From imposter accounts to old photos revived with a new context, Newschecker debunked a wide range of misinformation this week.
While Kangana Ranaut’s photos from a movie promotional event were shared to show her celebrate Vijay Diwas with the BSF soldiers, Harnaaz Sandhu’s imposter Twitter accounts gained quick popularity after she was crowned the Miss Universe. False information regarding the new COVID-19 guidelines, and old photo of Muslims offering Namaz in Bangladesh shared with a communal angle were viral this week. Here is a list of the top five misinformation debunked by Newschecker.
Juhi Chawla, Shashi Tharoor and others Fall for Harnaaz Sandhu’s Imposter Twitter Account
It was a proud moment for India as 21-year-old Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu brought home the third Miss Universe crown. But as celebrities and leaders took to the social media to congratulate the new Miss Universe, many made the same error- tagging an imposter. Read more here.
Old Photos Of Kangana Ranaut With BSF Soldiers Go Viral Claiming To Be From Vijay Diwas Celebrations
As India and Bangladesh celebrate Vijay Diwas on December 16 to commemorate India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, photos of Kangana Ranaut with uniformed soldiers are being shared widely on Twitter. The Queen actor can be seen smiling and posing in the photographs with no one donning masks considered mandatory for COVID-19 prevention. Social media users claimed that Ranaut spent the day celebrating Vijay Diwas with Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers. Newschecker found the images to be old and misleading. Read more here.
Fake Notice Claiming UGC Proposes Offline Examination Goes Viral
A notice by the University Grants Commission (UGC) regarding offline examinations in all universities for the upcoming semesters is widely shared online. As students took to social media asking if the notice was real, UGC confirmed the viral notice to be imposter content. Read more here.
False COVID-19 Guidelines Goes Viral In Maharashtra
A message stating Maharashtra has imposed several new restrictions over concerns due to the Omicron variant is being shared widely on social media. While there are new COVID-19 guidelines in the state the viral post is misleading. Read more here.
Old Photo From Bangladesh Goes Viral Claiming To Show ‘Muslims Disrupting Traffic By Offering Namaz’ In India
Amidst communal tension in Gurugram between far-right Hindu groups and Muslims over Namaz in public spaces, a photo showing a large number of Muslims offering Namaz on a road blocking traffic was shared online by Tarek Fatah, a Pakistani-Canadian commentator claiming that a highway in India was blocked to perform Friday prayers. Newschecker found the image to be from January 2020 in Bangladesh. Read more here.
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