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.
Yet another busy week and yet another slew of misinformation to debunk. From the war in Ukraine dragging on to a month, to the tragic news of a plane crash in China, to the court’s judgement in the Hijab row and the much celebrated Vivek Agnihotri movie The Kashmir Files, users in social media spared no developments in creating and peddling fake news centred around it. Here are some of the top fact checks done by Newschecker this last week:
Video Showing Raging Forest Fire Not Linked To Plane Crash In Southern China
Several videos claiming to show the aftermath of the plane crash in southern China, that killed all 132 passengers on board, are doing the rounds on the internet since the news of the crash broke on March 21, 2022. One such video shows a major fire raging along a huge hill slope with a billowing column of smoke. Social media users who shared the footage claimed that the plane crash caused a big forest fire in the area, which can be seen in the video. Newschecker has found that the video is not linked to the plane crash and that the claim is false. Read the full fact check here.
Did Mohan Bhagwat Meet Vivek Agnihotri After The Kashmir Files Release? No, Media Outlets Publish False News
Based on the 1990 exodus of Kashmiri pandits, Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘The Kashmir Files’ has received accolades from a large section of the public as well as politicians. PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were among the leaders who met and congratulated the team of The Kashmir Files. In this backdrop, an image of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat with Vivek Agnihotri and Pallavi Joshi is doing the rounds on social media with the claim to show their ‘recent meeting’ after the release of the movie. However, we found the image to be untrue. Read the full story here.
Youths Stabbed By ‘Muslims’ After Watching The Kashmir Files In U.P? No, Viral Claim Misleading
Vivek Agnihorti’s film The Kashmir Files has taken the internet and the country by storm, deepening the fault lines between right wing and secular voices prominent on social media. The online disinformation machinery has become hyper-active and some members of media have amplified these by publishing unsubstantiated or misleading claims. One such claim, published by many publications reports on the alleged stabbing of three Hindu youth by Muslim men after they watched The Kashmir Files in Kushinagar. Newschecker has found this claim to be partly false and misleading. You can read the full report here.
No, Karnataka Chief Justice Did Not Reprimand Lawyer For Defending Hijab Petitioners
A video claiming to show Karnataka Chief Justice berating a lawyer for “defending the petitioners on Hijab row” is doing the rounds on social media platforms, following the Karnataka High Court’s judgement on pleas pertaining to the controversy over wearing hijab in educational institutions on March 15. Newschecker has found the video to be from another incident and hence false. Read more about the incident here.
Viral Claim That ‘Muslim Boy Killed Hindu Girl In Piran Kaliyar’ Is Misleading, Incident Has No Communal Angle
A video showing a boy who was caught at a hotel in Haridwar’s Piran Kaliyar with a suitcase that had a dead girl stuffed inside, is going viral on social media platforms. Several social media users are sharing the video with the claim that a Muslim boy killed his Hindu partner and packed her in the suitcase in order to dispose the body. Newschecker found the viral claim to be misleading. Read the full fact check here.
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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.
