WebQoof Recap: Of Claims Around Shreyasi Singh, Hathras & More

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

(Photo: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

From the mis-identification of shooter Shreyasi Singh as the daughter of former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh to misinformation around the Hathras incident, here’s a quick round-up of all that misled the public this week.

1. VP Debate: Pence, Harris Make Misleading Claims on COVID & More

In the first and only US vice-presidential debate between Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris held in Utah on Wednesday, 7 October (ET), the coronavirus pandemic and US President Donald Trump’s handling of the situation took centre stage. But while both the candidates spoke about the current situation, they overlooked facts at certain places.

To begin with, Vice President Mike Pence hit out at the Biden-Obama administration for their handling of the outbreak of H1N1 flu and said that they left the strategic national stockpile empty.

You can read our full fact-check here.

Both the leaders while hitting out at each other and their respective parties made statements that either lacked context or were exaggerated.

2. Shreyasi Singh Who Joined BJP Is Not Kin of Cong’s Digvijaya Singh

Several social media users falsely claimed that Commonwealth Games gold medallist shooter Shreyasi Singh, who recently joined the Bhartiya Janata Party ahead of the Bihar elections, is the daughter of Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh.

Mansi Singh, sister of Shreyasi Singh, told The Quint that she is the daughter of late former Union minister Digvijay Singh who was a politician from Bihar.

Social media users falsely claimed that shooter Shreyasi Singh is the daughter of Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

Further, Congress leader and former MP CM Digvijaya Singh also issued a clarification saying that Shreyasi Singh is not his daughter.

You can read our full fact-check here.

3. BJP Leader Falsely Identified as Hathras Rape Accused’s Father

A set of images are being circulated on social media with the claim that they show father of Sandeep, who is an accused in the alleged gang rape of the 19-year-old Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, with state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

However, we found that the man in the image is Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha leader Dr Shyam Prakash Dwivedi, who is not the father of the accused in the Hathras incident.

Speaking to The Quint, a member of the Hathras victim’s family confirmed that the man in the images is not Sandeep’s father.

You can read our full fact-check here.

4. Image of a Woman’s Charred Body Shared With a False Communal Claim

The image of a half-burnt dead woman has gone viral on social media with a claim that “the 13-year-old girl was brutally raped and burnt alive.” The viral posts identified the girl as Payal Jain from Newai, Rajasthan, and the accused as Rizwan Ansari.

However, we found that the photograph of the half-burnt woman is from Gandhwani area of Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh. The woman was allegedly killed and then burnt by two men, Sohan and Govind, over a dispute.

You can read our full fact-check here.

5. India Today, News18 Share Image of Tunnel in US as Atal Tunnel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 3 October, inaugurated the 9.2 kilometre long Atal Tunnel which connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley. However, soon after the inauguration by the Prime Minister, several media organisations and social media users started sharing an image of the Devil’s Slide Tunnel in California as that of the Atal Tunnel.

Several media organisations and social media users started sharing an image of the Devils Slide Tunnel in California as that of the Atal Tunnel.(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

You can read our full fact-check 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.)