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.
The holiday season is upon us, but as they say, there is no rest for the wicked, as misinformation and false narratives continue to do their rounds on social media as always. From Mamata Banerjee’s misleading claim about Centre freezing the accounts of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity to Asaduddin Owaisi being misquoted, and a false Love Jihad case, the last week of 2021 saw no lull in misinformation. Here is a list of top five misinformation debunked by Newschecker in this last week:
Video Of Child Being Kidnapped In A Suitcase Is Scripted
A video allegedly showing a child being kidnapped in a suitcase is being shared widely on social media platforms. A fact check by Newschecker has found that the video is scripted, and not authentic. Read more here.
Viral Video Claiming Owaisi Threatened Hindus Is False
A viral video shared on social media claims that MP and President of AIMIM, Asaduddin Owaisi threatened to take revenge on Hindus for the crimes committed against Muslims in his latest speech. Newschecker found out that the viral video was referring to the atrocities committed on Muslims by the UP Police and was not instigating attack on Hindus as was being claimed. Read more here.
Viral Video Claiming To Show Muslim Youth Stabbing ‘Hindu’ Girl In Bihar Is Misleading, Has No Links To ‘Love Jihad’
A video, claiming to show a class 8 girl being stabbed repeatedly by a Muslim youth in Bihar’s Gopalganj after she resisted his attempts to molest her, is being widely shared on social media platforms. Most users linked the instance with ‘love jihad.’ Newschecker found out that this was not a case of attempted ‘love jihad’ as is being claimed, as both the attacker and his victim belonged to the same community. Read more here.
Did Centre Freeze ALL Bank Accounts Of Missionaries of Charity? No, Mamata Banerjee’s Tweet Misleading
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, on Monday, tweeted claiming that the Centre had frozen all bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity in India. Newschecker found out that the bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity have not been frozen by the MHA, rather their application for renewal of FCRA registration was refused due to ‘adverse inputs.’ Read more here.
No, Australia Has Not Declared January 2022 as Tamil Heritage Month
A viral social media post that is doing the rounds on Twitter and Facebook claims that January 2022 has been declared Tamil Heritage Month worldwide. The post also carries the image of a postal stamp, claiming to have been released by Australia ‘in honor of this Heritage.’ However, A fact check by Newschecker has revealed that the claim is false, and that the image of the postal stamp attached with the post was not issued by the Australian government. Read more here.
If you would like us to fact check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill the form.
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.
