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Old military exercise video shared as ‘Indian Army’s retaliation on China for Galwan valley deaths’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 18, 2020
A video of artillery fire is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows a ‘reply of Indian Army after 20 soldiers martyred at the LAC’. The video is being shared in the context of the recent border clash between India and China in the Galwan valley (Ladakh). FACTLY has found that the posted video shows a firepower display by the Indian army during a military exercise (‘Exercise TOPCHI’) at School of Artillery (Deolali) in January 2020. The same video was found to be uploaded by a YouTube user in January 2020 with the description – ‘Upgraded Indian Army 122 mm ‘Grad’ Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) mounted on an Ashok Leyland Truck Firing during #ExTopchi at School of Artillery’. So, when searched with the keywords, it was found that ‘Additional Directorate General of Public Information – Indian Army’ and ‘Republic TV’ have also posted regarding the ‘Exercise TOPCHI’ with similar visuals. So, the video does not represent an attack on any country.
Sources:
Claim –
1. Facebook post (archived)
Fact –
1. YouTube video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JnnPiMgyqg
2. ‘ADG PI – India Army’ tweet – https://twitter.com/adgpi/status/1217668333518147589
3. ‘Republic TV’ video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqVdVC7yzz0
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Old false news about EVM Hacking attributed to Former CEC Krishnamurthy revived again - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 12, 2021
A post accompanying an image of a newspaper clipping reported former Chief Election Commissioner T.S.Krishnamurthy’s comments which read ‘BJP won Gujarat & Himachal elections by hacking EVM’s’. Through this article let’s fact-check the veracity of the news.
Claim: ‘BJP won Gujarat & Himachal elections by hacking EVM’s’- Former CEC Krishnamurthy.
Fact: Election Commission of India through a circular stated that former CEC Krishnamurthy has denied the claim when the news first went viral back in 2017. Further, the circular reported that the former CEC has now once again reiterated that the news attributed to him is false. As per the circular, an FIR has been filed and an investigation has been initiated in relation to the spread of this fake news.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Google search with relevant keywords led us to a circular dated 11 March 2021 by the Election Commission of India stating that ‘an FIR has been lodged against the fake news about EVM Hacking attributed to Former CEC Sh. T.S. Krishnamurthy circulated over the internet’. As per the circular, the news article which reported the purported statements by former CEC saying that a particular party won assembly elections by hacking EVMs had first appeared in a Hindi newspaper dated 21 December 2017, and the news was debunked by the former CEC himself when the issue came to his notice back in 2018.
According to the latest circular of the ECI, the former CEC has once again issued a statement regarding the recirculation of the old fake news in which he stated that the news is false and has also categorically stated that EVMs are most credible and that he has no doubt about its efficacy and reliability. Also, a 2019 news report in which former CEC Krishnamurthy can be heard condemning EVM hacking theory when an individual claimed that he hacked the EVM can be seen here.
Further search yielded multiple news articles which reported the circular by ECI. News articles in The Hindu and Outlook regarding the same can be read here and here. Search with relevant keywords on Facebook yielded multiple old posts which shared the same news. A couple of posts that shared the same news back in 2017 & 2018 can be seen here and here.  All these establish that the news is false and not true.
In view of the upcoming assembly general elections in the five states, posts like these are being shared on social media platforms with misleading claims.
To sum it up, old news about EVM hacking that was falsely attributed to former CEC Krishnamurthy is revived again.

source: news-factly

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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Old news clip carrying a misleading title about banks writing-off loans of wilful defaulters is shared as recent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 10, 2022
A social media post accompanying a Hindi newspaper clip, the title of which loosely translates to ‘banks have waived off loans amounting to 68 thousand crores of 50 wilful defaulters including fugitive Nirav and Mehul’ is being widely circulated as if the news clip is a recent one. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent News clip – ‘banks have waived off loans amounting to 68 thousand crores of 50 wilful defaulters including fugitive Nirav and Mehul’.
Fact: This is an old news clip, that dates back to April 2020. An RTI response revealed that banks have written-off loans to the tune of Rs. 68,607 crores, and that these write-offs include loans taken by the firms belonging to Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, and Vijay Mallya. Even the viral news clip mentioned the same in the article, however, the clip carried a misleading title claiming that these loans are waived-off, which is not true. In case of write-off, banks just clear these loans from the balance sheets, but the accounts still continue in the bank books and the banks may recover these loans in the future.  Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
This is an old news clip that dates back to April 2020, wherein an RTI response revealed that Indian banks have written off Rs. 68,607 crores of debt of top-50 wilful defaulters till 30 September 2019.
Responding to a query filed by activist Saket Gokhale, RBI released the list of the top-50 wilful defaulters  and the list includes firms belonging to fugitive economic offenders Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, and Vijay Mallya. Several news agencies have reported the news back then and the viral news clip is also one such (here & here). A Congress leader shared the copy of the RTI response on twitter, which can be viewed here.
However, it is noteworthy to mention that banks did not waive off these loans but written them off. As per RBI, write-off just clears the bad loans from the bank balance sheets but these bad accounts still continue to stay in the bank books and the banks try to recover these loans by other means. Writing off a bad loan is not same as waving off.
Even the viral news clip clearly mentioned that the loans are written-off, however, the clip carried a misleading title saying the loans were waived-off, which led to the virality of the post. Key differences between waiving-off a loan and writing them off is mentioned below.
Write-off vs Waive-off :
Writing off a loan is a general practice implemented by banks to clean up their balance sheets. In the case of write-off, the lending banks clean up the bad loans from their balance sheet, however, the loan account still stays to continue with the lending bank as they can try to recover it later on. Moreover, if any collateral is attached to the loan, then the lender confiscates them.
Whereas in the case of loan waive-off, the lender completely cancels the loan account, and the borrower is free from the debt. If any collateral is linked to the debt, then it will be returned to the borrower. Thus the banks have just written-off these bad loans and did not completely waive them as claimed in the post.
85% of the total defrauded funds have been attached/seized in case of Mallya, Modi & Choksi
Further, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recently said that Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi have defrauded Public Sector Banks which resulted in total loss of Rs. 22,585.83 Crores to the banks. The ED further said that assets worth Rs. 19,111.20 crores have been attached under the provisions of PMLA. Out of which, assets worth Rs.15,113.91 crores has been restituted to the Public Sector Banks. In other words,  84.61% of the total defrauded funds in these cases have been attached/seized and 66.91% of total loss to the banks has been handed over to Banks/Confiscated to Government of India.
To sum it up, old news clip carrying a misleading title about banks writing-off loans of wilful defaulters is being shared as recent.


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Old news clip is being shared linking it to the current Coal crisis in India - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 11, 2022
In light of the ongoing Coal crisis, with some states reporting steep power cuts, a social media post accompanying a news clip that reported private companies showing interest in taking over the electricity department of Chandigarh is being widely shared linking it to the current coal crisis. The post shared the clip claiming the current coal crisis is artificial and is done to privatise the electricity department, and to benefit a few industrialists. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Current coal crisis artificial, done to privatise the electricity department – Newsclip related to privatising Chandigarh electricity department.
Fact: This is an old news clip, that dates back November 2020 and has nothing to do with the current ongoing coal crisis in India. There are multiple reasons for the ongoing coal crisis in the country. Revival of the economic activity, increase in international spot market coal prices, cash flow problems affecting the electricity sector, railways facing high passenger traffic, thus effecting the coal freight, etc. add up to the current crisis. However, it is not the first time country facing such issues. Even last year, India faced similar crisis and coped with it.  Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Currently, India is reeling under coal shortage, which in turn led to power crisis in several states. States like Gujarat, Rajasthan & Andhra Pradesh etc. have declared power holidays for industries. However, the current crisis has nothing do with alleged government’s intention to privatise the power sector, as claimed through the viral post.
Experts opined that multiple reasons like revival of the economic activity post COVID-19, increase in international spot market coal prices due to Russia-Ukraine conflict, cash flow problem affecting the electricity sector, railways facing high passenger traffic and thus effecting the coal freight, etc. add up to the current coal shortage which in turn led to the power crisis (here, here & here).
Speaking to media coal secretary A K Jain  said ‘it is not a coal crisis but a power demand-supply mismatch. The power demand has registered an upswing as the economy has bounced back, summers have arrived early and the price of gas and imported coal have shot up sharply’.
Union power ministry held review meetings in this regard and asked all the stake holders to work hand in hand to over come the situation. Thus, it would be hypothetical to link the current coal shortage to privatisation of the sector.
Viral news clip :
This is an old news article, that dates back to November 2020. Google search with relevant keywords yielded us multiple news articles, which reported the same news back in 2020. As per these reports, Chandigarh administration has issued a tender to sell 100 percent stakes in the electricity department. Responding to this, 9 companies including Adani and Tata firms have expressed their interest to buy the power department (here, here & here).
However, as per the recent news articles, the process of privatising the Chandigarh power sector has come to standstill as the matter is currently pending in the court (here & here).
To sum it up, old news clip related to privatising Chandigarh electricity department is being shared linking it to the current coal crisis in the country.


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Old news clip of NITI Aayog VC’s comments on the country’s economic situation is being shared as a recent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 22, 2022
A social media post accompanying an undated news clip, the Hindi headlines of which loosely translates to ‘India’s economy is in worst phase in 70 years’, is being widely shared. As the clip does not carry the date, the clip is being shared as a recent one, which is evident from the comments. Through this article, let’s fact-check the veracity of the clip shared in the post.
Claim: Recent news of NITI Aaayog VC comments ‘India’s economy is in worst phase in 70 years’
Fact: Back in August 2019, NITI Aayog VC Rajiv Kumar made these comments speaking about the economic slowdown. Addressing a summit, Rajiv Kumar said, ‘this is an unprecedented situation for Govt from last 70 years have not faced this sort of liquidity situation where the entire financial sector is in churn & nobody is trusting anybody else’. Lately, NITI Aayog or any of its officials did not make any comments in line with that of the viral post. Moreover, earlier this month, Kumar opined that ‘India is on the cusp of major economic recovery’. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
This is old news and dates back to the pre-COVID time when NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar made these comments in August 2019, in light of the economic slowdown.
Addressing the Hero Mindmine summit, Rajiv Kumar said ‘this is an unprecedented situation for Govt, from last 70 years have not faced this sort of liquidity situation where the entire financial sector is in churn & nobody is trusting anybody else.’
Several news agencies have reported Rajiv Kumar’s comments back then (here, here & here). Lately, NITI Aayog did not make any comments in line with the claim about the country’s economy. In fact, earlier this month NITI Aayog VC Rajiv Kumar opined that ‘India is on the cusp of the major economic recovery’. He further asserted ‘that it was quite clear from all accounts that India will remain the fastest growing economy in the world’ and ruled out the speculations of stagflation as overhyped.
To sum it up, an old news clip of NITI Aayog VC’s comments on the economy is being shared as a recent one.


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Old news clip of Supreme Court accepting a petition filed in Hindi is being shared without any context - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 21, 2022
A social media post accompanying an image of a news clip with Hindi headline which loosely translates to ‘For the first time Supreme Court hearing will be held in Hindi’ is being widely shared recently. Through this article let’s fact-check the veracity of the clip shared in the post.
Claim: News Clip that says Supreme Court hearing will be held in Hindi for the first time.
Fact: This is an old news, that dates back to 2016. In 2016, after initial refusal, Supreme Court has accepted a petition filed in Hindi by Bramhadev Prasad, a Bihari lawyer. Multiple news agencies have reported the news back then. This news is now being shared without any context. Hence the claim is MISLEADING.
Lately, there are no reports of the Supreme Court accepting petitions in Hindi. The viral news clip is old and dates back to 2016. A keyword search on Facebook yielded multiple posts which shared the same clip back in 2016 (here & here).
Thus taking a cue from these posts, further search on Google applying a time filter, yielded us a couple of news reports that published the same news back in 2016 (here & here). As per these reports, after an initial refusal, the Supreme Court of India had accepted a Bihari lawyer’s Hindi petition. Initially, the court registrar refused to file the petition citing Article 348 (1) of the constitution, which provides that all proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every High court shall be in the English Language until Parliament by law otherwise provides.
However, Bramhadev Prasad, the petitioner argued against the court decision, referred to article 19, which provides freedom of speech and expression. Further, he referred to articles 300, 351 & 13 in favour of his argument and ultimately the court accepted his petition.
From this, it is evident that the viral news clip also talks about the same issue reported in the above news articles, as the name of the petitioner mentioned in the articles and the viral clip is the same.
It is worth mentioning that the Supreme court in 2016 dismissed a PIL seeking direction to amend the Constitution to make Hindi as an official language of work in the apex court and High Courts, dubbing it a frivolous PIL.
To sum it up, an old news clip of the Supreme Court accepting a petition filed in Hindi is being shared without any context, and as a recent incident.


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Old news clip related to JPSC CCS exam cutoff issue is being shared in the light of recently released results - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 2, 2022
Jharkhand Public Service Commission has recently released the results of combined civil services exam (2021) results. In this context, a social media post accompanying a news clip that reported the disappointment of the candidates over the cutoff marks for the 6 JPSC PT. The news clip reported that an OBC candidate who secured 259 failed, while a general candidate who secured 210 marks got passed. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: News clip related to JPSC PT cut off marks.
Fact: This is an old news clip and related to the controversy of cut off marks over the 6 JPSC CCS preliminary results, declared in 2017. Several news agencies have reported the news back then. The recently declared JPSC CCS results have nothing to do with the viral news clip.  Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On 01 June 2022, Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) has released the final results of Combined Civil Services exam (2021). However, the viral news clip shared in the post is not related to the recently declared results.
The headline of the viral news clip clearly states that student’s furore was over the ‘6 JPSC PT result’. Whereas JPSC has conducted the 6th CCS preliminary exam in 2016. Which means the news clip is not related to any recent exam.
The results of 6 CCS preliminary test were released in February 2017 and the revised results were released in August 2017. Most likely, the viral news could be from 2017.
Taking a cue from this, Google search with relevant keywords yielded  couple of 2017 news reports that reports students’ disappointment over the cutoff marks (here & here). These articles reported the exact variation of cut off marks among general and OBC candidates as highlighted in the viral news clip.
Further, couple of Facebook posts shared the same news clip back in 2020 (here & here). This further establishes that the viral news clip is not related to any recent exam.
However, back in November 2021, a similar situation arose pertaining to the cut off marks in the preliminary test of the recently concluded JPSC CCS exam. Students protested as the cutoff for EWS category was less compared to the cut off for OBC candidates.
Also, it is noteworthy to mention that in February 2022, the Jharkhand High Court upheld the single bench’s decision to quash the 6th JPSC result over the issue of considering the marks of paper one (Hindi & English) to the total score.
To sum it up, old news clip related to JPSC CCS exam cutoff issue is being shared in the light of recently released results.


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Old news clip related to Supreme Court’s judgment favouring use of force for self defence is being shared with misleading claims - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 28, 2022
A social media post accompanying a newspaper clipping, the Hindi title of which loosely translates to ‘Law can be taken into hand if family is attacked: Supreme Court’, is being widely shared. The clip is being shared with a provocative message. Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: ‘Law can be taken into hand if family is attacked: Supreme Court’
Fact: In 2016, the Supreme Court acquitted two men, who were convicted for assaulting their neighbours. The court acquitted the men believing the act as done in self defence. In the context of section 97 of IPC, the apex court emphasised that ‘the appellants can legitimately claim right to use force once they saw their parents being assaulted’. However, back then, the media reported the news as the SC extending the boundaries of self defence and the viral news clip is also of one such misleading news report. However, the SC merely interpreted the provisions of section 97 of IPC in spirit. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
The Supreme Court in 2016 while acquitting two men convicted for assaulting their neighbours, opined that ‘the use of force is justified if children see their parents being assaulted by someone else and it would be treated as self defence.’
Earlier, the two men were convicted by the trial court for the offence of attempt to murder. Later, the Rajasthan High Court held them guilty on the grounds of culpable homicide, ruling out the claims of the accused that the attack was just self defence (under section 97 of IPC).
The court further stated that the right of private defence under Section 97 of the IPC could not be invoked by the accused. The High court came to this conclusion as both the parties withheld the origin and genesis of the incident and considered the incident as a free fight.
Section 97 of IPC:
Right of private defence of the body and of property – Every person has a right, subject to the restrictions contained in section 99, to defend
Challenging this conviction, the two men approached the Supreme Court claiming the assault as self defence, as the prosecution party had beaten their father, leading to his death.
The Supreme Court overturning the decision of the High Court, opined that the High court should have awarded the benefit of doubt to the accused, as the prosecution failed to explain the injuries of the accused and the death of their father. Further, acquitting the men, the apex court emphasised that ‘the appellants can legitimately claim right to use force once they saw their parents being assaulted’.
Media misinterpreted the Judgement
However, when the SC delivered the judgment in 2016, few media agencies erroneously reported that SC has expanded the scope of the self defence. The newspaper clip shared in the viral post is also one such wrong interpretation of the judgement by the media. However, the apex court did not exclusively expand the purview of self defence but merely interpreted the provisions of section 97 of IPC in spirit.
By sharing the old news clip related to the above-mentioned judgment, it is wrongly being perceived as if the court has given a free hand to act in self defence (here), which is not true.
To sum it up, old news clip related to Supreme Court’s judgment favouring use of force for self defence is being shared with misleading claims.


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Old news of removal of J&K from UN’s alleged ‘disputed list’ shared as recent development during BJP rule - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 20, 2023
A post carrying an image of  the Indian PM Modi and a map of erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir territory is being widely shared with the claim “Jammu and Kashmir is out of the UN’s dispute list, that means according to the world it is no longer a disputed area, if Modi is there then it is possible”. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: During PM Modi’s rule, Jammu & Kashmir has been removed from the United Nations list of unresolved disputes.
Fact: No such list of unresolved disputes is available on UN website. The context of this news is the 65 UN General Assembly annual meeting held in November 2010. When the then President of Security Council Mark Grant, during a speech on long standing unresolved disputes, did not mention Jammu & Kashmir issue, Pakistan protested as they were asking the U.N. to intervene to help resolve the issue. Moreover, Manmohan Singh was the PM of India during this period. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Internet search with the relevant keywords led us to news articles published by The Indian Express, The Hindu and Economic Times in November 2010 regarding this issue.
The context of this news is the 65 UN General Assembly annual meeting on ‘Long- standing issue of Security Council reform’ held in November 2010. During his speech, then UK’s Envoy to United nations and president of Security Council for that month, Mark Lyall Grant said, “Throughout the reporting period, some situations in which the Council was engaged remained unresolved.  Those included, in particular, the situation in the Middle East, Cyprus and Western Sahara.  New situations had emerged in Nepal, Guinea Bissau and other States, while huge challenges remained in some places, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo”. Meanwhile, the omission of the Jammu & Kashmir issue from this speech has come as a setback to Pakistan as they were asking the U.N. to intervene to help resolve the issue, but India has always maintained that the dispute must be resolved bilaterally.
Following this, Amjad Hussain B Sial, Pakistan’s acting envoy to the UN said, “Jammu and Kashmir dispute was not mentioned in the context of unresolved long-running situations. We understand this was an inadvertent omission, as J&K is one of the oldest disputes on agenda of the Security Council”. However, we couldn’t find any such official “list of unresolved disputes” on the United Nations website. Moreover, during this period, UPA’s Manmohan Singh was the PM of India and not Narendra Modi.
To sum it up, 2010 news of Jammu & Kashmir’s removal from the alleged UN’s ‘disputed list’ is now shared as PM Modi’s achievement.

created: January 20, 2023


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Old news of Kidney theft by a doctor is being shared now linking it falsely to COVID-19. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 5, 2020
A post claiming that a doctor from Garg hospital in UP was caught selling the kidney of a corona patient is doing rounds on social media. Through this article lets fact-check the claim made in the post.
UP doctor caught selling the kidney of a corona patient.
Fact: An incident of a doctor allegedly stealing the kidney was indeed reported in 2018. This incident has nothing to do with COVID-19. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
A reverse image search of the photo led us to an article dated way back to June 2018 which reported that Dr. Garg alleged stole the kidney of a patient during a surgery to remove stones. Images like the ones in the post were published in this article. With this, we can conclude that the incident is an old one.
A simple google search using the keywords ‘UP doctor Kidney selling’ led us to many news articles reporting the same incident in 2018. According to these reports, the incident took place in 2018 in Muzaffarnagar, UP where a doctor named Vibhu Garg was arrested for allegedly stealing the kidney of a patient. These news articles can be read here and here.  With this, we can conclude that the incident has nothing to do with COVID-19, as India reported the first COVID-19 case in January 2020.
To sum it up, though the incident of kidney theft was indeed reported way back in 2018, the news is going viral now falsely linking it to COVID-19.
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created: August 5, 2020


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Old news of murder of a drug inspector in Punjab is passed off as a recent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 21, 2022
A social media post that shares the news about the murder of a drug inspector in Punjab is being widely shared as if the incident happened in recent times. As per the post, Neha Shoree, a drug inspector in Punjab was shot dead by a chemist. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Details of recent murder of a drug inspector in Punjab.
Fact: This is an old incident and does not represent the current law and order situation in Punjab. Back in 2019, Neha Shoree, a drug inspector was shot dead in her office by a chemist. Neha reportedly canceled the license of the accused in 2009, for possession of unauthorised drugs. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLAEDING.
While Neha Shoree, a drug inspector was indeed shot dead, the incident is not a recent one but took place in 2019. Google search with keywords yielded multiple news reports that reported the incident back in 2019.
As per one such news report, Neha Shoree was shot dead in her office in Kharar by a chemist, who later committed suicide by shooting himself.
The accused reportedly used to run a chemist shop in Ropar and his license had been cancelled by Dr. Shoree in 2009 for keeping unauthorized drugs, the report added.
The then chief minister of the state Amarinder Singh had ordered an investigation into the incident.  Few other news reports which reported the news back then can be read here & here. These articles clearly prove that the incident is old and does not represent the current situation in Punjab.
To sum it up, old news of the murder of a drug inspector in Punjab is passed off as recent.


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Old news of West Bengal government banning 125 RSS affiliated schools for not having NoC revived again - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 8, 2021
Amidst multiple reports of post poll violence in West Bengal, a social media post with the screenshot of a Republic TV report which reads Mamata Banerjee shuts down 125 RSS affiliated schools is being shared across social media platforms. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: After the recent election victory, Mamata Banerjee issued orders to shut down 125 RSS-affiliated schools in West Bengal.
Fact: This is three years old news. West Bengal government back in 2018 decided to ban 125 RSS-affiliated schools that do not have a no-objection certificate. Multiple news agencies reported the news back then. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
As it is evident from the image in the post that the news is from  Republic TV, YouTube search with relevant keywords yielded the original news report on Republic TV’s official YouTube channel which was published back in 2018. In this report, we can hear Partha Chatterjee, West Bengal state education minister saying that the government has identified 125 schools affiliated to RSS operating without a no-objection certificate and the government has decided to act on these schools.
Further Google search yielded multiple 2018 news articles which have reported this particular news. One such news article by Scroll quoted the State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee saying “We gathered inputs and found that over 125 schools, mostly in north Bengal, did not take any NoC  from us and yet, they were in operation. We had told them that they cannot”.
This article further reported that Partha Chaterjee had told the state Assembly that ‘the state government reportedly received complaints against 500 such schools, 493 of which are under the scanner’. Hindustan Times has also reiterated the same thing and further reported that Partha Chatterjee told journalists outside the assembly that “RSS or nor RSS, schools have to follow certain norms wielding sticks cannot be taught. We are looking into each case that is being brought to our notice.”
From all this,  it is evident that this piece of news is three years old and has been revived in the present context of post poll violence incidents in West Bengal.
To sum it up, old news of the West Bengal government banning 125 RSS-affiliated schools for not having NoC revived again.


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Old news report about the Indian government denying visas to US delegates is being falsely shared linking it to the Manipur violence - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 6, 2023
Amidst the continuing violence in Manipur, a news clip that associates the denial of visas for US delegates by the Indian government with the situation in Manipur is being shared widely. The shared video asserts that the Indian government refused visas to American citizens intending to visit Manipur. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Indian government refused visas to American citizens intending to visit Manipur.
Fact: The viral news clip originated in March 2016 when the Indian government refused visas to delegates from the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).  It is important to note that this report is unrelated to the current violence occurring in Manipur. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Despite the viral news clip suggesting that the Indian government denied visas to US delegates, it is important to note that this report is unrelated to the ongoing violence in Manipur. Furthermore, the report itself is seven years old.
As the viral news clip carries the logo of ‘CBN News’, taking it as a cue, an internet search with relevant keywords yielded the original clip on ‘CBN News’ official YouTube channel. This report was originally uploaded on 10 March 2016, with a description highlighting “India Government Turning a Blind Eye to Religious Attacks.”
According to the report, the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) was prohibited from visiting India as the Indian government denied them visas. Allegedly, this denial of visas occurred in response to an incident where extremists attacked and vandalized a Pentecostal church in Chhattisgarh earlier that same month. Hence, it is evident that the viral clip is unrelated to the violence in Manipur.
Although the US government issued a travel alert to its citizens in Manipur, earlier in May 2023,  urging them to exercise caution due to ongoing inter-community protests and violence, we could not find any reports indicating that a US delegation attempted to visit Manipur or that the Indian government denied them visas.
To sum it up, an old news report about the Indian government denying visas to US delegates is being falsely shared linking it to the Manipur violence.


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Old news report related to Shah Rukh Khan’s detention at Los Angeles airport is being shared as recent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 27, 2022
A social media post accompanying a news report related to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s detention at a US airport is being widely circulated as if it is related to a recent incident. Through this article, let’s fact-check the veracity of the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent news of Shah Rukh Khan being detained at an airport in US
Fact: This is an old news report, and it dates back to August 2016, when Shah Rukh Khan was detained at Los Angeles International airport. Later, the US ambassador to India apologised for the detention. Khan was detained couple of times earlier in 2012 & 2009. However, there are no reports of him being detained in any other country. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
This is an old news report, and it dates back to August 2016. The viral video carries the logo of ‘News 24’. Taking a cue from this, a YouTube search with relevant keywords yielded the original news report of News 24, which reported the news about Shah Rukh Khan’s detention at Los Angeles International airport.
News articles that reported the detention back then can be read here and here. Shah Rukh Khan took to Twitter to express his disappointment, back then. Later, the US ambassador to India and the U.S. Department of State apologised for the detention.
Sorry for the trouble at LAX @iamsrk. We are working to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Your work inspires millions, including in the US.
However, this is not the first time Khan being detained at airports in foreign countries. Earlier, in 2009 & 2012, Khan was detained at American airports. Since 2016, there is no news of Shahrukh Khan being detained in any foreign country. Thus the viral video is related to an old incident.
To sum it up, an old news report related to Shah Rukh Khan’s detention at Los Angeles airport is being shared as recent.


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Old news reports on West Bengal government measures during previous COVID-19 waves shared as recent - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 26, 2022
Amid the rise of COVID-19 cases in multiple countries, multiple video news reports are being shared on social media claiming that the West Bengal government has recently imposed a partial lockdown again in the state and decided to promote the 10 and 12 standard students without conducting examinations. These posts can be seen here and here. Let’s verify the claims made in these posts.
Claim: West Bengal government imposed a partial lockdown again in the state and decided to promote 10 & 12 standard students without conducting examinations.
Fact: The news reports shared in these posts are old. Lately, the West Bengal government neither imposed a partial lockdown in their state nor announced the promotion of 10 and 12 standard students without conducting examinations. Hence, the claims made in these posts are FALSE.
Video 1:
The ‘ABP News’ video shared in the post reports that the West Bengal government had issued orders to promote 10 and 12 standard students without conducting examinations. Also, the posts claim that the Mamata Banerjee led government issued orders to shut down schools from 26 December 2022. When we searched for this news report using relevant keywords on the internet, we found that ‘ABP News’ had published this video two years ago in 2020. ‘ABP News’ published this video on 11 November 2020, with the Title, “WB Govt Decides To Promote Class 10 & 12th Students Without Exams”. Lately, West Bengal’s Health Ministry and the Education Ministry did not issue any such orders imposing a partial lockdown or announcing the promotion of 10 & 12th Students without conducting examinations.
Video 2:
The ‘Republic Bangla’ video shared in this post reports that a partial lockdown will be imposed in the state from 03 January 2023. When searched for this video using relevant keywords on the internet, we found the same news report published on Republic Bangla’s Facebook page on 02 January 2022. According to the news report, amid the rising COVID-19 cases then in the state, the West Bengal government had decided to impose strict restrictions again in the state from 03 – 15 January 2022. As part of these restrictions, the West Bengal government decided to shut down schools, colleges and universities, and ordered to run local trains with only 50 percent of total capacity. Reporting the same, several news sites published articles and videos in January 2022. Lately, the West Bengal government did not announce any partial lockdown amid the rise of COVID-19 in multiple countries.
To sum it up, old videos are shared as latest news reports informing a partial lockdown, and the promotion of 10 & 12 students without examinations in West Bengal.

created: December 26, 2022


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Old photo allegedly related to the 2020 Galwan clash shared now in the context of the recent India-China scuffle in the Tawang sector - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 15, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is a recent picture showing Indian army soldiers being captured by the Chinese troops. Sharing the photo, this post claims that China once again killed over 300 Indian soldiers during the scuffle at the Tawang sector. In the context of the recent physical scuffle between Indian and Chinese soldiers across LAC near the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh, this photo is going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent picture that shows Indian soldiers being captured by the Chinese troops in the Tawang sector.
Fact: The photo shared in the post allegedly shows Indian soldiers who were captured by Chinese troops during the Galwan clash in 2020. Several Chinese news websites and journalists released these pictures a year after the clash in 2021. The photo shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with the recent India-China troops clash at the LAC Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the same photo was found tweeted by a Chinese journalist Shen Shiwei on 07 November 2021. Sharing a couple of photos in the tweet, the Chinese journalist said, “New pictures of last June’s #Galwan clash emerged on social media, showing surrendered Indian soldiers captured by Chinese PLA.”
🚨New pictures of last June's #Galwan clash emerged on social media, showing surrendered Indian soldiers captured by Chinese PLA.
Indian soldiers violated newly-reached consensus and launched provocative attacks against Chinese personnel, leading to serious physical conflicts. pic.twitter.com/8oZO9D4noL
When we searched for further sources, we found several Chinese news articles publishing the same photo and reporting it as the picture of surrendered Indian troops during the 2020 India-China scuffle at the Galwan valley. A few of those articles can be see here and here. While it can be concluded that the posted photo is old, we could not independently  verify the authenticity of those old photos.
Briefing the details of the recent India-China scuffle at the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in the Parliament said, “On 09 December 2022, PLA troops tried to transgress the LAC in Yangtse area of Tawang Sector and unilaterally change the status quo. The Chinese attempt was contested by our troops in a firm and resolute manner. The ensuing face-off led to a physical scuffle in which the Indian Army bravely prevented the PLA from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts. The scuffle led to injuries to a few personnel on both sides. I wish to share with this House that there are no fatalities or serious casualties on our side.” In a recent statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wendin said, “current border situation between China and India is generally stable and both sides have maintained unimpeded communication on border-related issues through diplomatic and military channels”.
To sum it up, an old photo allegedly related to the 2020 Galwan clash was shared in the context of the recent India-China scuffle in the Tawang sector.

created: December 15, 2022


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Old photo & video of election rallies in Bihar and MP are being shared in the current context. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 29, 2020
With Assembly elections scheduled in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh (bye-elections), some photos and a video are being shared on social media as related to the current election rallies in Bihar and Madya Pradesh. Let’s fact-check the claims made in the posts.
Claim 1: Photos of PM Modi’s recent election rally in Bihar.
Fact: All the photos in the post are the same. The photo was taken at a rally in Patna on 3 March 2019. While it is true that PM Modi held a rally recently in Bihar, the posted photo is old. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Photos: (archived)
On looking at the photos, it can be observed that all the three posted photos are the same. On running the photo through Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found on the website of PM Narendra Modi. In the description, it is written that the photo is related to PM Modi’s NDA Rally at Patna (Bihar) on 03 March 2019. The video related to the event can be watched here. We also found that Narendra Modi has tweeted the same photo on his official Twitter account in 2019. So, the posted photos are not related to the Bihar Assembly Elections – 2020. The recent video showing the public meeting of PM Modi in Patna can be watched here.
Claim 2: Video of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s election rally in Madhya Pradesh.
Fact: While it is true that the video shows Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s election rally in Indore (Madhya Pradesh), it is not related to the current bye-elections in MP. The video was taken in 2019. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
Video: (archived)
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same video was found on the YouTube channel of ‘Indian National Congress’. The video has the title – ‘Smt. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addresses a Public Meeting in Indore, Madhya Pradesh’ and was posted on 13 May 2019. So, it is an old video.
To sum it up, old photo and video of election rallies in Bihar and MP are being shared in the current context.

created: October 29, 2020


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Old photo from Afghanistan is shared as people trying to escape Pakistan due to the economic crisis - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 22, 2023
A photo which shows a huge crowd gathering is being shared on social media with a claim that it was taken in Pakistan when people were trying to escape the country due to the ongoing economic crisis. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Pakistani men are waiting in lines to run away from the country due to the ongoing economic crisis.
Fact: This photo was captured in October 2020 when people in Afghanistan gathered near the Pakistan consulate in Jalalabad. They had gathered to collect tokens needed to apply for a visa. Hence the claim made in the post is False.
To learn more details about the viral photo, we performed a reverse image search using Yandex. This search led us to an image carousel published by Reuters on October 2021, which contains the same photo as the viral post. The cutline of this photo reads, ‘Afghan men wait to collect tokens needed to apply for the Pakistan visa, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan October 21, 2020. REUTERS/Parwiz‘
Further search on the internet led us a news report published by Reuters in which they described the event associated with the photo. ‘An estimated 3,000 Afghans had congregated on the open ground, usually used for sports or pubic gatherings, outside the consulate, waiting to collect tokens needed to apply for a visa, two provincial officials told Reuters a day after the tragedy,‘ Reuters wrote. Reportedly, at least 15 people died in a stampede that broke out during this gathering.
Video reports by Al Jazeera English and Voice of America on this incident can be seen here and here.
To sum up, an old photo of a huge crowd gathered in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, is falsely shared as people trying to escape Pakistan due to the economic crisis.

created: February 22, 2023


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Old photo from Bangladesh is falsely shared as blood filled Indian streets during Eid - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 28, 2021
A photo showing red-coloured water clogging the streets is being shared on social media indicating that it represents the blood-filled Indian streets due to animal sacrifice during Eid. The post even claims that there is a river of Sharbat flowing in the streets during Eid. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of blood filled Indian streets streets during Eid.
Fact: This is actually a 2016 photo from Bangladesh. Heavy rainfall along with Eid-al-Adha animal sacrifices, led to Bangladesh capital Dhaka’s streets turn into blood red water. This picture is not related to India. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search with relevant keywords is done on the photo, an article by ABP News was found with the same image. The article titled, ‘Massive animal sacrifice turn Dhaka streets blood red after heavy rainfall’ was published on 14 September 2016. Heavy rainfall along with Eid-al-Adha animal sacrifices led to Bangladesh capital Dhaka streets turn into blood-red water.
‘While two locations were set for animal slaughter by Dhaka city corporations (as reported by Dhaka Tribune), but the instructions were not followed by people, and they resorted to slaughtering animals in their garages and on the streets’. Flooding and the annual sacrifices of livestock are regular occurrences in Dhaka. Articles regarding these incidents can be seen here and here.
Eid-al-Adha is celebrated by Muslims as prophet Ibrahim showed his readiness to sacrifice his son Ishmael. ‘Goats and cows are brought from markets by Muslim families and slaughtered, to thank Allah for sparing Ishmael, after an imam has read verses from the Koran.’ Eid-al-Adha is the second biggest annual celebration for Muslims after Eid-al-Fitr.
To sum it up, an old photo from Bangladesh is falsely shared as blood-filled Indian streets due to Eid celebrations.


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Old photo from China is shared as visuals of passengers pushing an aeroplane in Delhi airport - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 17, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as recent visuals of passengers pushing an aeroplane from the waterlogged runway in Delhi airport. This post compares these visuals with that of Afghan citizens running along the US Military plane in Kabul airport. Amid the recent reports of waterlogging at Indira Gandhi International airport in Delhi, this post is being shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of passengers pushing a plane from the water-logged runway in Delhi airport.
Fact: The photo shared in the post was shot in 2007 at Yantai airport in Shandong, China. The photo shared in the post is an old one and not from India. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in an article published by the ‘Sohu News’ website on 13 August 2007. This article reported it as the visuals of Yantai airport staff pushing a Shandong Airlines regional jet to safety. The Yantai Penglai International Airport is located in Shandong, an eastern Chinese province on the yellow sea. According to the ‘Sohu News’ article, the Yantai region in the Shandong province had experienced severe rainfall and floods during the second week of August in 2007.  Also, in another photo shared in the article, we could clearly see the ‘Shandong Airlines B-3008’ name on the plane.
Reporting the same, a few other news websites have also published articles in 2007. They can be read here and here. When this image recently went viral as visuals from Delhi airport, the Shandong Government clarified that this image was taken at Yantai airport in 2007.
To sum it up, an old photo from China is falsely shared as visuals of passengers pushing an aeroplane in Delhi airport.

created: September 17, 2021


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Old photo from Droupadi Murmu's Presidential nomination is falsely shared as related to 2024 General Elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 6, 2024
A post viral on social media alleges that President Droupadi Murmu was present with Prime Minister Modi as he submitted his nomination for the forthcoming 2024 General Elections (here & here). Accompanying this claim is a photograph showing President Murmu alongside the Prime Minister as he appears to be handing over documents to an official (here). In this article, we examine the veracity of this claim.
Claim: Photo depicting President Droupadi Murmu accompanying Modi while he filled nomination for the 2024 General Elections.
Fact: The viral photo is from June 2022, capturing the moment when Prime Minister Modi accompanied Droupadi Murmu as she submitted her nomination for the President’s election.  Additionally, Modi has not yet submitted his nomination for the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral photo does depict President Murmu with Prime Minister Modi, but it is not related to Modi filing his nomination for the 2024 General Elections. Instead, the photograph is from 2022 when Murmu submitted her own nomination for the presidency.
A reverse image search of the viral photo directed us to a tweet from Narendra Modi’s official account that posted the same photo. According to the description accompanying the tweet, the occasion was Droupadi Murmu submitting her nomination for the President’s election.
Earlier today, accompanied leaders from different parties for the filing of nomination papers of Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji. pic.twitter.com/A83Z2Qh31F
Additionally, several news articles from 2022 that covered Murmu’s presidential nomination also feature the same photo of Modi handing the nomination papers to the official. These articles can be viewed here and here.
It should be noted that Narendra Modi has not yet filed his nomination for the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency. Reports indicate that PM Modi is scheduled to file his nomination papers for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on 14 May 2024. Therefore, it is clear that the viral photo is unrelated to the current elections.
To sum up, an old photo from Droupadi Murmu’s presidential nomination is being circulated with a false claim that it is related to the current elections.


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Old photo from Gujarat shared now as visuals of mosque demolition in Uttar Pradesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 2, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as the image of a recent mosque demolition in Uttar Pradesh. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Image showing a mosque demolition in Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows an old incident where Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation(AMC) officials demolished an illegal religious construction at the Juhapura area in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This incident took place in August 2014. The photo shared in the post is old and not related to Uttar Pradesh. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found tweeted by a user on 07 August 2014. This user mentioned it as the visuals of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation(AMC) officials demolishing an illegal mosque construction at the Juhapur area in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This user credited the photos to the ‘Desh Gujarat’ news channel. The same photo was found posted on the ‘Desh Gujarat’ Facebook page on 06 August 2014.
The ‘Desh Gujarat’ news channel shared an article link along with the photo in the post. According to the details provided in the article, in August 2014, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation(AMC) officials had demolished all illegal constructions built over AMC’s land reserved for waste disposal plant. As part of this programme, AMC officials reportedly demolished an illegal mosque constructed in the Juhapura area in Ahmedabad. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the image shared in the post is old and not related to Uttar Pradesh.
To sum it up,  an old photo from Gujarat is now falsely shared as the image of a mosque demolition in Uttar Pradesh.

created: November 2, 2021


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Old photo from Italy’s Milan city shared as the picture of a melted traffic light in Lucknow - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 20, 2023
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is a picture of a melted traffic signal light in Lucknow city in Uttar Pradesh. The post claims that the traffic light melted due to extremely high temperatures in Lucknow. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a traffic signal light that melted down due to summer heat in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: The image shared in the post shows a traffic signal light in Milan, Italy. The traffic light melted because of the heat caused by a burning two-wheeler at the junction joining Via Bermago and Viale Regina streets in Milan. The photo has nothing to do with Lucknow city in India. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, we found that the same photo was being shared on social media by many users at least since August 2022. While a few shared the photo mentioning it is from Turkey, a few other users shared the photo mentioning it is a picture taken in Yunistan city in Greece. Sharing the same photo, many news websites published articles in 2022. They can be seen here and here.
A Facebook user shared the same video in 2022, mentioning it is the picture of a melted traffic signal light in Milan City in Italy. When we searched for further sources using keywords on the internet, we found a similar photo in an article published by the ‘Open’ fact-checking site. This article reported it is the picture of a melted traffic light at a junction joining the Via Bermago and Viale Regina Margherita streets in Milan. As per the report, on 25 July 2022, a two-wheeler parked adjacent to the traffic light caught fire at the junction. The traffic light reportedly melted due to the heat caused by the burning scooter.
On comparing the Google Maps images of the traffic light at the junction joining the Via Bermago and Viale Regina Margherita streets with that of the photo shared in the post, it can be confirmed that the photo shared in the post shows a traffic signal light in Italy’s Milan city, not from Lucknow city in India.
To sum it up, an old photo from Italy’s Milan city is shared as a picture of a melted traffic light in Lucknow.


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Old photo from Sikh Separatist outfit's protest in London shared as farmers disrespecting the national flag - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 7, 2020
A photo of a group of men insulting the Indian national flag is being shared on social media claiming that farmers are insulting the Indian national flag during the ongoing protests. In the photo, we can see a man insulting the Indian national flag by putting his shoe on the flag. Amid the ongoing farmers protest about the new agriculture amendment laws passed by the current government, this photo going viral on social media. Let’s verify the claims made in the post.
Claim: Farmers disrespecting the Indian national flag in the ongoing protests against farm bills.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is an old one. This photo was shot during a protest by the ‘Dal Khalsa U.K’, a pro-Khalistani Sikh organization in London on ‘15 August 2013’. This photo has nothing to do with the ongoing farmers protest against the new agriculture bills passed by the Government of India. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search, we found that the same picture was shared on social media in the past. These posts can be seen here and here. On observing the photo carefully, we can see the logo of ‘Dal Khalsa U.K’. When we searched for more information using these keywords, we found the same photo in an article published in ‘Dal Khalsa U.K’ blog. In the article, it is mentioned that Sikhs, Kashmiris & other minority groups gathered on the 15th of August 2013 in Central London to protest against India’s alleged Oppression towards the minorities in India. ‘Dal Khalsa’ is a pro-Khalistani Sikh organization founded in support of getting a separate nation for the Sikh community.
‘Dal Khalsa U.K’ organized this protest at Indian high commission at central London on India’s Independence day in 2013. Few other images related to this protest also shows protestors insulting the Indian national flag. Protests held by ‘Dal Khalsa U.K’ organization on India’s Independence day in 2015 can be seen here. In our research, we found that the person in the photo is the ‘Dal Khalsa U.K’ organization founder late Manmohan Singh Khalsa.
From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the photo shared in the post is not related to the ongoing farmers protest against the new agriculture laws passed by the Government of India.
To sum it up, Old photo from a Sikh separatist outfit’s protest in London in 2013 is shared as farmers disrespecting the Indian national flag in the ongoing protests against farm bills.

created: December 7, 2020


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Old photo from Uttar Pradesh shared as Muslim man sitting on a Mahatma Gandhi statue in Rajasthan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 13, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is a recent picture of a Muslim man sitting on a Mahatma Gandhi statue in Rajasthan. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a Muslim man sitting on a Mahatma Gandhi statue in Rajasthan.
Fact: This photo was taken in 2017 during the Bharat Milaap celebrations at Gandhi chowk in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. The photo shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with Rajasthan. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found shared by a few social media users in 2017. They can be seen here and here. A Facebook user shared the photo mentioning it as a picture taken during the Bharat Milaap celebrations at Gandhi chowk in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. Another Facebook shared a couple of similar photos with the same description.
A few pictures and a video showing the visuals of the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Amethi’s Gandhi Chowk can be seen here and here. The ‘Vishwas News’ fact-check team contacted Dainik Jagran’s Amethi reporter Dilip Singh for more clarification regarding the photo. Speaking to the ‘Vishwas News’, Dilip Singh said, “This picture was taken during Bharat Milaap at Gandhi Chowk in Amethi. When a lot of crowd was present there, one person from the crowd sat on Mahatma Gandhi’s statue. There is no communal angle in the viral picture”.
To sum it up, an old photo from Uttar Pradesh is shared with a communal narrative that a Muslim man is sitting on a Mahatma Gandhi statue in Rajasthan.


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Old photo from Yemen falsely shared as visuals of security check at an airport in Afghanistan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 30, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of security check at an airport in Afghanistan. This photo shows a person dressed in army uniform checking a man who was deliberately carrying a heavy gun on his shoulders. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing the security check at an airport in Afghanistan.
Fact: The photo shared in the post was shot in 2015 by a ‘CBS’ news channel reporter in Yemen. This photo shows Houthi rebel forces checking people before allowing them to enter a rally. This old photo from Yemen has nothing to do with Afghanistan. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in a tweet by the Middle East ‘CBS’ news channel producer Amjad Tadros on 01 July 2015. Amjad Tadros reported it as the visuals of Houthi rebel forces checking people before allowing them to enter a rally in Yemen.
Memories from #yemen: Houthi soldier searching a man going into a rally: Qat, daggers & machine guns allowed! pic.twitter.com/TFevPYz9pv
When we searched for more details regarding this photo, a video with similar visuals was found published on the ‘CBS Evening News’ YouTube channel on 16 June 2015. The description of the video stated it as the visuals from Yemen’s civil war. This video reported that Saudi Arabia led coalition conducted airstrikes on military installations that are under the control of Houthi rebel forces. A few other websites have also shared the same photo by reporting it as the visuals from Yemen. This photo was shot reportedly at Yemen’s capital city, Sanaa.
Reporting the complete details of the photo, ‘Reuters’ published a fact-check article on 25 August 2021. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the image shared in the post is an old one and has nothing to do with the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.
To sum it up, an old photo from Yemen is falsely shared as visuals of a security check at an airport in Afghanistan.


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Old photo is shared as related to the recent bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
March 8, 2022
A photo through a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that a man carrying a kid and escaping a fire, is from the recent Peshawar blasts in Pakistan. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo showing the recent Peshawar blasts in Pakistan.
Fact: The photo is from 2013 and is not a recent one. In the picture, a Pakistani man carrying a child was running away from the blast site shortly after a car exploded in 2013. On 29 September 2013, this car bomb exploded in Peshawar, Pakistan. There was a recent suicide bombing in Peshawar at a Shi’ite Mosque which killed at least 58 people. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, the same photo was found on Twitter. Pakistani journalist named Faizan Lakhani had tweeted the same photo on 29 September 2013. The photo is of a man carrying a child running away after an explosion in Qisakhuwani Bazar in Peshawar, Pakistan.
PICTURE: A man carrying a child, running away after powerful explosion rocked Peshawar's Qisakhuwani bazar. pic.twitter.com/8ucrm2Yztf
According to Associated Press, this picture is of a Pakistani man carrying a child who was running away from the blast site shortly after a car exploded in 2013.
On 29 September 2013, a car bomb exploded in Peshawar, Pakistan, killing at least 33 people. According to news reports, the explosion destroyed many shops in the historic Qissa Khawani market. However, there was also a recent suicide bombing in Peshawar at a Shi’ite Mosque which killed at least 58 people. So, the photo is related to an older blast in 2013.
To sum it up, an old photo is shared as related to the recent bombing in Peshawar, Pakistan.


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Old photo of a demolished temple in Jaipur falsely linked to the recent anti-encroachment drive in Alwar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 27, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it is a picture of a Hindu temple demolished in Rajasthan’s Alwar. A few other users were sharing the photo mentioning it as the 300-year-old temple. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Picture of the 300-year-old Hindu temple demolished in Alwar, Rajasthan.
Fact: The post shared an old photo of a demolished Hindu temple in Jaipur, Rajasthan. This incident took place in 2015, during the BJP government’s rule in Rajasthan. As part of the Metro rail construction in Jaipur, the district authorities and Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation (JMRC) demolished two temples in Jaipur. The photo shared in the post is old and has nothing to do with the recent anti-encroachment drive in Alwar. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the same photo was found in an article published by the ‘India Times’ news website on 12 June 2015. They reported it as the visuals of a demolished temple in Jaipur. According to the article, the 200-year-old Rojgareshwar temple in the Chaupur area of Jaipur was demolished as part of the metro rail construction in the city. Amidst massive protests, District authorities and Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation (JMRC) had reportedly demolished two temples for the construction of Metro in Jaipur.
Reporting the same, a few other news websites published articles in 2015. They can be seen here and here. This incident took place in 2015, during the Vasundare Raje-led BJP government’s rule in Rajasthan.
To sum it up, an old photo of a demolished temple in Jaipur was falsely linked to the recent demolition of temples in Alwar.


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Old photo of a family from Mansa (Punjab) is being falsely shared as the one from Surat (Gujarat) - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 27, 2020
Photo of a family having their tea while sitting in floodwater is doing the rounds on social media claiming that the incident happened in Surat, Gujarat. The same photo is also being shared (archived) as that of Delhi. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Photo of a family having their tea while sitting in flood water in Surat, Gujarat.
Fact: The photo is captured in Mansa (Punjab), not Surat (Gujarat). Also, the photo is old and is taken in 2016. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we subjected the photo to reverse image search technique, a tweet of Barnala constituency (Punjab) MLA Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer was found. The tweet is dated ‘18 July 2016’ and it is mentioned in the tweet that the photo is captured at Mansa district of Punjab.
Family in Mansa dist #Punjab protesting against shoddy sewage wrk by #akalis .Ppl r waiting fr 2017 @ArvindKejriwal pic.twitter.com/VUZFNjxuzR
In the comments section of that tweet, a user attached a news article from the e-paper of ‘Punjab Kesari’ that had the same photo as that in the post. The article also mentioned that the photo was taken in ‘Mansa’.
Other Facebook posts mentioning that the photo is taken at ‘Mansa’ can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, an old photo of a family from Mansa (Punjab) having their tea while sitting in flood water is being shared as in Surat (Gujarat).
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Old photo of a Drone strapped to a Hanuman idol shared as a picture of real Hanuman flying in sky - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 13, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming that Lord Hanuman was still alive and was spotted flying in the sky by people. Sharing the photo, this post claims it to be the picture of Lord Hanuman flying in the sky. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Picture showing Lord Hanuman flying in the sky.
Fact: The photo shared in the post shows a drone-strapped 3D idol of Hanuman that was hovered over nine cities as part of a television show promotion in 2015. A Mumbai-based marketing company performed this drone show to promote their TV mythological show ‘Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanuman’. The video does not show a real Hanuman flying in the sky. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, the same picture is found as a thumbnail image to a YouTube video published with the title, “When the real Hanumanji was captured in the drone camera of the people” (when translated from Hindi to English). But in the video, there are no visuals of Hanuman flying in the sky. Also, in the photo shared in the post, one could see a drone-like structure attached to the top of the hanuman idol.
When we searched for further sources using relevant keywords on the internet, we found similar visuals of Hanuman like being flying in the sky in a video published by a YouTube channel on 02 May 2015. RJ Navneet published this video with the title, “Pawan Putra Hanuman (Drone ) Flying in the Sky of Indore”. This video shows a drone-strapped Hanuman idol flying in the sky. In the description of the video, it was informed that the video was captured by RJ Navneet at Bengali Square Indore.
Reporting the details of this flying drone-strapped Hanuman idol, the ‘Times of India’ published an article in September 2016. According to the article, in May 2015, a Mumbai-based marketing company, as part of the promotion for their TV mythological show, ‘Sankatmochan Mahabali Hanuman’, hovered the drone-strapped 3D idols of Lord Hanuman over nine cities, including Bhopal, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Allahabad, Nagpur, Varanasi, Indore, Pune and Jaipur. The pictures shared in the articles are similar to the Hanuman photo shared in the post.
To sum it up, an old photo of a flying drone-strapped Hanuman idol was shared as a picture of real Hanuman caught flying in the sky.

created: December 13, 2022


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Old photo of a man planting saplings on a Uttarakhand road is shared as that from Bihar - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 24, 2020
Photo of a person sowing rice saplings (paddy) on a mud-filled street road is being shared on social media claiming it as the condition of roads in the state of Bihar. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Bihar people sowing rice saplings (paddy) on the mud-filled street roads.
Fact: The person shown in the photo is Praveen Koshiyari, a native of Balvakot village in Dharchula district, Uttarakhand. He sowed the rice saplings (paddy) on the mud-filled street road to grab the attention of Uttarakhand state government about the condition of the roads in the state. The photo has nothing to do with Bihar. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar image was found in an article published by ‘Uttarakhand News Network’ news website on ‘16 July 2015’. In the article, it is mentioned that the incident shown in the photo took place in Balvakot village of Uttarakhand state during the year 2015. Tired of inconvenience caused by the mud-filled and waterlogged streets in his village, a man called Praveen Koshiyari sowed the rice saplings (Paddy) on the street road. He chose this unique way of protest to grab the attention of the Uttarakhand state government about the condition of roads in the state. Article with similar context showing the same photo was found in a news portal website ‘The Logical Indian’.
Earlier, when the same image was shared as people sowing crops on the roads of Telangana, ‘FACTLY’ has debunked the claim and has written a fact-check article that can be read here.
To sum it up, an old photo of a person planting saplings on the roads in Uttarakhand is falsely shared as that from Bihar.
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Old photo of a mob assault in Bengal is falsely shared as humiliation of Hindu women by Muslim TMC leaders - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 10, 2021
A post with an image of three persons lying naked is being widely shared on social media claiming that Muslim TMC Leaders in West Bengal have humiliated Hindu women. The post even claims that Hindu women and daughters were beaten up and stripped naked by the roadside. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Hindu women being humiliated by Muslim TMC leaders in West Bengal.
Fact: The photo was taken in 2014 when an angry mob in Kaliabazar, West Bengal beat up three men on the suspicion of raping a seven-year-old girl. It has nothing to do with different religious communities. One man in the photo lying naked was Ratan Das, a local tantric and the other two were his friends. There is no mention of TMC leaders in the news articles published about the incident. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, an article was found with the same image. The article published on 24 July 2014 states that Indian rape suspects were beaten by an angry mob after a seven-year-old girl was found hanging from a tree. People in Kaliabazar, West Bengal went around the village to search for a girl who was missing the previous night. The girl was found hanging from a tree. When rumours began that she had been gang-raped, the villagers rounded up Ratan Das, a local tantric, and two of his associates. The mob beat up the men and stripped them naked. Another article about the same incident can be seen here.
The image in the article shows that they were men, contrary to the claim made in the photo (which was blurred), that they were women. There is no mention of TMC Muslim leaders or Hindu women being beaten up. In fact, it has nothing to do with religious communities.
To sum it up, an old photo of a mob assault in Bengal is falsely shared as the humiliation of Hindu women by Muslim TMC leaders.


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Old photo of a New Delhi road is falsely shared as a road in Varanasi (UP) ruled by BJP - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 20, 2020
A photo of a road in bad condition is being shared on social media with a claim that it is a road in Varanasi (Banaras) which is ruled by the BJP. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Photo of a road in bad condition in BJP governed Varanasi.
Fact: It is an old photo which was taken in New Delhi. The photo is not related to Varanasi (UP). Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
It was found that the same photo with a similar claim is on the internet at least from October 2018. But, when the image was run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found to be uploaded by multiple users in the context of Delhi in January 2020. Some of those posts can be found here and here.
When searched with relevant keywords, other photos related to the same location were found to be posted by a user in July 2018. The same shops and surroundings can be found in the photos. The user mentions that the photos were taken at Ratiya Marg, Sangam Vihar in New Delhi. Also, the shop address in one of the photos mentions that it is in New Delhi. The same can be also confirmed on Google Maps.
To sum it up, an old photo of a road in New Delhi which is in a bad condition is falsely shared as Varanasi (UP) road, which is ruled by the BJP.
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Old photo of a road in Bihar is falsely shared as the condition of roads in Uttar Pradesh - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 28, 2020
Photo of a road full of potholes is being shared on social media claiming it as the pathetic condition of roads in the Mahul village of Uttar Pradesh. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Photo showing the condition of roads full of potholes in Mahul village, Uttar Pradesh.
Fact: Image in the post shows the old condition of Bhagalpur-Pirpainty-Mirzachowki National highway-80 at Bhagalpur district in Bihar. It is not from the Mahul village in Uttar Pradesh state. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, we found a similar photo in a tweet posted by a random user in twitter. In that tweet, it is mentioned as the condition of Bhagalpur-Pirpainty National Highway in Bihar. Based on this information we searched for additional information using keywords. We found the same photo in an article published by ‘Times of India’ news website in 2017, with the title ‘Bhagalpur NH-80 in a bad shape’. In that article, it is mentioned that the photo shows the condition of Bhagalpur-Pirpainty- Mirzachowki National highway-80 in Bhagalpur, Bihar.
When the same image went viral in 2017, the then Bihar Road and Transport Minister Tejaswi Yadav tweeted that the image doesn’t show the ground reality. ‘ABP Live’ news channel investigation revealed that the photo is of the national highway in Bhagalpur district in Bihar but shows its condition from two months prior to it going viral and that a new road has been laid by the time of their visit.
The same image was earlier shared as the condition of roads in Kerala (Wayanad) and Telangana. Factly has debunked these which can be read here and here.
To sum it up, an old photo of a road from Bhagalpur district in Bihar is falsely shared as the condition of roads in Mahul village of Uttar Pradesh.
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Old photo of a road in Bihar shared as pathetic condition of roads in Rahul Gandhi’s constituency Wayanad - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 9, 2020
Photo of a road full of large potholes is being shared on social media claiming it as the pathetic road and transport condition in Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha constituency Wayanad. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Photo of road full of potholes in Rahul Gandhi’s constituency Wayanad.
Fact: Image in the post shows the condition of Bhagalpur-Pirpainty- Mirzachowki National highway-80 at Bhagalpur district in Bihar. It is not from Rahul Gandhi’s constituency Wayanad. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We did a reverse image search of the photo shared in the post and found a similar photo in a tweet posted by a random user in twitter. In that tweet, it is described as the condition of Bhagalpur-Pirpainty National Highway in Bihar. Based on this information we searched for additional information using keywords. We found the same photo in an article published by ‘Times of India’ news website in 2017, with the title ‘Bhagalpur NH-80 in a bad shape’. In that article, it is mentioned that the photo shows the condition of Bhagalpur-Pirpainty- Mirzachowki National highway-80 in Bhagalpur, Bihar.
When the same image went viral in 2017, the then Bihar Road and Transport Minister Tejaswi Yadav tweeted that the image doesn’t show the ground reality. ‘ABP Live’ news channel investigation revealed that the photo is of the national highway in Bhagalpur district in Bihar but shows its condition from two months prior to it going viral, and a new road has been laid by the time of their visit.
To sum it up, an old photo of a road from Bhagalpur district in Bihar is falsely shared as the condition of the roads in Rahul Gandhi’s constituency Wayanad.
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Old photo of an Afghan citizen falsely shared as recent visuals of a Taliban fighter enjoying ice cream - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 26, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as recent visuals of a Taliban fighter eating ice cream with great happiness. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a Taliban fighter while he is eating ice cream.
Fact: The photo shared in the post was captured by American photographer Steve McCurry. This photo shows an Afghan man buying ice cream for his children. Steve McCurry shot this photo in 2002 at Pol-e-Khomri city in Afghanistan. This photo has nothing to do with the Taliban.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found to be published on the ‘Imgur’ website in 2016. The description of the photo states it as the visuals of an Afghan man holding his ice cream cones.  This photo was reportedly shot at Pol-e-Khomri (also spelled as Puli Khomri) city in Afghanistan. A few other websites have published the same photo by crediting it to the American photographer, Steve McCurry.
When we searched for more sources using these keywords, we found a similar photo on Steve McCurry’s official Instagram handle. Steve McCurry described it as the visuals of an Afghan man buying ice cream for his children. Also, he mentioned in the description that the image was shot in 2002 at Pol-e-Khomri city in Afghanistan.
After the Taliban took complete control over Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul, Taliban fighters have reportedly indulged in several relaxation activities like enjoying rides at an amusement park and posing for photos with ice cream. Reporting these details, several news websites have published articles and news videos. They can be seen here and here. But the photo shared in the post is an old one and not related to the current events in Afghanistan.
To sum it up, an old photo is falsely shared as the recent visuals of a Taliban fighter enjoying ice cream.


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Old photo of Farkhunda Malikzada’s lynching shared as Taliban executing Afghan Airforce pilot Safiya Ferozi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 20, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of the Taliban executing Safiya Firozi, one of the four lady pilots of the Afghanistan Air Force. This photo shows the picture of a brutally assaulted woman full of blood on her face. This post claims that Safiya Firozi was stoned to death in public. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Taliban killing Afghan Airforce pilot, Safiya Firozi.
Fact: The woman in the photo is Farkhunda Malikzada, not the Afghan Airforce pilot Safiya Firozi. In 2015, Farkhunda Malikzada was beaten to death by a mob in Kabul, Afghanistan. They killed Farkhunda Malikzada on the false allegations that she had burnt Quran. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, similar photos were found on several websites. They can be seen here and here. These articles mentioned the brutally assaulted woman as Farkhunda Malikzada.
When we searched for more details using these keywords, we found that ‘The New York Times’ had published an article reporting the tragic death of Farkhunda Malikzada. This incident reportedly took place in 2015 at Kabul city in Afghanistan. According to this article, Farkhunda Malikzada was beaten to death by a mob in Kabul, Afghanistan. Malikzada was assaulted and killed on the false allegations that she burnt Quran. Reporting the complete details of this incident, several news websites have published articles. They can be read here, here, and here. It is nowhere reported that Farkhunda Malikzada was a pilot in Afghanistan Air Force.
Who is Safia Ferozi?
On searching for the details about Safia Ferozei, we found out that Safia Ferozi was indeed an Afghan Air Force female pilot. Several news websites in the past have published news articles about Safia Ferozi. They can be read here, here, and here.
It is nowhere reported that Safia Ferozi was recently executed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. However, a few news websites reported that the Taliban executed few Afghan Air Force pilots after they took complete control over Afghanistan.
To sum it up, an old photo related to Farkhunda Malikzada’s lynching is shared as visuals of the Taliban executing Afghan Airforce pilot Safiya Ferozi.


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Old photo of ‘Go Back Modi’ slogan on a Kolkata street shared as that from Tamil Nadu - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 15, 2021
A photo of ‘Go Back Modi’ slogan painted on a street road is being shared on social media claiming it as the anti-Modi graffiti displayed on a street in Tamil Nadu. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim:  Photo of a Tamil Nadu street with ‘Go Back Modi’ slogan painted on the road.
Fact: The anti-Modi graffiti shared in the photo is related to a protest against the CAA and NRC in Kolkata. This protest was held amid PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Kolkata in January 2020. This photo has nothing to do with Tamil Nadu. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, we found a similar photo in a tweet made by Kolkata-based Journalist Mayukh Ranjan Ghosh on 11 January 2020. Mayukh Ranjan Ghosh reported it as an image from Esplanade, the busiest street in Kolkata.
This is one of the busiest roads in Kolkata. #Esplanade. Lakhs and lakhs of people commute, jam packed traffic r seen. Just look at this place tonight. Roads turned into graffitis, no traffic, all roads blocked, students protesting overnight.
This is #Kolkata #modiinkolkata pic.twitter.com/jDaf6vufXi
Further search led us to news articles dated January 2020 which carried a similar photo but from another angle. According to these articles, the photo is of a protest against CAA and NRC in Kolkata. These articles can be read here and here.
Also, in a better version of the photo shared by the journalist, the sign ‘METRO CHANNEL CONTROL POST, ARE STREET POLICE STATION’ is visible on a building besides the road. Taking a cue from here, a search on Google maps with relevant keywords led us to the location which is indeed in Kolkata. With all this, we can conclude that the image is related to protest in Kolkata against CAA and NRC and has nothing to do with Tamil Nadu.
Earlier, when the same photo falsely linked to the Bihar Assembly elections, FACTLY published a fact-check article on it. It can be seen here.
To sum it up, an old photo of ‘Go Back Modi’ slogan painted on Kolkata streets shared as the anti-Modi graffiti in Tamil Nadu.

created: February 15, 2021


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Old photo of Hrithik Roshan falsely linked to ongoing farmers’ protest - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 8, 2020
A photo of Hrithik Roshan is being shared on social media with a claim that it shows him coming  in support of the protesting farmers. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Hrithik Roshan supporting the recent farmers’ protest.
Fact: It is an old photo from 2018 when Hrithik Roshan participated in Guru Gobind Singh Jayanthi celebrations in Mumbai. It is not related to ongoing farmers’ protest. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched about the photo on the internet, many similar photos were found to be posted by several users in January 2018. A YouTube channel (‘Bollywood Spy Hindi’) had published a video related to the photo on 06 January 2018 with the title – ‘Guru Gobind Singh की जयंती पर Hrithik Roshan पहुचे अपने पिता संग’ (Hrithik Roshan participated in Guru Gobind Singh Jayanthi celebrations along with his father). The same people from the photo shared in the post can be seen in the video. Many other old posts with the same photo can be seen here and here.
Also, the ‘Filmfare.com’ has published many photos from the event in 2018. We did not find any recent posts by Hrithik Roshan on his social media handles regarding the ongoing farmers’ protest.
To sum it up, 2018 photo of Hrithik Roshan participation in Guru Gobind Singh Jayanthi celebrations in Mumbai is falsely shared as that related to ongoing farmers’ protest.

created: December 8, 2020


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Old photo of Jagdish Sonkar (IAS) keeping his leg on a hospital bed is shared as a recent incident - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 25, 2022
A photo is being shared widely on social media with a claim that it shows a recent incident of an IAS trainee arrogantly keeping his leg on a hospital bed. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent photo of an IAS trainee arrogantly keeping his leg on a hospital bed.
Fact: The posted photo is an old one. The incident in the photo happened in 2016, and the person in the photo is Dr. Jagdish Sonkar, who was then the sub-divisional magistrate of Ramanujganj in the Balrampur district (Chhattisgarh). He is an IAS officer of the 2013 batch. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When the photo was run through Google Reverse Image, many news articles with the same photo were found in the search results. According to the ‘Hindustan Times’ article, “the incident happened when Dr. Jagdish Sonkar visited a government hospital for a routine inspection and interacted with mothers of malnourished children being treated there”. The incident in the photo happened in 2016. He was then the sub-divisional magistrate of Ramanujganj in the Balrampur district (Chhattisgarh). Other news reports regarding the incident can be read here, here, and here.
He is an IAS officer of the 2013 batch. Details regarding his appointment can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, an old photo of Jagdish Sonkar (IAS) keeping his leg on a hospital bed is shared as a recent incident by an IAS trainee.


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Old photo of Kiran Rao before her divorce from Aamir Khan shared as the recent one - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 14, 2022
An image of Bollywood producer and Aamir Khan’s ex-wife Kiran Rao walking alone on a street is being widely shared on social media claiming it as a recent photo after her divorce. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of Aamir Khan’s ex-wife Kiran Rao walking alone on a street after her divorce.
Fact: This photo of Kiran Rao walking on the streets on Bandra, Mumbai was first featured in an article by Bollywood Tadka on 22 September 2019. However, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao announced their divorce in July 2021. Evidently, the picture is taken much before the announcement of their divorce. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING
We ran a reverse image search using the viral photo and found that the same photo was featured in an article by BollywoodTadka on 22 September 2019. The title of the article reads, “Aamir Khan’s wife came out on the streets wearing a kurta alone, it was difficult to recognize without makeup”.
Other pictures of Kiran Rao during that time can also be seen in this article. Reportedly, these photos were captured when she was walking in the streets of Bandra, Mumbai. The same article was also shared by Punjab Kesari on Twitter on 22 September 2019.
अकेला कुर्ता पहन सड़कों पर निकलीं आमिर की 45 की पत्नी, बिना मेकअप पहचानना हुआ मुश्किलhttps://t.co/lSly55LHft #KiranRao pic.twitter.com/uexzy83pG3
However, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao announced their divorce in July 2021. It is evident that the picture of viral image of Kiran Rao walking alone on the streets was captured much before the announcement of their divorce.
To sum it up, an old image of Kiran Rao walking alone on the streets of Bandra is shared as the recent one following her divorce from Aamir Khan.

created: October 14, 2022


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Old photo of MS Dhoni standing on his new tractor falsely linked to the farmers' tractor parade held in Delhi - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
January 29, 2021
A photo is being shared on social media claiming that the former Indian Cricket team Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni expressed his support for the Kisan Tractor Parade held in New Delhi. This photo shows Mahendra Singh Dhoni standing on a tractor. Following the violent clashes between the protesting farmers and the Police during the Kisan tractor rally in Delhi, this post got shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: MS Dhoni expressed his support for the Kisan tractor parade by standing on a tractor.
Fact:  Former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni purchased the new Mahindra Swaraj 963 FE model tractor for organic farming at his farmhouse during June 2020. This photo in the post was captured while MS Dhoni was inspecting the new tractor delivered to him. MS Dhoni has not made any statement about the Kisan tractor rally held in New Delhi. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the post, a similar photo was found in an article published by ‘The Indian Express’ news website on 03 June 2020. In the article, it is mentioned that the former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni purchased a new Mahindra Swaraj 963 FE model tractor for his pursuit of organic farming at his farmhouse in Ranchi. MS Dhoni reportedly has been pursuing organic farming during the 3 months lockdown period in the country. Reporting the same, the ‘Deccan Chronicle’ published an article about Dhoni purchasing a new tractor for organic farming.
Responding to the ‘Carandbike’ website tweet about MS Dhoni purchasing the new Mahendra Swaraj 963 FE model tractor, Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra posted a tweet appreciating MS Dhoni. News articles published on Anand Mahindra’s tweet about MS Dhoni purchasing the new Mahindra Swaraj 963 FE model tractor can be seen here and here.
MS Dhoni has not made any statement about the Kisan tractor rally held in Delhi. From all these pieces of evidence, it is concluded that the photo in the post has nothing to do with the recent Kisan tractor rally held in New Delhi.
To sum it up, an old photo of MS Dhoni inspecting his newly purchased tractor falsely linked to the Kisan tractor parade held in Delhi.

created: January 29, 2021


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Old Photo of PM Modi having a vegetarian dinner in UAE is falsely shared as him eating Beef - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 11, 2021
A post with an image of PM Narendra Modi sitting at a dinner table is being widely shared on social media claiming that he was having beef. The post even claims that there was Biryani and Kebab. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of PM Narendra Modi eating beef.
Fact: In the photo, PM Modi and others were having a vegetarian meal prepared by Indian Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. Narendra Modi was hosted a high-level dinner by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (AIDA) when he was on an official state visit to the UAE in 2015. There are no news articles which mention about Modi having eaten beef or any non-vegetarian food. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When reverse image search is done on the photo, a tweet with the same image was found. The tweet was made on 16 August 2015 by the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs. The photo was taken when PM Modi was hosted for a high-level dinner by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (AIDA). According to an article, Sanjeev Kapoor (a famous Indian Chef) was ‘especially flown to Abu Dhabi to cook a special vegetarian meal for Modi, who is a strict vegetarian’, for this dinner.
In this dinner, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor prepared ‘Royal Gujarati Thali’ for Modi, which was vegetarian. In fact, there were other dignitaries who were sitting at the table including Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and none of them touched meat. According to an article, all of them stuck ‘to the vegetarian meal as a mark of respect for Modi’s culinary preference’.
The menu for that night’s dinner can be seen in a tweet that was posted by Sanjeev Kapoor on his Twitter handle. There is no mention of Beef in the menu posted by him.
Menu for tonights dinner in honor of Shri @narendramodi Ji.#UAE #IndianCuisine #BestOfIndia pic.twitter.com/YvCdp6O9Vh
Narendra Modi made an official state visit to the UAE in 2015; he was the first Indian Prime Minister to do so in 34 years after Indira Gandhi. There are no news articles which mention Modi having eaten beef or any non-vegetarian food during this visit.
To sum it up, the 2015 photo of PM Modi having a vegetarian dinner in UAE is falsely shared as him having Beef.