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: From vandalism of puja pandals in Bangladesh over alleged desecration of the Quran to a car running over devotees heading for immersion of Durga idol in Chhattisgarh, social media was flooded with news & claims this week, some of which were true, but many, as usual, were false or out of context. Newschecker brings you a list of top five claims that we fact checked over the last week.
Indian Media Cites Fake Twitter Page on B’desh Durga Puja Vandalism Coverage
As violence marred Durga puja festivities in Bangladesh over alleged desecration of the Holy Quran, several users took to Twitter to share videos and images of attacks and vandalism of puja pandals across Bangladesh. One of the main sources of information, that was quoted by several Indian publications was the Bangladesh Hindu Unity Council (@UnityCouncilBD), which describes itself as the official twitter page of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council or the bhbcop.org, in its bio. But a fact check by Newschecker has found this to be a fake account.
Read more on the story here
BJP’s Amit Malviya Shares Video of Car Running Over Durga Puja Procession, Falsely Claims Communal Angle
Sharing video of the horrific incident in Chhattisgarh, where a car ran over a Durga Puja procession killing 1 person and injuring 17 people, BJP’s Amit Malviya claimed “communal profiling and assault on Hindus”. But a fact check by Newschecker shows that the incident was falsely ascribed a communal colour by Malviya.
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‘Ishwar Allah Tero Naam’ NOT Dropped In Hans Raj Hans’ Rendition Of Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram
A video, where BJP MP and prominent singer Hans Raj Hans is seen singing the bhajan ‘Raghupati raghava rajaram’, went viral with the caption “Finally ‘Ishwar Allah Tero Naam’ is removed and replaced by Jai Shree Ram, Sita Ram”. A fact check by Newschecker has found the claim to be partly false.
Read more on this fact check here
Image of Woman in Hijab from 2012 edited to claim ‘Hindu Muslim unity impossible’, widely shared on Twitter
A photograph of a woman in a Hijab holding a placard with text written in Hindi, was widely shared on social media platforms in the wake of Bangladesh Durga puja vandalism, which read “Within Muslims, Shias and Sunnis do not share a brotherhood, but foolish Hindus think that Muslims and Hindus can be brothers.” Newschecker;s fact check found this image to be edited.
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Viral Message Falsely Claims WhatsApp Will Be Charged, Urges Users To Forward The Fake Message
A viral message on social media claiming to be from Varun Pulyani ‘director of WhatsApp’ urging users to forward the particular message to keep WhatsApp free of cost, has been found to be fake and has been viral multiple times since 2014.
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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.
