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.
A video showing an e-rickshaw getting overturned in a water-logged street is being shared online social media platforms claiming that the incident happened recently in flood-hit Assam. Newschecker has found the claim to be untrue
In the 25-second-long-video, at least three policemen are seen riding an e-rickshaw through a water-logged street. The rickshaw falls over after getting stuck, possibly in a ditch or a pothole, taking the passengers down. The policemen can later be seen struggling to get out of the vehicle as one man is seen walking towards them to offer help.
Facebook user @BarakValleyNews24, which identifies itself as a Silchar based Media/News company, shared the video with Assam and flood related hashtags as can be seen below on 19th May 2022. The video in this post is being linked to the recent floods in Assam due to the usage of these hashtags.
The video has been shared over 500 times since it was posted on May 19,2022. Newschecker found the video to be old and unrelated to the present situation in Assam.
The same post was further shared by some Facebook users believing it to be from Assam.
Find links to such posts here and here.
Torrential rains have led to massive flooding and landslides in Assam. The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) reported just yesterday that over 6.5 lakh people remained affected by the flooding across 22 districts in the state with Silchar reporting one death due to flooding. The total death toll currently stands at 25. The IMD also issued a statement yesterday predicting that the state will very likely continue to witness light to moderate rainfall during the next five days.
Also Read: Viral Video Of Family Being Washed Away Is Old And Not Related To Assam Floods
Fact Check/Verification
A Google reverse image search conducted using the keyframes of the viral video led us to a Dainik Bhaskar report dated October 1, 2021, categorised under the ‘Rajasthan’ state section of the website. Displaying the same 25-second-long clip, the report elaborated upon how this incident happened in Dausa district’s Bandikui town when ‘chalani’ guards of the police station were heading towards Kol jail in an auto.
The report elaborated upon how this incident took place in Dausa district’s Bandikui town when ‘chalani’ guards of the police station were heading towards Kol jail in an auto.
Using these details as a clue, we further searched using the keywords “Rajasthan Dausa police e-rikshaw overturns” on Google and found another report published on the Navbharat Times website on October 2, 2021, corroborating the details mentioned in the report by Dainik Bhaskar.
The video was also uploaded on the official YouTube channel of News18 Rajasthan on September 30, 2021, with a caption that roughly translates to “In Dausa, tempo carrying policemen overturned in rain-filled water, no casualties.”
Notably, the same video went viral in October 2021, claiming to show the condition of roads in Uttar Pradesh during CM Yogi Adityanath’s rule. UP Police had issued a public announcement on Twitter clarifying that the video was from the Dausa district in Rajasthan.
Newschecker Hindi Team had also debunked this claim on October 5, 2021.
Conclusion
Video of policemen struggling after their vehicle overturns in knee deep water is neither recent nor from Assam . It was captured in 2021 in Rajasthan’s Dausa district and is being shared falsely in context to recent floods in Assam.
Result: False Context/False
Sources
Report Published by Dainik Bhaskar on October 1, 2021
Report Published in Navbharat Times on October 2, 2021
YouTube Video by News18 Rajasthan on September 30, 2021
Tweet by UP Police Fact Check Dated October 2, 2021
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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.
