WebQoof Recap: Old Clip of Boy Desecrating Temple, Mamata’s Injury

Here’s a round-up of all that misled the public this week.

(Photo: Arnica Kala/ The Quint)

From social media users sharing a video of a youth desecrating a temple with a false communal spin, to morphed and flipped images of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee being circulated to insinuate that she faked her injury, here’s all that misled the public this week.

1. Video of Youth Desecrating Temple Shared With False Communal Spin

A video in which a youth can be seen desecrating a temple and urinating had gone viral on social media with a false communal spin.

Several users shared the video with the claim that it shows Muslims disrespecting Hindu temples. This came after communal tension flared up on social media over a video of a 14-year-old boy getting thrashed for allegedly entering a temple to drink water.

You can view an archived version here.

However, the Additional Sub-Inspector at the Anakapalle Rural Police Station confirmed to The Quint’s WebQoof team that the youth in the viral video were not Muslims and that the video was old.

You can read the full story here.

2. Flipped, Morphed Pics Shared to Claim Mamata Faked Injury Ahead of Polls

Soon after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was injured while campaigning in Nandigram on 10 March, several images had gone viral to insinuate that she faked her injury.

For instance, a set of images of Mamata Banerjee were shared to claim that the bandage on her leg shifted from the left to the right one.

You can view the archived version here.

However, we found that Banerjee’s image in a wheelchair has been flipped to make the false claim. She was discharged from the SSKM Hospital in Kolkata on 12 March. You can read the full story here.

A similar claim was made using a morphed image of Banerjee to claim that she ‘walked’ away after getting discharged from the hospital.

You can read the full story here.

3. Images From Yemen Shared as Muslim Boy Assaulted in Ghaziabad

A set of two images of a severely injured child had gone viral in the context of the 14-year-old Muslim boy who was assaulted in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, reportedly for entering a temple to drink water.

(Note: The images in the link below may be distressing to some. Viewer discretion is advised.)

You can view an archived version here.

Though the minor was thrashed and a video of the said incident went viral, these images could be traced back to an incident in October 2020, when a minor was beaten by his father in Yemen’s Al Mahwit Governorate.

You can read the full story here.

4. Indian Media Misreports on Pak Singer’s Case Against Ali Zafar

Several Indian news outlets published reports that said that Pakistani singer Meesha Shafi will “face up to three years in jail for levelling false accusations of sexual harassment” against actor-singer Ali Zafar.

An archive of the post can be found here.

But contrary to the reports by the India news outlets, the legal battle is still going on between the two and no verdict has been passed by any Pakistani court on the matter.

You can read the full story here.

5. Pic of Queen’s Billboard Edited to Thank PM Modi for COVID Vaccine

An edited image of a billboard in London’s Piccadilly Square had gone viral on social media with the false claim that Queen Elizabeth II thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending COVID vaccines to the United Kingdom.

You can view an archived version here.

The original image, dating back to April 2020, contained a message of hope amid the coronavirus pandemic. It has been edited to include the text, “Thank you PM Modi for sending us COVID-19 vaccines. You’re a good boy.”

You can read the full story here.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)