Authors
A self-taught social media maverick, Saurabh realised the power of social media early on and began following and analysing false narratives and ‘fake news’ even before he entered the field of fact-checking professionally. He is fascinated with the visual medium, technology and politics, and at Newschecker, where he leads social media strategy, he is a jack of all trades. With a burning desire to uncover the truth behind events that capture people's minds and make sense of the facts in the noisy world of social media, he fact checks misinformation in Hindi and English at Newschecker.
Claim
To eat free of cost Biryani and to get Rs 500 at Shaheen Bagh, even gents are wearing Burqa.
शाहीन बाग मे सलमा का बुरखा पहनकर बलमा भी पहुंच रहे है, बिरयानी और 500 का सवाल है!भइ pic.twitter.com/7qx0av75sZ
— Dकंगना फैन हिन्दू (@Nationalist_Dee) January 18, 2020
Verification
A picture with a caption written in Hindi is going viral on Social Media. The claim states that men are wearing Burqa to get Rs 500 and free of cost Biryani available for ladies in Shaheen Bagh. As per media reports, a protest against Citizenship Amendment Act is being staged at Shaheen Bagh ever since the act was passed from the parliament. Some social media users are supporting the protesters while some think that the protests are politically motivated. However, amid different views and thoughts pouring in, a claim is going viral on social media that the protestors are being paid a certain amount for being a part of the protest. In addition to the ongoing chatter, the aforementioned claim is being shared by many social media users. The intensity of this claim can be seen below.
शाहीन बाग मे सलमा का बुरखा पहनकर बलमा भी पहुंच रहे है,
बिरयानी और 500₹ का सवाल है!भई समजते हो न भाई
pic.twitter.com/NP8BWBG0SE— dipakkothari (@dipakkothari19) January 20, 2020
शाहीन बाग मे सलमा का बुरखा पहनकर बलमा भी पहुंच रहे है, बिरयानी और 500 का सवाल है!भइ @NAME_is_AK pic.twitter.com/XpkQSccMsI
— मोटा भाई (@NAME_is_AK) January 19, 2020
शाहीन बाग मे सलमा का बुरखा पहनकर बलमा भी पहुंच रहे है,
बिरयानी और 500₹ का सवाल है!भई pic.twitter.com/5nLepjHhN9— ROHIT SINGH (@rohitsi93693392) January 20, 2020
We also checked Facebook, if the claim is present on the platform. We found that many Facebook users have shared this claim, the intensity of this claim on Facebook can be viewed here.
As we began to fact check this claim, we first performed a reverse image search which led us to several media reports that contain the same picture as of the claim.
As per a report by NDTV, a Burqa-clad terrorist fired bullets in Pulwama’s busy market. The incident happened in October 2015, left 2 injured.
2 Injured After Burqa-Clad Terrorist Opens Fire in Kashmir
Srinagar: Two people were injured on Friday after a burqa-clad gunman opened indiscriminate fire in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police said. A senior police official told IANS that counter insurgency Special Operation Group (SOG) personnel were chasing a terrorist who on being challenged opened indiscriminate fire, injuring two people.
We further searched Google for more information on the issue and we found a report published by Deccan Herald that backs the NDTV report. Notably, both the reports are dated back to October 2015.
Burqa-clad militants open fire in busy Kashmir market, 3 hurt
Some burqa-clad militants today opened fire in a busy market in Pulwama, about 35 kms from here, when confronted by police, leaving three civilians, including two women injured, police said. One of the suspected militants, wearing burqa to masquerade as a woman, was arrested by police but his accomplices managed to escape, police said.
It is noteworthy that NDTV and other media outlets used the same picture with a similar report in 2018 as well.
कश्मीर : बुर्का पहने आतंकियों ने व्यस्त बाजार में चलायीं गोलियां, तीन लोग घायल
श्रीनगर: बुर्का पहने कुछ आतंकवादियों ने शुक्रवार को श्रीनगर से से करीब 35 किलोमीटर दूर पुलिस दल से सामना होने पर पुलवामा के एक व्यस्त बाजार में गोलियां चलायीं जिससे दो महिलाओं सहित तीन नागरिक घायल हो गए। पुलिस ने बताया कि महिला के वेश में बुर्का पहने संदिग्ध आतंकवादियों
‘Veiled’ terror: Terrorists resort to wearing ‘burqas’ to escape security forces – Opindia News
In an alarming development in South Kashmir, security forces have raised grave security concerns regarding the increasing use of burqas by terrorists to execute terror activities and avert military operations, reports Times of India. Recently in Shopian, South Kashmir, terrorists, under the disguise of burqas, snatched a rifle from a policeman before killing him.
Since all our findings date back to either October 2015 or October 2018, henceforth it is proved that the said picture is not related to Shaheen Bagh protests and the viral claim is ‘False’.
Sources
- Google Search
- Reverse Image Search
- Twitter Advanced Search
Result: False
(If you would like us to fact check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill the form)
Authors
A self-taught social media maverick, Saurabh realised the power of social media early on and began following and analysing false narratives and ‘fake news’ even before he entered the field of fact-checking professionally. He is fascinated with the visual medium, technology and politics, and at Newschecker, where he leads social media strategy, he is a jack of all trades. With a burning desire to uncover the truth behind events that capture people's minds and make sense of the facts in the noisy world of social media, he fact checks misinformation in Hindi and English at Newschecker.
