Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Residents of Punjab are urging the Haryana voters not to vote for the Aam Aadmi Party.
Archived version of the post can be seen here.
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Fact
On carefully analysing the viral footage, we spotted a reporter interviewing a protester, and questioning, “who should the people of Adampur vote for then?”
Taking a clue, we looked up keywords “पंजाब,” “आदमपुर” “आम आदमी पार्टी” and “विरोध” (Punjab, Adampur, Aam Aadmi Party and Protest) on YouTube, which yielded a report by IBN24 News Network, dated November 1, 2022. It stated that a group of former-servicemen from Punjab arrived in Khairampur village in Adampur, to urge voters to not vote for the AAP in the Adampur by-poll.
Around 4:30 minutes into the video, we spotted the same protester speaking against the AAP as seen in the viral footage.
Furthermore, in the viral footage, the banner attached to the mini-truck carrying the protesters reads, “Reinstate the GoG scheme.”
We then looked up keywords “GoG Scheme,” “protest” and “Punjab” on Google which led us to multiple reports from 2022 detailing the agitation by ex-servicemen demanding the reinstatement of the Guardians of Governance scheme .
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One such report by the Hindustan Times, dated September 13, 2022, stated, “A large number of ex-servicemen marched towards the venue with black strips on their red turbans to mark their protest over the scrapping of the GoG scheme, a flagship programme of previous Captain Amarinder Singh government to hire ex-servicemen to monitor government programmes.”
Notably, a shorter version of the video had gone viral in November, 2022, claiming to show an anti-AAP stir in Gujarat. The same was debunked by Newschecker on November 11, 2022, and can be seen here.
We could thus conclude that an old video of ex-servicemen from Punjab urging Haryana voters to vote against the AAP has been shared out of context amid ongoing Lok Sabha Polls.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
YouTube Video By IBN24 News Network, Dated November 1, 2022
Report By Hindustan Times, Dated September 13, 2022
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
