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A clipped video shared as the visuals of Narendra Modi acknowledging the hardships endured by Chhattisgarh people under the BJP government - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 27, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming that it shows Narendra Modi acknowledging the hardships endured by the Chhattisgarh people under the BJP rule. The video shows Narendra Modi saying- “Chhattisgarh me BJP sarkar hone ka bahuth bada nuksan, sabse bada nuksan mere Chhattisgarh ke bhai aur behno ko utana pada he, mere naujavano ko utana pada he” (when translated from Hindi to English- “There is a huge loss due to the BJP government in Chhattisgarh, the biggest hardships has been suffered by my brothers and sisters of Chhattisgarh, my  youth had to bear these hardships.”).  Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Narendra Modi acknowledging the hardships faced by the Chhattisgarh people under the BJP rule.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a clipped one. In the unedited original video, Narendra Modi accused the Congress government for the hardships faced by the people in Chhattisgarh. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
When we searched for the video using relevant keywords, we found similar visuals in a video published on Narendra Modi’s YouTube channel on 14 September 2023. The video shows the full speech of Narendra Modi during a public meeting at Raigarh in Chhattisgarh.
From 12:38 minutes of the video, Narendra Modi was seen saying-“Mere Parijano, Delhi ki bhajapa sarkar Chattigarh ke vikas ke liye koi kor-kasar nahi chod rahi he. Lekin yaha jo congress ki sarkar he, vo vikas ke kaam me nahi balki sirf hawa-hawai baathe aur daavo me juti rahti he. Chattisgarh me bjp sarkar na hone ka bahut bada nuksan, jabse BJP ki sarkar gayi, jabse ye log baite he, sabse bada nuksan mere Chhattisgarh  ke bhayiyo aur Behnonko utana pada he, mere naujawano ko utana pada he” (when translated from Hindi to English- “My dear friends, the BJP government of Delhi is leaving no stone unturned for the development of Chhattisgarh. But the Congress government here is not engaged in development work but only in empty talk and claims. There is a huge loss due to no BJP government in Chhattisgarh. Ever since the BJP government left, since these people have been in power, my brothers and sisters and the youth in Chhattisgarh had to bear the biggest loss.”). The video shared in the post clipped the portion of Narendra Modi accusing the Congress government of the hardships faced by the people in Chhattisgarh.
In the full speech published on the Narendra Modi website, they changed the phrase “Chattisgarh me bjp sarkar hone ka bahut bada nuksan” from “Chattisgarh me bjp sarkar na hone ka bahut bada nuksan”(when translated from Hindi to English: “There is a huge loss due to the absence of BJP government in Chhattisgarh.”).
To sum it up, a clipped video was shared as the visuals of Narendra Modi acknowledging the hardships faced by the Chhattisgarh people due to the BJP government in the centre.

created: September 27, 2023


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A clipped video shared as the visuals of PM Modi ignoring Pat Cummins during the ICC World Cup 2023 presentation ceremony - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 21, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming it is the visuals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ignoring Australian cricket team captain Pat Cummins during the ICC World Cup 2023 presentation ceremony. The post claims that PM Narendra Modi had ignored Pat Cummins during the World Cup trophy presentation after Australia’s victory against India in the ICC World Cup Finals on 19 November 2023. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi ignoring Pat Cummins during the ICC World Cup 2023 trophy presentation ceremony.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a clipped one. After Australia’s victory against India in the World Cup finals, PM Narendra Modi extended his congratulations to Pat Cummins and shook hands with him during the trophy presentation ceremony. The post shared a clip that is recorded when Narendra Modi left from the stage after the trophy presentation. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
On searching for the details of the claim made in the post, we found the ICC World Cup 2023 trophy presentation ceremony visuals in the replay and highlights videos published on the Hotstar website. Narendra Modi, along with Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, handed over the World Cup 2023 trophy to Pat Cummins and congratulated him for the victory. Narendra Modi shook hands with Pat Cummins and congratulated him during the trophy presentation.
Several news sites have published the photos taken during the World Cup trophy presentation ceremony. The photos show Narendra Modi cordially congratulating Pat Cummins for Australia’s victory in the World Cup finals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles handed the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 trophy to Australian captain Pat Cummins after their win against India in Ahmedabad
Pic Source: ANI Photos pic.twitter.com/E4T3twcyHf
The video clip shared in the post was recorded when Narendra Modi made his way down the stage after presenting the trophy.  A few ‘X’ users have shared the unedited full video clip of Narendra Modi handing over the trophy to Pat Cummins.
However, after presenting the trophy to Pat Cummins, Narendra Modi and Richard Marles came down the stage and shook hands with the rest of the Australian team members and congratulated them on the victory. A few sports websites published articles reporting that the Australian Captain stood alone with the trophy for some moments, awaiting his teammates on stage, as Modi and Richard Marles congratulated the Australian team members. These sports sites called it an awkward moment during the presentation ceremony. But none of them reported that Narendra Modi ignored Pat Cummins during the ICC World Cup 2023 presentation ceremony.
To sum it up, a clipped video is shared as the visuals of PM Modi ignoring Pat Cummins at the ICC World Cup presentation ceremony.

source: news-factly

created: November 21, 2023

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

author: Sai Krishna Muthyanolla


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A clipped video shared as the visuals of the Telangana government inaugurating a collectorate office only in Islamic customs - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 12, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming that only Islamic prayers were performed during the inauguration ceremony of a collectorate office in Telangana. The video shows Muslim clerics reciting Islamic prayers during an inauguration ceremony, in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing only Islamic customs being followed during an inauguration ceremony of a collectorate office in Telangana.
Fact:  The video shared on the post is a clipped video from the inauguration ceremony of the Nirmal Integrated Collectorate complex, held on 04 June 2023. The extended version of the video shows the performance of multi-faith prayers, including Hindu, Muslim and Christian prayers, during the inauguration of the Nirmal Collectorate complex. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
When we searched for the video using relevant keywords, we found similar visuals in a video published by the ‘T News’ channel on 04 June 2023. This news channel reported it is the visuals from the inauguration ceremony of the Nirmal Integrated Collectorate complex on 04 June 2023.
As part of the inauguration of the Nirmal Integrated Collectorate complex, the Telangana government performed multi-faith prayers, including Hindu, Muslim, and Christian prayers. From 1:24:55 minutes of the video, one could see KCR and Nirmal Collector Varun Reddy offering Hindu prayers as part of the inauguration proceedings. Following the pooja, Muslim clerics offered Islamic prayers and later, a pastor offered Christian prayers during the inauguration ceremony. The Nirmal Integrated Collectorate was inaugurated involving Hindu, Muslim, and Christian prayers.
Reporting the details of the inauguration ceremony of the Nirmal Integrated Collectorate complex, several news websites published articles on 04 June 2023. They can be seen here and here. Sharing a clipped video from the inauguration ceremony, the post falsely claims that the inauguration ceremony was conducted only in Islamic customs.
To sum it up, a clipped video is shared as the visuals of the Telangana government inaugurating the collectorate office only in Islamic customs.


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A clipped video is shared claiming as visuals of Narendra Modi admitting that he had only passed up to high school - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 7, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals from an old interview in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen acknowledging that he had studied only up to matriculation (class 10th) in high school. The purported video clip shared in the post shows Narendra Modi saying- “I am not a well-educated person. At the age of 17, I left the home after high school. From there on until today, I am struck and focused on learning new things.” Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Old interview video showing Narendra Modi admitting that he studied only up to matriculation in high school.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a clipped one. The extended version of the video shows Narendra Modi explaining about his higher education stating that he graduated with B.A. and M.A. degrees through distance education. Modi in the interview asserted that he had completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees through distance education without going to college. Hence, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
When we searched for the video using relevant keywords on the internet, an extended version of the video was found published on a YouTube channel. This YouTube channel published the video with the description, “Old Interview (pre-2001) of Narendra Modi by Rajeev Shukla (when he was a journalist) on Ru Ba Ru“. The extended version of the video clip shows Narendra Modi detailing his higher education saying that he had completed B.A. and M.A. degrees through distance education.
Speaking about his interests, Narendra Modi in the interview said, “I am not a well-educated person. But maybe because of the blessings of god, I got an interest in learning new things”. Further, when Rajeev Shukla asked Narendra Modi about his educational qualifications, Narendra Modi said, “I left home at the age of 17 after high school. From then on until today, I am very much focused on learning new things. After high school, a senior in the Sangh (RSS) pushed me to finish my graduation. So I did my graduation as an external student from Delhi University, and then also finished my postgraduate as an external student. I stood first in the university but I haven’t seen the gates of a college“.
The video shared in the post clipped the portion of Narendra Modi talking about his higher education. Reporting about this clipped video, a few news websites published articles in the past. A recent article published by Factly while debunking the claims around font & other issues of Narendra Modi’s 1983 M.A. degree certificate can be seen here.
To sum it up, a clipped video is shared as visuals of Narendra Modi admitting that he had only studied up to 10th class.


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A clipped video shared as visuals of Narendra Modi waving at an empty crowd - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 20, 2023
A video shared on social media claims that the visuals show Prime Minister Narendra Modi waving at an empty crowd. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Narendra Modi waving at an empty crowd.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a clipped one. The post shared a short video clip from the inauguration ceremony of the Bogibeel rail-road bridge in Assam, in 2018. The extended version of the video shows Narendra Modi waving to both the passengers inside a train moving alongside the bridge and the crowd gathered beneath the rail-road bridge. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, we found an extended version of the video showing similar visuals on the official YouTube channel of PMO India. The PMO India published the video on 25 December 2018, with the title, “PM Modi inaugurates India’s longest rail-road Bogibeel bridge on Brahmaputra river in Assam.”
Following the inauguration of the Bogibeel bridge, Narendra Modi took a drive on the road bridge. In the extended version of the video, Narendra Modi was seen standing on the foothold of his vehicle and greeting the passengers aboard a train moving alongside the bridge.
Additionally, there was a crowd gathered beneath the bridge, to whom Narendra Modi waved and greeted. The clipped video shared in the post does not show Modi greeting people present beneath the bridge during the inauguration ceremony. Videos published by different news sites showed Narendra Modi waving at train passengers and the crowd assembled for inauguration of India’s longest rail-road Bogibeel Bridge on the Brahmaputra River in Assam.
To sum it up, a clipped video was shared as the visuals of Narendra Modi waving at an empty crowd.

created: December 20, 2023


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A clipping from Joe Biden’s meeting with Prime Minister of Israel is shared with a false narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 1, 2021
A video accompanied by a post is being widely shared on social media claiming that US President Joe Biden was sleeping during his meeting with Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. Let us fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of US President Joe Biden sleeping during his meeting with PM of Israel.
Fact: The video was clipped from a larger video when for a few seconds Joe Biden had put his head down. A closer look at Joe Biden’s hands shows him moving his thumbs while the Israeli Prime Minister spoke; also, Biden responds immediately after the Israeli PM ends his speech. On 27 August 2021, Israel Prime Minister met US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House. The video was taken from this meeting they had in the White House. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When reverse image search is done on the screenshots of the video, a larger YouTube video with similar visuals was found. The YouTube video uploaded on 28 August 2021 by the Official White House YouTube channel was titled, ‘President Biden Holds a Bilateral Meeting with Naftali Bennett, Prime Minister of Israel’. The 32-second viral video was clipped from 12:17 of the over-13-minute YouTube video. Immediately after the Israeli Prime Minister ends his speech, one can see that Joe Biden responds to him from 12:49 of the YouTube video.
A closer look at Joe Biden’s hands shows him moving his thumbs while the Israeli Prime Minister spoke, indicating that he was not sleeping when his head was down. The same video of the meeting can be seen on the Israeli PM’s YouTube channel and on C-SPAN’s website.
On 27 August 2021, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met US President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House. In the meeting, they have discussed Israel’s Iron Dome, starting booster shots for COVID-19 protection, the situation in Kabul, and Iran’s nuclear deal. The viral video was taken from this meeting they had in the White House.
To sum it up, a clipping from Joe Biden’s meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel is shared with a false narrative.

created: September 1, 2021


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The woman whom Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hugged in the photo is the mother of Hathras rape victim - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 15, 2020
A collage with the photos of Priyanka Gandhi hugging a woman and the photo highlighting a congress spokesperson is being shared on social media claiming that Priyanka Gandhi consoling the Hathras rape victim fake mother. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Priyanka Gandhi hugged Hathras rape victim’s fake mother who is a Congress party worker
Fact: Photo shared in the post shows Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hugging Hathras rape victim’s mother. The other woman in the post is Goa Pradesh Congress Committee member and she has nothing to do with Hathras incident. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On searching for the photos of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra consoling the Hathras rape victim’s family, the same photo was found in an article published by ‘The Economic Times’ on  ‘04 October 2020’. In the article, it is mentioned as the photo shot while Priyanka Gandhi was consoling the 19-year-old dead rape victim’s family in Bulgadi village of Hathras. Photo in this article is credited to PTI. ‘ANI’ news channel in a tweet published the video of Priyanka Gandhi consoling the mother of the rape victim. Journalist Barkha Dutt shared the photo of Hathras rape victim’s mother on twitter. Though we couldn’t see the woman’s face in the photo, we could see that the woman in the photo is wearing the same saree as shown in the post.
‘India Today’ and ‘Times Now’ news channels shared the videos of their interaction with the Hathras Rape victim’s mother on twitter. They can be watched here and here. In these videos also, Hathras rape victim’s mother is seen in the same saree as shared in the post.
On reverse image search of the photo highlighting another woman in the social media post, the same image was found on the cover picture of a Facebook account named Pratibha Borkar. Pratibha Borkar is the member of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC). The visuals of this specific photo were found in the press meet video posted by the official Facebook page of Indian National Congress Goa. Her photo is being used to post such content on social media. It is being claimed that she acted as the Hathras rape victim’s mother.
To sum it up, the woman whom Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hugged in the photo is the mother of Hathras rape victim and not a Congress party worker.

created: October 15, 2020


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A comment under the New York Times article is being portrayed as an article in the New York Times - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 24, 2019
A post is being shared on Facebook with a claim that the New York Times has written a beautiful article on India while newspapers and media channels in India deplore it. Let’s try to check the authenticity of the post.
V Mitchell has written a beautiful article on India in the New York Times.
Fact: No, that is not an article published by the New York Times. It was just a comment by V Mitchell in the comment section under a different New York Times article, in the year 2009. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE..
When searched for the article on Google with keywords from the post, a link to the New York Times article can be found in the search results. The article was titled ‘As Elections Near, Tightrope Awaits in India’; written by Somini Sengupta and published on April 14, 2009. The author commented on Indian elections but nothing related to the information given in the post. But, the same words from the post can be found in the comment section of the article. The man who commented was V Mitchell. So, a man who commented on an article in the New York Times is being portrayed as the author of the New York Times article in the post.
Not only Facebook users but also the Ministry of External Affairs on its website placed the comment of V Mitchell in the ‘Articles in Foreign Media’ section.
To sum it up, a comment on the New York Times article is being portrayed as an article in the newspaper.
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A Computer-generated video is being falsely shared as real footage of an asteroid hitting the Moon - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 8, 2023
A video allegedly showing an asteroid hitting the Moon’s surface has gone viral on social media. Let’s fact-check this video through this article.
Claim: This footage shows an asteroid striking the Moon’s surface.
Fact: This is a Computer-generated video; it does not show actual footage of an asteroid hitting the Moon’s surface. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Firstly, we searched the internet to see if the media reported any such incident. However, this did not lead us to any credible sources.
To learn more details about the viral clip, we performed a reverse image search using a few of its keyframes. This search led us to an Instagram post containing the same video (flipped on its vertical axis), credited to a social media user named “diego.sinclair.” Uploaded by a page named deep astronomy (they upload space and astronomy-related videos), this video has been described as a CGI (Computed Generated Imagery) video.
Searching for diego.sinclair on the internet led us to a YouTube channel that contained the same video (This channel also contains similar videos). Diego has mentioned in the comments that this is an edited video. Replying to a user’s comment who expressed their skepticism on the video, he said, “It’s just an edit, but explosions from impacts do happen on the moon.” This makes it clear that it is an edited video, and the visuals do not represent an actual asteroid striking the Moon.
A further search on the Internet to investigate whether such incidents were captured on the Moon recently revealed (here, here, and here) that a man named “Daichi Fujii, curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum, captured a meteor hitting the moon, triggering a brief flash on the surface.”
私の観測史上最大の月面衝突閃光を捉えることができました！2023年2月23日20時14分30.8秒に出現した月面衝突閃光を、平塚の自宅から撮影した様子です（実際の速度で再生）。なんと1秒以上も光り続ける巨大閃光でした。月は大気がないため流星や火球は見られず、クレーターができる瞬間に光ります。 pic.twitter.com/Bi2JhQa9Q0
Fujii Tweeted a video of this event, stating, “I was able to catch the biggest lunar impact flash in my observation history! This is a picture of the lunar impact flash that appeared at 20:14:30.8 on February 23, 2023, taken from my home in Hiratsuka (replayed at actual speed). It was a huge flash that continued to shine for more than 1 second. Since the Moon has no atmosphere, meteors and fireballs cannot be seen, and the moment a crater is formed, it glows.“
In 2013, “The Guardian” also reported a similar event. Reportedly, astronomers captured a Meteorite striking the Moon. At that time, it was considered the largest moon impact ever recorded.
To sum up, a Computer-generated video is being falsely shared as real footage of an asteroid hitting the Moon.

created: September 8, 2023


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A crystallized German-English Dictionary is falsely shared as ‘Bible found at the bottom of the ocean’ - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 20, 2019
A post with the photo of a book is being shared on Facebook with the claim that it is a Bible, which was found at the bottom of the ocean. Let’s try to check the authenticity of the image in the post.
The book in the photo is an ancient Bible, which has been found at the bottom of the ocean and is still readable.
Fact: The book in the photo is a crystallized German-English Dictionary. The book was crystallized using Borax, a chemical. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE..
When the photo in the post was run through Google Reverse Image Search, a blog (“Stuff you can’t have”) with similar images was found in the search results. Catherine Mcever, the author of the blog, writes that the book in the image is a German-English Dictionary crystallized using a chemical solution of Borax. Images of the same book in other angles can be found on her blog. So, the book in the post is not Bible and was not found at the bottom of the ocean.
Other similar crystallized works by an artist, Alexis Arnold, can be found here. To sum it up, a crystallized German-English Dictionary falsely shared as ‘Bible found at the bottom of the ocean’.
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A ‘Cycle Plank Balance’ competition video from Nepal is shared as a postmaster selection process in India - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 6, 2024
A video of a man riding a bicycle on a narrow bridge is being shared on social media claiming that the video shows the postmaster selection process in India. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: The video shows the selection process of postmasters in India.
Fact: It’s a video of the ‘Cycle Plank Balance’ competition held in Kapilvastu, Nepal. The selection process for a Postmaster job in India involves a written examination, followed by a personal interview or document verification. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On performing a reverse image search using the keyframes of the video, we found this video being shared by many (here and here). The accompanying descriptions of these videos indicated that it was the second edition of the ‘Cycle Plank Balance’ competition conducted in Kapilvastu, Nepal. The competition was reportedly organized by the Lions Club of Kapilvastu, and the winner was mentioned as Manik Shreshta.
The presence of the Nepali national flag on boards and posters in both the viral and competition videos on YouTube can be noted. Below is the comparison between the two videos.
Subsequently, we came across reports (here and here) from Nepali media regarding this competition. The reports indicated that an 11-year-old named Manik Shrestha, hailing from Butwal, emerged as the winner of the second edition of the ‘Cycle Plank Balance’ competition held at Rajapani on the day of Vijayadashami.
Furthermore, we verified the eligibility criteria for the postmaster position on the India Post official website. The criteria include holding a minimum qualification of a Secondary School Examination pass certificate of the 10th standard with a passing grade in Mathematics and English. Proficiency in computers and cycling, among other requirements, is also necessary. The selection process consists of a written examination, followed by a personal interview or document verification.
To sum up, a cycle plank balance competition video from Nepal is shared as a postmaster selection process in India.

created: February 6, 2024


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A decade-old self-immolation video of a teacher in Punjab is being shared linking it to the ongoing hijab row. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
February 11, 2022
Amidst the hijab row in Karnataka, protests broke out in many parts of the country.  In this context, a video of a woman setting herself ablaze on top of a water tank is being shared with a claim linking it to the ongoing hijab protest. The video is being shared with a caption that the ‘woman tried to burn the hijab but set herself ablaze’ Through this article, let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Recent Hijab Row – Video of a woman setting herself ablaze in an attempt to burn the hijab.
Fact: This is a more than a decade old video wherein a woman teacher in Kapurthala, Punjab immolated herself demanding enhancement of marks in her high school exams that would help her get admitted to an elementary teacher training course. The incident has nothing to do with the hijab. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The video is more than a decade old and has nothing to do with the ongoing hijab row. A reverse image search of the screenshots of the video led us to a 2010 news report which reported similar visuals. The report is about the death of a protesting female teacher who immolated herself on top of a water tank in Kapurthala, Punjab.
A further search yielded news reports of the incident. As per these reports, ‘the woman set herself ablaze after climbing atop a water tank on Sunday evening, demanding enhancement of marks in her high school exams that would help her get admitted to an elementary teacher training course’.
Another news article that reported the incident can be read here. There is no mention of the burning of hijab in any of these news reports. By this, we can infer that the video has nothing to do with the burning of the hijab as claimed in the post.
To sum it up, a decade-old self-immolation video of a teacher in Punjab is being shared linking it to the ongoing hijab row.

created: February 11, 2022


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A decade-old video of Russian Hare Krishna devotees’ public brawl with Goa police is being shared with a misleading narrative - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 9, 2019
Many Facebook users are sharing a post with a video alleging that West Bengal Police have attacked ISKCON members for selling Bhagavad Gita. Let’s try to analyze the claims made in the post.
West Bengal Police have attacked ISKCON members for selling Bhagavad Gita.
Fact: It is a 2008 video taken when a group of Russian members of the Hare Ram Hare Krishna group entered into a public brawl with the Goa police. So, the claim in the post is MISLEADING.
When the video in the post is run through Invid plugin, several YouTube links of the same video were obtained. The titles of a few YouTube results refer to this incident to have taken place in Goa. So, when googled with keywords “Hare Krishna devotees fight with Goa police”, a Reddit article was found. With the information from the reddit thread, we refined our search and found an article published by “heraldgoa.in” on November 26, 2008. The persons in the photo of this article and the ones seen in the video posted are one and the same. As per the article, when a group of Russian members of the Hare Ram Hare Krishna group were singing religious chants in public, the police of Mapusa (a Goa town) region obstructed them. Due to this, the devotees entered into an argument with the police which later on led to a fight between them. In fact, many such videos are available on YouTube that make it clear that the event took place in Goa. You can watch them here, here and here.
Multiple Goan newspapers also reported the incident when it occurred in 2008.
To sum it up, a decade-old video of Russian Hare Krishna devotees’ public brawl with Goa Police is being shared as West Bengal Police attack on ISKCON members for selling Bhagavad Gita.


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A Deep Fake video of Cristiano Ronaldo Singing in Arabic is shared as real, claiming him to be a Muslim - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 7, 2022
A video of a person singing in Arabic is being widely shared on social media. It claims the person in the video is well-known Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Cristiano Ronaldo singing an Arabic song after converting to Islam. He is now a Muslim.
Fact:  This is a Deep Fake video created and uploaded by a YouTube channel named Monzi (magicofbarca); they make Deep Fakes of footballers like Messi and Ronaldo. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
We made a reverse image search of the screenshots from the video and found a YouTube video similar to the viral post. The only exception being the person featured is not the same as the one from the viral post. We then searched the internet with relevant keywords to investigate more and were led to a YouTube video.
The video is titled ‘Ronaldo praying any top club in Europe signs him this summer [DeepFake]’, and the video has been uploaded by a YouTube Channel named Monzi (magicofbarca). It features the same person from the viral post who is quite similar to Cristiano Ronaldo. As the title of the video says, this is a Deep Fake video (A video in which a person’s face or body is replaced with someone else’s using digital techniques), and the same can be confirmed from the post description which says ‘is fake (and a Joke)’.’The same video is uploaded by ‘magicofbarca’ on their Instagram account, which can be watched here.
The link to the original post is also given in the post-description-The Instagram link to this video can be accessed from here. This was created by an Instagram user named Bewar Abdullah, a doppelganger of Cristiano Ronaldo. He is the same person featured in the first video result we found through Yandex.
The about section of this Youtube channel says, ‘I make deepfakes of footballers like Messi and ronaldo, and also youtubers like KSI and pewdiepie, etc… If you want a deepfake comission done for you, message me on instagram or twitter.’
Further, to know if Cristiano Ronaldo has adopted Islam, we looked for relevant news reports but could not find any. Since he is a celebrity, anything related to him would generally be reported widely in the Media. We found a media report by the Mirror (UK) which says he is a staunch Catholic. The news report can be read here.
With all this evidence, we can conclude that it is not Cristiano Ronaldo who is seen singing in the video from the viral post.
To sum up, a Deep Fake video of Cristiano Ronaldo Singing in Arabic is shared as real, claiming him as a Muslim.

created: September 7, 2022


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A deliberate attack on a Norwegian anti-Islamist leader’s car for burning Quran books is shared as a natural accident - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 7, 2022
A photo of an ‘ABP’ news clip is being widely shared on social media claiming that an anti-Islamist leader was met with an accident minutes after he burnt the Quran. This post claims it was a natural accident while describing it as a punishment given by Allah for burning the Quran. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
Claim: An anti-Islamist leader met with an accident minutes after he burnt the Quran.
Fact: Lars Thorsen, leader of the anti-Islam group SIAN, burnt the Quran  outside a Mosque in Oslo on 03 July 2022. Outraged by this act by Lars Thorsen and other SIAN protestors, two women chased Lars Thorsen’s car with their Mercedes car and deliberately rammed away his vehicle onto a roof causing the overturning of the vehicle. It was not a natural accident. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On searching for the details of this accident using relevant keywords on the internet, we found the ‘ABP’ news article that reported the accident of a Norwegian anti-Islamist leader who burnt Islam’s holy book Quran. ‘ABP’ reported it as a deliberate attack by two people avenging the burning of their religious books. When we searched for further details of the accident, we found the complete details in an article published by the ‘Daily Mail’ news website on 05 July 2022. The ‘Daily Mail’ reported that anti-Islamist leader Lars Thorsen’s car was rammed off onto its roof by two women following a chase in Oslo, Norway.
Lars Thorsen, leader of the anti-Islam group ‘Stop the Islamisation of Norway’ (Sian), burnt the Quran outside a Mosque in Oslo on 03 July 2022. Outraged by this act by Lars Thorsen and other SIAN protestors, two women reportedly chased Lars Thorsen’s SUV with their Mercedes car and deliberately rammed off his vehicle onto a roof, causing the overturning of the vehicle.
According to the reports, the five passengers in the SUV were slightly injured. The Norwegian police have arrested two women, the driver, and her passenger, on the charges of deliberately ramming the SUV of Lars Thorsen. Norway’s domestic intelligence service has described the attack as “an act of Islamist terrorism”. The live footage of the accident can be seen here and here. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the accident of Norwegian anti-Islamist leader Lars Thorsen’s car was intentional and was not a natural accident.
To sum it up, a deliberate attack on a Norwegian anti-Islamist’s car for burning Quran books was shared as a natural accident.


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A detailed review of newly launched 'RTI Online' portal of Election Commission of India - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 8, 2018
Factly had earlier reported how the Election Commission of India (ECI) refused to be on the ‘RTI Online’ of Government of India. The ECI has now launched its own ‘RTI Online’ for facilitating online RTI applications. What are the features & drawbacks of the new portal?
Factly had earlier reported that the ECI refused to be on the ‘RTI Online’ portal of the Government of India (GoI). Despite repeated reminders, the ECI did not respond to about 2000 applications that were filed on the portal, specifically addressed to the ECI. The Central Information Commission (CIC), in January this year, had directed the ECI to clear all the pending RTI applications filed on the portal. The ECI has now launched its own portal for online RTI applications and has also confirmed that most of the applications that were filed in the past on the GoI’s online portal have also been responded to. What are the features & drawbacks of the ECI’s new portal? Here is a detailed review.
One can login through OTP
There is no separate signup required for the portal. One can login through a mobile OTP and all applications filed with the same number will be grouped under one user.
The application process is also fairly simple. Unlike the RTI Online portal of GoI, one need not choose the department since all the applications are addressed only to the ECI. An applicant has to fill in basic details before proceeding to specifics of the information being sought.
The Application Process
Once the basic details are filled in, the details of the information sought should be typed in the text box available. Currently, there is a limit of 2000 characters for the text. In the FAQs listed on the portal, ECI has said that applicants can upload an attachment in the ‘Supporting Document’ column of the form in case the details of the information sought exceeds 2000 characters. The user guide uploaded on the portal has detailed steps.
Once the submit button is clicked, a non-BPL applicant is taken to the payment page for payment of the prescribed application fee of Rs 10. The payments are routed through the ‘Razor Pay’ payment gateway. Unlike the RTI Online portal of the GoI,  the applicant has to bear the payment gateway fees on the ECI’s portal. The extra amount along with GST comes to 2% of the application fee.
The Appeal Process
Once the application is filed, it will available on the dashboard of the applicant. The dashboard will have all the RTI applications filed with the same mobile number and their status like ‘in progress’, ‘replied’ etc.
Once the PIO responds to the application, the documents uploaded by the PIO will be visible once the registration number is clicked. Such documents can be downloaded from this page. If any additional charges are to be paid for providing the information, such charges can only be paid offline in the form of DD/Cheque /IPO as of now. Applicants can also file the first appeal from the same page by clicking the ‘apply for appeal’ button.
The Drawbacks
While the online portal is fairly simple to use, it does have some drawbacks.
Update: The ECI has now absorbed the payment gateway fee. We thank our readers for bringing this to our notice.


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A difference of nearly 4000 votes between the total voter turnout and the final EVM votes in the Machhlishahr constituency is true as per ECI data - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 27, 2019
Update (June 14th 2019): We looked at the voter turnout app of the ECI again and the voter turnout numbers (EVM only) are now updated to 10,32,111 as of 14th June 2019. The app showed the turnout numbers  as 10,27,983 on May 27th, 2019 (screenshot is in the article below) based on which the story was written. We are updating the rating as ‘Unverified’ and will update the article when we get a response from the returning officer.
A post questioning the authenticity of the EVMs in the elections is being shared by some users on Facebook claiming that there is a difference between the total voter turnout and the final EVM votes in the Machhlishahr Lok Sabha Constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post
There is a difference of nearly 4000 votes between the total voter turnout on the polling day and the EVM votes on the result day.
Fact: The official sources of ECI showed the exact numbers given in the post as of May 27th 2019. But the numbers in the app now (as of June 14th 2019) show turnout as 10,32,111 matching the EVM count. Hence the claim made in the post remains Unverified.
The voter turnout in the Machhlishahr Lok Sabha Constituency, where the elections were held in the 6 phase, can be checked on the ‘Voter Turnout’ mobile app launched officially by the Election Commission of India. The voter turnout was found to be 55.7% i.e. 1027883 votes. Even the statistical information of UP elections on the UP CEO website shows the voting percentage to be 55.7 % in the Machhlishahr constituency. So, the voter turnout number given in the post is accurate.
The official result of the constituency can be checked on the results webpage of the ECI. According to the official result on the ECI website, the total EVM votes for all the candidates were found to be 10,32,111 votes i.e. 4000 votes more than the actual turnout. These numbers become important as the winning margin was just 181 votes in the Machhlishahr constituency. So, all the numbers given in the post are true.
For further clarity, FACTLY has written to the Returning Officer of the constituency. This article will be updated as and when we receive a response from the Returning Officer.
To sum it up, adifference of nearly 4000 votes between the total voter turnout and the finalEVM votes in the Machhlishahr constituency is true.
Did you watch our Facebook live on Fake News (Misinformation)


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A digitally altered video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech is shared with a misleading claim that he spoke about Dosas in the election campaign - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 18, 2024
A video clip is making its rounds on the internet in which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appears to be discussing Dosas during his election campaign. This video is being shared alongside a caption stating, “When you bring a buffoon like Rahul Gandhi to an election campaign, this is what you will get to hear.” We will fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: Rahul Gandhi’s incoherent speech about dosas during his election campaign meeting.
Fact: The viral video is actually a heavily edited version of a speech he gave in Coimbatore during an election campaign. In the full speech, Rahul Gandhi used ‘Dosa’ and ‘Vada’ as analogies to express his objection towards the central government’s alleged proposed one nation, one language policy. Therefore, the claim made in the post is Misleading.
We began our fact-checking process with a keyword search for the full video of Rahul Gandhi’s speech in which he mentioned ‘dosa’. This led us to the complete speech on his official YouTube channel (also here).
After examining the entire speech, it is clear that the viral clip had been significantly manipulated. The editing with a lot of jump cuts was done to give the impression that Rahul Gandhi was incoherently discussing ‘Dosa’ and ‘Vada’ during an election campaign meeting.
Upon viewing the speech, it was noted that from approximately 47:02 to 48:50, he spoke the lines that can be seen in the viral video. These lines include: “and you say I like dosas,” “You come here, you tell the people of Tamil Nadu you like dosa,” “at the same time you say you like dosa,” and “You might like dosa, you might like vada’s also.” You can also see this portion here in a Facebook video posted by the official Indian National Congress page.
However, these lines were taken out of context. Only fragments of the sentences were kept in the viral video, while the context in which the words ‘dosa’ and ‘vada’ were used was left out. In reality, Rahul Gandhi stated the following while posing a few questions to PM Modi, Adani and RSS. He said: “You come here and you say I like dosas, and then you go back to Delhi and you say one nation, one language. Why one language? Why not space for Tamil, Why not space for Bengali, Why not space for Kannada, Why not space for Manipuri?” “So you come here, you tell the people of Tamil Nadu, you like Dosa and then you insult them and you attack their culture, their history, their language.” “Modiji you might like Dosa, you might like vada’s also, but that is not the issue here, nobody cares whether you like Dosa, you like vada, we care whether you like the Tamil Language.”
It can be concluded from these statements that Rahul Gandhi was referring to the alleged ‘One Nation, One Language, One Leader’ remarks of Modi and RSS. He was not merely talking about dosas, he used them as an example to illustrate how people claim to like dosas and then advocate for a ‘One Nation, One Language, One Leader’ policy.
To sum up, the claim that Rahul Gandhi was talking about dosas during his election campaign speech is misleading. The viral video is a heavily edited version of his original speech at an election campaign in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.


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A digitally altered video shared as the visuals of Elon Musk expressing his intention to acquire Meta in the future - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 16, 2022
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of Twitter owner & Tesla CEO Elon Musk expressing his intention to buy Meta (formerly Facebook). This video shows Elon Musk saying- “I predict that I will buy tomorrow the entire Meta company! Facebook and Instagram will be also mine too.” Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video showing Elon Musk revealing his intention to acquire Meta.
Fact: The video shared in the post is an altered one. Elon Musk did not make any statement expressing his intention to buy Meta (formerly Facebook).  The video shows a clip from Elon Musk’s conversation with the head of ‘TED’, Chris Anderson, in April 2022. During this ‘TED’ talk, Elon Musk had never spoken anything about purchasing Meta. The video was created by altering the audio of the original video clipping. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched to check whether Elon Musk had made any such statement to buy Meta (formerly Facebook), we could not find any news reports confirming this. If Elon Musk had made any such statement, it would have been widely covered by the media.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, we found that the video shows a clip from Elon Musk’s conversation at the ‘TED’ talk held in April 2022. During the conversation with the TED Head Chris Anderson, Elon Musk did not express any such intention to acquire Meta (formerly Facebook).
When we searched for further sources, the same video was found published by a Tik Tok user named ‘become.some’. This user published the video mentioning it as a meme about Elon Musk. The bio of this Tik Tok user states, “Try the free app where you can make any celebrity say anything.” In another video, this Tik Tok user explained the making process of these altered videos using a mobile application. From all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post is an altered one.
To sum it up, a digitally altered video is shared as the visuals of Elon Musk expressing his intention to acquire Meta in the future.

created: December 16, 2022


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A digitally created artwork falsely shared as a real picture of a giant human skeleton - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 11, 2022
A photo is being shared on social media claiming it as a picture of a giant human skeleton that was found recently during an excavation. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo of a giant human skeleton.
Fact: The photo shared in the post is a digitally created image. Mzprezto, an UK-based Photoshop designer created this artwork for the project ‘PS Bonus Contest: Archaeological Anomalies 12′. It is not a real photo. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On reverse image search of the photo shared in the photo, the same photo was found published on the ‘Design Crowd’ website. ‘Design Crowd’ described this image as an artwork by Mzpresto.
When we searched for further sources using relevant keywords on the internet, we found the same photo in Mzpresto’s portfolio published on the ‘Design Crowd’ website. Mzprezto is a UK-based photoshop designer. Mzpresto published this image with the title, “Photoshop Submission for ‘PS Bonus Contest: Archaeological Anomalies 12’ Contest”. The description of the photo states, “mzpresto, a British designer, created this Photoshop on 23rd October, 2008 for DesignCrowd (Community Contests), a business in Australia. The Photoshop was designed for the project ‘PS Bonus Contest: Archaeological Anomalies 12’. It was awarded 3 out of 5 stars”. From all these, it can be concluded that the image shared in the post is a digital artwork, not a real picture of a giant human skeleton.
To sum it up, a digitally created artwork was falsely shared as a real picture of a giant human skeleton.


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A digitally created video shared as the visuals of a robot defeating a human in a table tennis game - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 25, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming it is the visuals of a robot displaying exceptional skills in a table tennis match and defeating a human opponent. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a robot playing a table tennis game with a human.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a digitally created one. The original video shows two humans playing a table tennis match. This digitally altered robot video was created by a TikTok user  ‘animatronic3D’. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video shared in the post, a video showing similar visuals was found published by a YouTube channel on 24 March 2023. This YouTube channel published the video with the description, “Absolutely INSANE Table Tennis Defense from Yang Wang !”.  A few other table tennis match videos of Wang Yang can be seen here and here.
When we searched for further sources, a video showing similar visuals of a robot playing a table tennis match with a human was found published by a TikTok user ‘animatronic3D’. The bio section of this TikTok user states, “Showing the world how AI+ Robots will change our world”. A few other similar videos showing digitally created robots can be seen here and here.
To sum it up, a digitally created video is shared as the visuals of a robot exceptionally playing a table tennis game with a human.


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Digitally created videos shared as the visuals of robots playing badminton game with humans - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 19, 2023
Update (19 September 2023):
Another video is being shared on social media with a similar claim alleging that the visuals show a robot playing the badminton game with a human. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a robot playing a badminton game with a human.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a digitally altered one. The original video shows a badminton match between Lin Dan  (China) and Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) during the London 2012 Olympics. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On observing the video carefully, one could see the text “London 2012” and the logo of the Olympics on the banner placed in the indoor stadium. Upon searching for reliable sources using this information on the internet, a video showing similar visuals of a badminton match was found published on the official YouTube channel of the Olympics. The original video shows shows a badminton match between Lin Dan  (China) and Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia) during the London 2012 Olympics. From 21:06 minutes of the video, one could see similar visuals as shown in the video shared in the post. The original video does not show a badminton match between a robot and a human.
Published (12 September 2023):
A video is being shared on social media claiming it shows real visuals of a robot playing a badminton game with humans. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of a robot playing badminton game with humans.
Fact: The post shared a digitally altered robot video created using the AI technology. The original video shows two children playing with a man. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, a video showing similar visuals was found published by a Facebook page named Phalore Badminton Club in October 2021. The original video depicts two children playing badminton alongside a man, rather than competing against a robot.
A TikTok handle named ‘magicalmagicworld’ posted this video of Robot playing badminton with humans and mentioned it as an AI-generated video. This TikTok handle shared a series of videos showing similar visuals of robots playing different games with humans. A few of those videos can be seen here, here, and here.
When we searched for further sources, we found similar videos of robots playing badminton with humans. Social media users who posted these videos stated that they are videos generated using artificial intelligence. Though we could not ascertain the details of the original creator of the video shared in the post, from all these pieces of evidence, it can be concluded that the video shared in the post is a digitally altered robot video.
However, there are real videos of robots playing badminton matches alongside humans. A few of those videos can be seen here, here, and here.
Earlier, when a similar digitally created video was shared as the visuals of a robot playing table tennis alongside a human, Factly published a fact-check article debunking that claim.
To sum it up, a digitally created video was shared as the visuals of a robot playing badminton with humans.

created: September 19, 2023


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A digitally created video shared as the visuals of Lord Shiva dancing on Mount Kailash - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 11, 2023
A video is being shared on social media claiming it shows visuals of Lord Shiva dancing on Mount Kailash. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Lord Shiva dancing on Kailash mountain.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a digitally created video. A digital creator named Prajapathi Roshan created this video and published it on his Instagram handle. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On reverse image search of the screenshots of the video, a video showing similar visuals was found posted by several users on Facebook and Instagram. These users posted the video mentioning it is an edited video.
When searched for further sources about the video, we found the same video published on the Instagram page of a digital creator named Prajapathi Roshan.
Prajapathi Roshan published many similar videos on his Instagram handle. A few of those videos can be seen here, here, here, and here.
We reached out to Prajapathi Roshan for further clarification regarding this viral video. We will update the article once we get a response from Prajapathi Roshan.
To sum it up, a digitally created video is shared as the visuals of lord shiva dancing on Mount Kailash.

created: October 11, 2023


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A digitally created video shared as visuals of Afghan citizens escaping by hanging onto the wings of a flying Aircraft - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
August 20, 2021
A video is being shared on social media claiming it as the visuals of Afghan citizens holding onto aircraft wings and escaping from the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. In a desperate attempt to escape the Taliban rule, a few Afghanistan citizens clung to the moving US military plane on 16 August 2021. Several news channels released the footage of Afghans falling from the moving airplane. In the wake of this tragic incident, this post is being shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Afghan citizens holding onto the wings of an aircraft and escaping from the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Fact: The video shared in the post is a digitally created one. This video was created by the Vietnam-based graphic designer, Huy Xuân Mai. This video has nothing to do with the recent incident of Afghan citizens falling off from the moving US military plane. Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
On reverse image search of the screenshots in the video, a video with similar visuals was found in an article published on 27 August 2020. This article reported that the visuals in the video are digitally created by Vietnam-based graphic designer, Huy Xuân Mai. A few other digitally created videos of Huy Xuân Mai were also shared in this article.
When we searched for more sources using these keywords, we found that on 17 August 2020, Huy Xuân Mai shared the same video on his Facebook page. Huy Xuân Mai shared multiple videos on his YouTube channel where we could see similar visuals of a person cooking on a plane, working with a computer, and sleeping on a plane.
Several news websites have published articles by sharing the edited videos and morphed images created by Huy Xuân Mai. They can be seen here, here, and here. While it is true that Afghan citizens made a desperate attempt to climb on the moving US Military plane, this particular video is a digitally created one and has nothing to do with the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan.
To sum it up, a digitally created video is shared as visuals of Afghan citizens escaping by hanging onto the wings of a flying aircraft.


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A digitally edited image is shared alleging that a Hindu temple in Rajasthan, denies entry to certain sections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 2, 2023
A social media post claiming that a Hindu temple in Rajasthan’s Sirohi denied entry of Harijans into the temple is being widely shared. The post accompanies a screenshot of a wall of a Hindu temple with a message denying entry to certain sections of people. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Screenshot of a Hindu temple displaying a cautionary message denying entry to certain sections of people, in Rajasthan’s Sirohi.
Fact: The Valmiki temple in Sirohi, Rajasthan does not practice any form of discrimination by denying entry to any group of people. When a similar claim went viral a year ago, the Sirohi police explicitly refuted the allegation and shared an image of the temple, clearly showing that there is no message denying entry.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
While the viral screenshot does depict a temple in Sirohi, Rajasthan, it is important to note that there is no message on the temple wall that talks about denying entry to individuals belonging to certain sections.
Through internet search, we came across a tweet from a journalist who shared the original image of the temple in question, that does not contain any message denying entry to certain sections. He further rules out the viral claim as misleading.
#Fact_Check: कई ट्विटर हैंडल सिरोही के वाल्मीकि मंदिर की एडिटेड फोटो सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल कर रहे हैं. इसे लेकर अभद्र टिप्पणी कर रहे हैं.  जबकि मंदिर में ऐसा कुछ भी नहीं लिखा है. कृपया इस तरह की भ्रामक पोस्ट कर समाज में वैमनस्यता न फैलाएं. pic.twitter.com/lCbWy4ojhZ
Further search led us to an old tweet, dated 07 March 2022, from the Sirohi police, which shared the actual image of the temple in question. This implies that the viral claim is at least a year old. Responding to similar allegations, the Sirohi police visited the temple and shared a photograph of the wall, which does not contain any message that talks about denying entry to individuals belonging to certain sections.
पुलिस द्वारा मौके पर जाकर यह फोटो लिया गया है जिसमें ऐसा कुछ लिखा हुआ नहीं दिख रहा है I pic.twitter.com/ArQzSWQlQz
Moreover, we could not find any news reports about the existence of such a practice. Thus, it is certain that the viral message is added digitally.
To sum it up, a digitally edited image is shared alleging that a Hindu temple in Rajasthan, denies entry to certain sections.


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A digitally edited picture is shared as a real image of a three-headed snake - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 14, 2022
An image of a three-headed snake is being shared on social media. The post claims this is a marvellous darshan (view/glimpse) of a three-headed snake. Let’s fact-check this image through this article.
Claim: A marvellous view of a three-headed snake.
Fact: This image is digitally altered; the original image of a normal, one-headed snake which has been edited multiple times to make it look like a multi-headed snake. Similar such editing has been done in the past too. This is an old internet hoax which has resurfaced through this post. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Performing a reverse image search on the internet led to multiple web links with the same image. The image in the viral post has been circulating on the internet for a long time. These posts can be seen here, here, and here.
The original image of a normal single-headed snake has been digitally altered to look like a three-headed snake and sometimes even like a ten-headed snake. The archived version of the original image was uploaded to an image-sharing website canv.as seen here.
Various fact-checking websites debunked the image of a multiple-headed snake multiple times over the years.
In nature, animals are sometimes born with multiple heads. This condition is known as Polycephaly. In 2019, The Guardian reported a rare two-headed snake named double-Dave found in the US. The report says, ‘The condition of having more than one head is known as polycephaly and happens in much the same way that conjoined twins are formed: an embryo that has begun to split into identical twins stops before fully dividing.’ A national geographic article on double-headed snakes explains the difficulties faced by a double-headed snake and why it is hard for them to survive.
To sum up, a digitally edited picture of a three-headed snake, a relatively old internet hoax, is shared as real in the viral post.

created: October 14, 2022


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A digitally edited video is being shared as Kamala Harris's drunken speech - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 3, 2023
A video of United States Vice President Kamala Harris, wherein she can be heard making unclear statements, is being widely shared. The video is being shared claiming that she made these statements under the influence of alcohol. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Video of Kamala Harris’s drunken speech.
Fact: The video is digitally created by overlaying a voice over of Kamala Harris impersonator, on her recent speech at Reproductive Rights event, held at Howard University. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral video is created by digitally editing Kamala Harris’s recent speech at Howard University. The voice of Kamala Harris’s impersonator is overlaid on an excerpt of Kamala Harris’s speech.
Taking a cue from the banner of the Kamala Harris podium, a Google search with relevant keywords led us to the transcript of Kamala Harris’s speech, published by Howard University. However, this transcript does not reference the ‘today/yesterday’ gaffe, as in the viral video.
A further search yielded the video footage of Kamala Harris’s speech on the official Facebook page of ‘NARAL Pro-Choice America’, as it is the co-sponsor of the event. Even in this video footage, we could not find any incoherent speech, as in the viral video.
At the 1 hour timestamp of this video, we can spot Kamala Harris’s gestures matching those in the viral video. This indicates that viral audio could be overlaid on this excerpt of the video.
Moreover, in the viral video, there is a mention of ‘Ramble Rants’ on the banner of the podium. Taking a cue from this, further search led us to a Twitter handle with the same name. This handle shared the same viral video, with the description “Tomorrow will be today, tomorrow”.
However, later, the same handle posted another video of Kamala Harris impersonator, from which he collected the voiceover for the viral meme video. This ascertains that the viral video is digitally created by overlaying a voice-over to Kamala Harris’s speech.
To sum it up, a digitally edited video is being shared as Kamala Harris’s drunken speech


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A digitally edited video is shared as Sky bags promoting Love Jihad - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 27, 2023
A social media post accompanying a video claims that Sky Bags is promoting Love Jihad. The video which appears to be a commercial of Sky Bags, features a Muslim man and a Hindu woman exchanging glances and falling in love with each other. The man gifts the woman a salwar, and by the end of the video, he then takes off her Bindi and covers her head with a dupatta. Finally, the video ends with a visual of the VIP Sky bags suitcase. Through this article let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Sky bag commercial promoting Love Jihad.
Fact: The original video is in fact a recreation of a famous Malayali song from the movie  ‘Soofiyum Sujathayum’, created by two Malayali actors. However, the original video does not contain any visuals of Sky bags at the end of the video. VIP industries issued a clarification disassociating from the video. The viral video is digitally edited to show it as a Sky bag commercial. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The viral video indeed shows love brewing between a Muslim man and a Hindu woman. However, the visuals are not part of a commercial of VIP Sky bags, but a video made by two Malayali actors on the occasion of Ramadan.
A reverse image search of the screenshots of the viral video led us to the Instagram account of Malayali actress Sumi Rashik, who shared the same video. She shared the video with the caption ‘Soofiyum Sujathayum’ and tagged the co-actor Vishnu K Vijayan in these posts.
A post shared by Sumi Rashik (@sumirashik_official_)
Basically, the video is a recreation of the song Vathikkalu Vellaripravu from the 2020 Malayalam movie Soofiyum Sujathayum. However, this video shared by the actress does not contain any visuals of Sky Bag at the end. As the video contains frames like the Muslim man taking off the Bindi of the Hindu woman & covering her head with a dupatta, the video went viral on social media alleging the promotion of love jihad.
Multiple news agencies have also reported on the controversy (here & here). But none of the media reports have attributed the video to VIP Sky bags, as claimed in the viral post.
VIP Bags issued a statement disassociating from the viral video. The statement called the viral video a “fake, malicious, and mischievous advertisement.” Further, the statement categorically states that VIP Industries have not issued this advertisement.
IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM VIP INDUSTRIES#Skybags #VIP #OfficialStatement pic.twitter.com/1XDMuERhPY
All these confirm the fact that the Sky Bags part of the viral video is digitally added to a video made by Malayali actors on the occasion of Ramadan.
To sum it up, a digitally edited video is shared as Sky Bags promoting Love Jihad.


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A Doctors Alliance video is falsely shared as WHO Doctors taking a complete U-turn on COVID-19 pandemic - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 5, 2020
A video of a panel of doctors is being shared widely with a description that they are WHO doctors who have taken a complete ‘U-turn’ on their stance on COVID-19 pandemic. The 4-minute video entails several unsubstantiated claims including COVID-19 being a normal flu and the coronavirus patients do not have to isolate or quarantine themselves, among others. Let us verify the claims made in the post.
Claim: WHO Doctors taking a U-turn on quarantine and social distancing norms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fact: The speakers in the video are not WHO doctors. It is a group of doctors alliance who are spreading false news about the COVID-19 pandemic on how social distancing, quarantine, or isolation are not required to combat the spread of COVID-19. Thus, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
The video is claimed to have a panel of WHO doctors who challenged the veracity of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the description of the video claims that WHO doctors have taken a complete ‘U-turn’ on their stance on the COVID-19 pandemic.
The doctors in the video are not WHO doctors but are a part of World Doctor Alliance group. The first spokesperson identified as Dr. Elke De Klerk, General practitioner, claimed that ‘we do not have a pandemic and COVID-19 is a normal flu virus’. However, the WHO has declared that the world is currently reeling under a pandemic. In fact, the CDC has clearly declared that it is a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, not a strain of influenza.
Dr. Elke De Klerk continues to claim that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests have been giving false positive results in about 89-94% of the cases which is false. While the probability for false positives and negatives is a matter of concern, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine reassured that the margin of error for false positives is estimated in the range of 0.8 -4%, while the range for false negatives is 2-33% in the UK. Similarly, the New England Journal of Medicine’s research also claims the range for false negatives to be 2-29%.
This was followed by Prof. Dolores Cahill, a professor at the medical school at the University College Dublin in Ireland claiming that there have only been 98 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland since April. She further claimed that these deaths would have been prevented had the patients received timely medical attention.
Claim: A professor at the medical school at the University College Dublin claimed that there have been only 98 COVID-19 deaths in Ireland since April 2020.
Fact: According to WHO COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 1922 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland. Thus, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
However, according to COVID-19 Ireland statistics dashboard, 1922 people have died of COVID-19 in Ireland. In fact, the Irish government announced that from October 19, 2020, it was imposing tough new restrictions to slow the spread of the disease. Following this, Prof. Cahill has been asked to resign as Vice-Chair of the European Union scientific committee owing to her claims on COVID-19 in the video.
The rest of the video had other doctors claiming that the lockdowns have proven to be both futile and detrimental on economies. The entire panel discussion has been subsequently removed from YouTube for violating its terms of service.
Also, the video description on WHO taking a complete U-turn is from another false viral video clip, taken out of context from a Press Conference on 08 June 2020 when COVID-19 technical lead, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove stated that asymptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is rare.
The World Health Organization has taken a complete U turn and said that asymptomatic Corona patients neither need to be isolated nor quarantined, nor social of distance, and it cannot even transmit from one patient to another….#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/YFhn61chSf
However, the World Health Organization has not said that social distancing, quarantine, or isolation is not needed to combat the spread of COVID-19. Current WHO guidelines maintain that COVID-19 is a contagious disease and all the necessary precautions including isolation or quarantine must be followed and treated accordingly.

created: November 5, 2020


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A domestic violence incident from Telangana is being shared as a communal incident in UP. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
September 16, 2019
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the video shows an attack on Muslims by Hindus at Baruasagar in Jhansi District (UP). The audio in the post narrates the story behind the visuals. While the video was uploaded six months back, it is being widely shared now and the post has received more than six thousand shares. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
Video shows Muslims thrashed by Hindus at Baruasagar in Jhansi District (UP).
Fact: The lady in the video was beaten up by her husband for questioning his extra-marital affair. The incident took place in Telangana, not in Uttar Pradesh. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When the screenshots of the video were run through Google Reverse Image Search, it was found that the lady in the video was beaten up by her husband for questing his extra-marital affair. The same video was uploaded by ‘The Times of India’ on YouTube with the title, “Caught on cam: Telangana Sub-Inspector beats wife, baby, mother-in-law”. Also, the incident took place in Telangana, not in Uttar Pradesh.
The same video was also previously shared with another claim. FACTLY’s fact-check article on that false claim can be read here.
To sum it up, a domestic violence incident from Telangana is being shared as a communal incident in UP.
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created: September 16, 2019


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A dubious website promises to provide ₹ 2,000 relief fund to each citizen - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 30, 2020
A message claiming that the federal government will be providing a free ₹ 2,000 relief fund to each citizen of the country is doing rounds on social media. The message has a link (archived) which states that the users can ‘instantly claim’ the amount following a few steps in it. Let’s fact-check this claim.
The federal government will be providing ₹ 2,000 relief fund to each citizen of the country.
Fact: The link seen in the message is of a dubious website. The government is not providing ₹ 2,000 relief fund to each citizen. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Let’s check for clues and try to ascertain the authenticity of the message:
1. When the link (https://bit.ly/free—funds) in the post is opened, it is directed to a website (https://india-relief-funds.blogspot.com/). The address (domain) of this website is different from the website domain of government sites which generally end with ‘gov.in’ or ‘nic.in’.
2. Regardless of the number of times a person visits the website, the page will show the text– ‘Left 1936 FREE lockdown relief packages’.
3. Clicking on any of the options on the page, it displays packages offering ‘₹ 2,000, ₹ 5,000 (not available) and ₹ 10,000 (not available)’. Regardless of whatever option is chosen, it is directed to a page asking what the free Rs 2,000 amount will be used for.
4. After finishing the survey, comments are displayed. In them, the users have mentioned that they received benefits offered by the website. However, irrespective of the number of times the website is visited, the names of the ‘beneficiaries’ and ‘timestamp’ always remain the same. Also, the number of ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ do not change.
5. At the end of the survey, the website asks users to share the website on WhatsApp groups to get the benefits. It is unlikely for a government website to include such steps for its schemes.
Earlier when a similar message went viral claiming the government will provide a free Rs 5,000 relief fund, FACTLY had debunked the claim.
To sum it up, a dubious website promises to provide a Rs 2,000 relief fund to each citizen.
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A dubious website promises to provide ₹ 5,000 relief fund to each citizen - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
May 25, 2020
A message claiming that the federal government will be providing free ₹ 5,000 relief fund to each citizen is doing rounds on social media. The message has a link which states that the users can ‘instantly claim’ the amount using the given link. Let’s fact-check the claim.
The federal government will be providing ₹ 5,000 relief fund to each citizen.
Fact: The link seen in the message is of a dubious website. The government is not providing ₹ 5,000 relief fund to each citizen. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Let’s check for clues and try to ascertain the authenticity of the message:
1. When the link (https://bit.ly/free—funds) in the post is opened, it is directed to a website (http://fund.ramaphosafoundations.com/). The website address (domain) of this website is different from the website domain of government sites which generally end with ‘gov.in’ or ‘nic.in’.
2. Regardless of the number of times a person visits the website, the page will show – ‘Left 1936 FREE lockdown packages’.
3. Clicking on any of the options on the page, it displays packages offering ‘₹ 2,000, ₹ 5,000 and ₹ 10,000 (not unavailable)’. Regardless of whatever option is chosen, it is directed to a page asking what will the free Rs 5,000 will be used for.
4. After finishing the survey, comments are displayed. In them, the users have mentioned that they received benefits offered by the website. However, irrespective of the number of times the website is visited, the names of the ‘beneficiaries’ and ‘timestamp’ always remains the same. Also, the number of ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ do not change.
5. At the end of the survey, the website asks users to share the website on WhatsApp groups to get the benefits. It is unlikely for a government website to include such steps for its schemes.
Also, during the search process, it is found that the same message is also viral in Nigeria and Kenya. Those posts can be seen here and here. The website is in the name of ‘ramaphosafoundations’. So, when searched if they have started any such scheme, it was found that ‘Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation’ has already clarified that the message is a scam.
To conclude, a dubious website promises of providing Rs 5,000 relief fund to each citizen.
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A Dummy’s Guide to the new Customs Baggage Rules - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 2, 2016
The Union Finance Minister announced changes to the Customs Baggage Rules during his recent budget speech. According to the new rules, only those international passengers who are carrying goods beyond the free allowance are required to fill the declaration form.
The Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley in his budget speech for 2016-17 had announced that the customs Baggage Rules for international passengers will be simplified to increase the free baggage allowance. He also announced that the filing of baggage declaration (customs declaration form) will be required only for those passengers who carry dutiable goods. In other words, international passengers who do not carry any dutiable goods or carry goods within the free allowance will not be required to the fill the declaration form from 1 April, 2016.
The Revised Free Allowance Rules
The government has revised the free allowance rules by issuing a new notification on 1 March, 2016. These rules would be effective 01 April, 2016. The customs duty free allowance would be the following from now on.
An Indian resident or a foreigner residing in India or a tourist of Indian origin, arriving from any country other  than Nepal, Bhutan or Myanmar, will be allowed articles like used personal items,  travel souvenirs and articles other than the prohibited ones, up to the value of Rs 50,000. These have to be carried in the baggage of the passenger. The free allowance of one passenger cannot be pooled with the free allowance of another passenger. This limit has been increased from Rs 35000 to Rs 50000. The allowance for tourists of foreign origin has been increased to Rs 15,000 from the existing Rs 8000.
The other significant change is in the amount of duty free jewellery that can be carried by an Indian passenger who has stayed abroad for over a year. The cap for a male passenger has now been fixed at 20gms of gold jewellery with a value cap of Rs 50,000 and the cap for female passengers has been fixed at 40gms of gold jewellery with a value cap of Rs 1,00,000. The earlier rules only had a value cap and not on weight.
All those passengers who carry goods within the allowance will not be required to fill the customs declaration form that is given by various airlines.
For those people transferring their residence to India, the value of the duty free personal and household items will depend on their duration of stay abroad. The value ranges from a minimum of Rs 60,000 to a maximum of Rs 5,00,000.
Changes to the Declaration Form
The customs declaration form is also modified to include ‘Drones’ in the list of items. The earlier list contained prohibited articles, Gold Jewellery over the free allowance, Meat & Meat products, Satellite Phones etc.
Featured Image : Image


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A Dummy's guide to the No-Confidence Motion & Whip - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 20, 2018
The NDA government led by the BJP is facing a No-Confidence motion today after the Speaker accepted the notice given by the opposition. But what is a No-Confidence motion? What does a ‘whip’ mean? Here is your guide.
The No-Confidence motion
In the parliamentary system that is followed in India, the government must always enjoy majority in the lower house or the Lok Sabha. In other words, it has to demonstrate its strength on the floor of the house. Any member of the house can move a ‘No-Confidence’ motion against the government. If the motion is accepted by the Speaker, the government has to defeat the motion to remain in power. In case the ‘No-Confidence’ motion is passed by the house, the council of ministers (government) has to resign. Conversely, the Prime Minister can move a ‘Confidence’ motion and prove his strength. A ‘No-Confidence’ motion is usually moved when a government is seen to have lost majority in the Lok Sabha. Sometimes, it is also moved to bring important issues to light or to highlight failures of the government.
Moving a No-Confidence motion
As per rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha, any member of the house can move the motion. He/She has to give a written notice of the motion by 10am on any day when the house is in session to the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha. If the notice is received after 10am, it will be treated as received the next day of sitting. It is important to note that no reasons need to be given for moving this motion.
If the Speaker is of the opinion that the motion is proper, he/she will read the motion to the house. A minimum of 50 members have to support the motion for it to be accepted. If less than 50 members support the motion, the member who moved the motion will be informed that the motion is not accepted. In the current case, MPs from the TDP moved the motion on 18th July 2018. One such motion was taken up and since more than 50 members supported the motion, it was accepted.
What happens after the motion is accepted?
Once the motion is accepted, the Speaker will announce a day on which the discussion & voting will take place. Such a day should be within 10 days from the day the motion is accepted. In the current case, the discussion is taking place today, just 2 days after the motion is accepted. It is also listed in the business for the day.
Discussion & Voting
The Speaker can allot a day or days for the motion to be discussed. The Speaker will also prescribe a time limit for each party for their speeches during the discussion. Usually, the time limit is proportional to the strength of the party in the house. Once the discussion is complete, the Speaker will conduct the voting of the motion at a specified time. The voting may be taken up through ‘Voice Vote’ or ‘Division of Vote’ or other means. If the ‘No-Confidence’ motion is passed, then the government of the day has to resign.
What is Whip?
Whip is neither defined in the constitution nor in the rules of the Lok Sabha. But it is recognized as a part of parliamentary convention. In the system followed by the UK Parliament, the Whip is clearly defined along with their duties. In India, every party appoints a Chief Whip whose duty is to ensure attendance of the party MPs in the house for important motions like the ‘No-Confidence’.
What is ‘Whip Issued’?
Whenever it is said that a ‘Whip is issued’, it means that a direction is given by the party’s whip to all the MPs to vote in a particular manner. Any violation of these directions can result in disqualification of the MP. The constitution was amended (52nd Amendment) in 1985 to address political defections. The Tenth schedule was added to the constitution through this amendment that lay down criteria for disqualification of MPs/MLAs. One of the grounds for disqualification is abstaining from voting or voting against the party direction.
Hence the whip becomes very important. It has to be noted that disqualification is not applicable if the MP defies the whip with the prior permission of the party or if the party condones the MP’s action. But the catch here is that the whip has to be served on the member. In other words, written directions have to reach the MP. Sometimes, parties paste the whip at the MP/MLA’s residence if he/she is missing or not reachable.
Details of some of the earlier instances of ‘Confidence Motions’ are given in the annual report of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.


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A Dummy’s Guide to the President of India's election
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 10, 2017
The election to the President of India is an indirect election. Citizens do not elect the President directly. He is elected by MPs & MLAs who are in turn elected by people. The election process is based on the concept of Single Transferrable Vote (STV) and the value of vote of MPs & MLAs is different.
Updates of the 2017 Presidential Election
The President of India is not directly elected by the citizens of the country.  He is elected directly by the representatives of people (i.e., Members of Parliament –MPs & Members of Legislative Assemblies – MLAs). All the MPs & MLAs in India form the Electoral College. In other words, the President is elected  by an electoral college consisting of MPs & MLAs. The election process is slightly complex and people find it difficult to understand the calculations behind the value of vote etc. Here is an attempt to simplify the entire process.
The following are the mandatory requirements for anyone to contest the election for the President of India.
Apart from the above conditions, the nomination paper of a candidate has to be signed by at least fifty(50) eligible voters as proposers and at least fifty(50) eligible voters as seconders. Here the voters are the MPs & MLAs and not citizens. A voter cannot propose or second more than one candidate.
The one major difference between any normal general election and the Presidential election is the differential value of votes of various electors (voters). In any normal election, the value of the vote of every citizen is the same. His/her vote is counted as one vote. But in the Presidential election, the value of the MP vote is different from the value of a MLA vote. Not just that, the value of a MLA vote from one state differs from the value of the MLA vote of another state. The value of all the votes put together is the value of the voters for the election. Before each such election, the Election Commission notifies the total value of all the votes based on vacancies etc at that point in time.
The value of votes of electors (voters) is basically determined on the basis of population of the States. Since population figures are dynamic and keep changing every year, it has been decided through the 84th Constitutional Amendment, that until the population figures for the first census after 2026 are published (in other words, 2031 census), the population of the States for the purpose of this calculation will mean the population as per the 1971 census.
The value of the vote of each MLA is calculated by dividing the population of the State as per 1971 Census, by the total number of elected members of the respective state assembly, and then to divide the quotient by 1000. Total Value of all members of each State Assembly is obtained by multiplying the number of seats in the Assembly by the number of votes for each member. Let us look at Telangana as an example.
Similar process is followed for all the states. For the 2017 Presidential election, the total value of the MLA votes is 5,49,495. The value of a MLA vote in individual states is in the table below.
The total value of votes of all the States is divided by the total number of elected members of Parliament (Lok Sabha 543+Rajya Sabha 233) to get the value of votes of each Member of Parliament or the MP. For 2017, this worked out to be 708. The value of a MP vote is substantially higher than the value of a MLA vote. It is in fact 3.5 times the value of a MLA’s vote in Uttar Pradesh where the value of MLA vote is maximum.
Both the values (MP & MLA) are added to the total value of the votes for any Presidential Election. In 2017, this value was 10,98,903 (549408 for MP & 549495 for MLA). The total number of eligible voters in the 2017 election is 4896 (776 MPs & 4120 MLAs from states).
A ballot paper is given to each voter with the names of the contesting candidates, green ballot paper for MPs & Pink ballot paper for MLAs. This election happens through the Single Transferable Vote (STV).  Hence each voter can mark as many preferences, as the number of candidates contesting the election. These preferences for the candidates are to be marked by the voter, by marking the figures 1,2,3, 4, 5 and so on, against the names of the candidates, in the order of preference.
The winning candidate has to secure the required quota of votes to be declared elected, i.e., 50% of valid first preferential votes polled +1. After the valid ballot papers are segregated from the invalid ones, the valid ballot papers are distributed among the contesting candidates on the basis of first preference marked on each of them for those candidates. The value of votes in favour of each contesting candidate is ascertained by multiplying the number of ballot papers on which the first preference is marked for him, by the value of vote which each ballot paper of a member (MP or MLA) represents. The total votes secured by each contesting candidate is then ascertained by adding together the value of votes secured by him from the MPs and the MLAs. This is the first round of counting.
To ascertain whether there is a winner after the first round of counting, the value of votes credited to each contesting candidate in the first round of counting is added up to determine the total value of valid votes polled at the election. This total value is divided by two and one is added to the quotient to determine the required quota for victory (50% +1). If any of the candidates receives the required number of votes in the first round, he is declared a winner.
However, even after the first round of counting, no candidate secures the required quota of votes, then the counting proceeds through a process of elimination and exclusion, whereby the candidate credited with the lowest number of first preferential votes in the first round is excluded and all his ballot papers are distributed among the remaining candidates on the basis of the second preferences marked in such ballots. The value of such transferred ballot papers will be the same as the value at which the excluded candidate received them. The ballot papers on which second preference is not marked is treated as exhausted ballot papers and shall not be further counted, even if the third or subsequent preferences are marked. This process is continued until there is a clear winner with 50% +1.
The provisions of the anti-defection law are not applicable to the Presidential election. Hence the voters can vote according to their conscience and are not bound by any party whips. The voting is also by secret ballot. In 2007, Prathiba Patil won 2/3rd of the total vote though the value of the votes of parties supporting her did not add up to 2/3rd. Same was the case with Pranab Mukherjee. It has to be noted that nominated members cannot vote in the Presidential election.
Featured Image: presidentofindia.nic.in


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A fake graphic is being shared as the NDTV poll of polls survey for the 2023 Telangana Elections - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 28, 2023
A graphic purportedly showing the result of the NDTV poll of polls survey of the 2023 Telangana Assembly Elections is being shared on social media. As per this graphic, the Indian National Congress is going to win in the elections. Let’s fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: NDTV poll of polls survey of the upcoming Telangana Assembly elections 2023 predicts a victory of the Indian National Congress party.
Fact: NDTV clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that they have not carried out any poll of polls survey, and that this graphic is fake. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
To learn more about the viral claim, we performed a keyword search on the internet. This search led us to a tweet of NDTV which also contained the same viral graphic. NDTV categorically denied carrying out a poll of polls survey and urged people not to spread fake news.
#FakeNewsAlert | NDTV has not carried any poll of polls for #Telangana2023. Please don’t spread fake news.
For fastest and most accurate election results, do log on to https://t.co/Fbzw6n9j4d on Sunday pic.twitter.com/7ehK3ysdeQ
This makes it clear that the graphic being shared is fake. Additionally, the Assembly Elections of Telangana will be held on 30 November 2023 with the counting of votes scheduled to be held on 3 December 2023.
To sum up, NDTV has not carried out this purported poll of polls survey which projects a victory of the Indian National Congress in the upcoming 2023 Telangana Assembly Elections.

created: November 28, 2023


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A fake graphic is being shared on social media, claiming it is a notice released by Sri Harimandir Saheb - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 3, 2023
A graphic purporting to be a notice from Sri Harimandir Sahib (also known as the Golden Temple) condemning Babbar Khalsa International and other organisations for promoting Khalistani terrorism has been circulating on social media sites. Here is a fact-check of the claim.
Claim: Sri Harimandir Sahib released a notice condemning Babbar Khalsa International and other organisations promoting Khalistani terrorism.
Fact: We did not find any such notice on the official social media handles and the website of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the organisation that manages the Gurudwaras in India, including Sri Harimandir Sahib. This suggests that the graphic being circulated is not authentic. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
In order to examine the facts behind this shared graphic, we initiated by inspecting the official website and the social media handles (here) of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the body that manages the Gurudwaras across India. Our investigation revealed that no such notice existed on their official website or any of the social media handles. This strongly implies that the graphic being circulated does not originate from an authentic source and is likely fabricated.
We further learned that an official of SGPC spoke to ‘The Quint’, where he denied the release of such a notice and affirmed that if at all they release any messages, that would be shared on their official handles.
To sum up, the purported notice circulating on social media claiming to be from Sri Harimandir Sahib is false. The SGPC, which handles official communications for Gurudwaras, has no such notice on its website or any social media handles.

created: October 3, 2023


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No, a fake hospital ward was not created for PM’s visit to Leh Military Hospital. - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 5, 2020
A collage is being shared widely on social media with a claim that a dining space (some posted saying that it is a conference hall) was converted into a fake hospital ward and the jawans were made to act for PM Modi’s visit and that he staged photo-op. PM Modi visited Leh Military Hospital on 03 July 2020 and interacted with the armed personnel injured in the recent Galwan attack. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post
A fake hospital ward was created at Leh for PM Modi’s staged photo-op of meeting injured jawans.
Fact: No, the hospital ward in the photo was not created for PM Modi’s visit. The same ward can be seen in the pictures taken when Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane met injured soldiers at Leh Military Hospital on 23 June 2020. In a press release, the Indian Army clarified that ‘the hall which otherwise was normally used as a Training Audio Video Hall was converted into a hospital ward ever since the hospital was also designated as COVID treatment hospital’. Also, the posted picture of MS Dhoni was taken when he visited the Army General Hospital back in August 2019. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
On cropping and running the photo of MS Dhoni through a reverse image search, it was found that it is related to his visit to the Army General Hospital back in August 2019. The video related to his visit in 2019 can be watched here. So, the photo was not taken recently
When searched further about the issue, it was found that the Indian Army has already issued a press release regarding the ‘malicious and unsubstantiated accusations’ being made on social media related to PM Modi’s visit to  General Hospital at Leh on 03 July 2020. They have clarified that ‘the said facility is part of the Crisis Expansion capacity of 100 beds and is very much part of the General Hospital complex. The COVID-19 protocol had necessitated some wards of the General Hospital to be converted into isolation facilities. Hence, this hall which otherwise was normally used as a Training Audio Video Hall was converted into a ward ever since the hospital was also designated as COVID treatment hospital. The injured braves have been kept there since their arrival from Galwan to ensure quarantine from COVID areas’.
Also, in their clarification, the Army mentioned that ‘the Chief of Army Staff General M M Naravane and the Army Commander have also visited the injured braves in the same location’. That was on 23 June 2020. When the photos of PM’s visit were compared with the photos from Indian Army Chief’s visit, it can be seen that it was the same hall (same curtains, same painting in the background and Tibetan prayer flags can be seen in both the photos). So, it can be concluded that the injured soldiers were receiving the treatment in the same hall (which was converted into a ward) much before the PM’s visit.
To sum it up, a conference hall was not converted into a hospital ward for PM Modi’s visit.
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