Authors
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.
New Delhi: In the aftermath of the violent clashes in Chattisgarh’s Kawardha, that saw over 70 arrests and section 144 being imposed in the area, several videos have found their way online, claiming to be from the city. One such video, posted by twitter handle @zeneraalstuff shows the skyline of a suburban locality with saffron flags flying high atop almost every building, claiming that it was a video from the town. ‘Kawardha Now’ the caption of the twitter video reads. A quick fact check by Newschecker has found it to be false.
The video has seen over 2,000 retweets and 7,000 likes at the time of publishing and has also been tweeted out by several other pages with a similar claim.
Clashes were reported from Chhattisgarh’s Kawardha after a scuffle over removal of a religious flag from a junction called ‘Lahora Chowk’ on Sunday. Visuals of the incident showed a saffron flag being removed. Media reports indicate that the removal of the flag triggered protests from local youth, which gave way to stone pelting and full blown clashes. On Tuesday, groups carrying saffron flags held protests in the city, which led to communal violence. Several videos of the incident on social media showed men carrying lathis and other weapons, going on rampage in what are allegedly Muslim homes and establishments.
Fact Check/Verification
A reverse image search by Newschecker revealed that the video was previously shared on Facebook by a profile called @budharamhindustani1 in the month of June 2021, with the caption ‘Jai Jai Shri Ram!!!! Sanskars and swords look as good as the old ones!!! Jai Shri Ram, Jai Mahakal!! Jai Hindutva!’. The Facebook post can be found here
The Facebook video posted in June has over 1,20,000 likes and at least 68 comments.
Conclusion
With the fact checking tools at Newschecker’s disposal, it has been found that the video is from a different date and hence, is misleading.
Result
Misleading
Sources
Social media posts
Authors
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.
