that during the 2019 general elections, Kapil Sibal has filed a petition in a London court requesting not to extradite Vijay Mallya to India right now as it would impact the elections. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: During 2019 general elections, Kapil Sibal has filed a petition in a London court requesting not to extradite Vijay Mallya to India right now as it would impact the elections.
Fact: We did not find any media reports indicating that Kapil Sibal filed a petition in a London court during the 2019 general elections, requesting not to extradite Vijay Mallya to India, stating that it would impact the elections. This viral post is extracted from a news report published by a satirical website named Faking News in February 2019. The disclaimer on this website reads, “Content of this website is a work of fiction. Readers are advised not to confuse the ‘news reports’ of Faking News as being genuine and true.” Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To check the veracity of the viral claim, we conducted a relevant keyword search on the internet. We did not find any media reports indicating that Kapil Sibal filed a petition in a London court during the 2019 general elections, requesting not to extradite Vijay Mallya to India, stating that it would impact the elections. During this search, we found a fact-check article published by India Today in February 2019. According to this report, this post was extracted from a report published on the website fakingnews.com on 06 February 2019, which explicitly states that it is a satire website.
Faking News is an Indian satiricalnews website that publishes fake news reports. The screenshot circulating on social media was taken from the same website and later was misrepresented with a misleading caption. Moreover, the disclaimer on the website reads, “Content of this website is a work of fiction. Readers are advised not to confuse the ‘news reports’ of Faking News as being genuine and true.” From this information, it is evident that a misleading screenshot from a satirical website is being circulated on social media as an authentic news story.
To sum it up, a news report from a satirical website published in February 2019 is falsely attributed to Kapil Sibal.

created: February 7, 2024


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A parody video is being shared as Quran recitation in Britain’s Got Talent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 12, 2021
We have received a query on our WhatsApp tip line (+91 9247052470) seeking clarification on the authenticity of a video clip which appears to be of the reality show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, wherein a contestant who recites verses from the Quran leaves the judges and the audience of the show spellbound with his singing ability. The same video is also doing rounds on social media (here and here) with a claim ‘Quran recitation at the British got talent’.  Through this article let’s fact-check the authenticity of the video in the post.
Claim: Video of a contestant of Britain’s Got Talent reciting verses form the Quran.
Fact: This is actually a parody video created using footage of judge’s reaction of another popular talent show. The video is created by an Indonesian YouTuber Aya Ibrahim. He shared the video as a parody of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ on his social media accounts. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The group of judges in the video actually are part of another popular talent show called the ‘The X Factor UK’. Upon YouTube search with relevant keywords, we came across a video of this particular show wherein the judges are seen to express the same reactions for a contestant’s (not the one in the viral video) signing performance as in the video in the post.
The video footage of a person reciting verses from the Quran is actually extracted from a parody video posted on a YouTube channel called ‘Aya Ibrahim Channel’ on 11 December 2019. The title of the video reads ‘DEDEN TOMPEL MEMBUAT JURI MENANGIS GOLDEN BUZZER AMERICA’S GOT TALENT | BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT PARODI’. According to the credits displayed at the end of the video, Aya Ibrahim is the scriptwriter, director, and make-up artist of this video. He digitally added the clips of the judges’ reactions from another talent show to that of a clip of him singing in front of a ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ hoarding.
Further, the same YouTuber posted a shorter version of the same video on his Instagram with the title ‘BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT PARODY’. All these establish the fact that the viral video is a digitally edited video rather than a contestant reciting Quranic verses in Britain’s Got Talent. The same video was earlier fact-checked by AFP.
To sum it up, a parody video is being shared as Quran recitation by a contestant in  ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.


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A person who died by drowning cannot be brought back to life by covering the body with salt - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 23, 2022
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that a person who died by drowning can be brought back to life by covering the body with salt. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: A person who died by drowning can be brought back to life by covering the body with salt.
Fact: There is no scientific evidence to prove the claim. None of the suggested treatments for drowned persons include covering the body with salt. There are multiple instances in the past where people superstitiously covered the drowned dead persons with salt. However, none of them were brought back to life. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched on the internet for any scientific backing to the claim made in the post, we could not find any credible evidence. None of the suggested treatments for drowned persons include covering the body with salt. Some of the methods suggested to treat the drowned people can be seen here, here, and here.
There are multiple instances in the past where people superstitiously covered the drowned dead persons with salt. However, none of them were brought back to life. Some of those news reports can be found here, here, here, here, and here.
To sum it up, a person who died by drowning cannot be brought back to life by covering the body with salt.


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A photo of a monk suffering from a genetic disorder is being shared with a false narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 30, 2023
A photo of a person with abnormal tumours on his skin is being shared on social media with a claim that Allah cursed the man seen in the photo for his acts of atrocities against Muslims in Burma. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The man with tumours on his skin was cursed by Allah for his atrocious acts against Muslims in Burma (Myanmar).
Fact: The old man seen in this photo is a Buddhist monk from Thailand named Sam-Ang. He suffers from a genetic disorder known as Neurofibromatosis. He is not from Myanmar, as being claimed. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To learn more details about the viral photo and verify the claim’s veracity, we performed a reverse image search leading us to a few articles (here and here) regarding the person. These were written in Thai.
According to these reports, the man seen in the photo is a Buddhist monk named Sam-Ang Sujitto, who was affected by a rare genetic disease called Neurofibromatosis (here and here). According to an article published on Sanook, a Thai website, he was affected by this disease at the age of 40.
Furthermore, we discovered that the same photo with a similar claim went viral in 2017. It was debunked by MAFINDO, an Indonesian anti-hoax community. With all this evidence, it is clear that a photo of a Thai monk suffering from Neurofibromatosis is being shared with a fake story.
To sum up, the man seen in this photo is a Thai monk, not a Myanmar monk responsible for atrocities against Muslims.