WebQoof Recap: Misinformation About Kumbh & Fake Communal Twist Given to Cases

WebQoof Recap: Here are the viral pieces of misinformation that we debunked this week. 

(Source: Kamran Akhter/The Quint) 

From misleading claims about the waters of the Maha Kumbh being safe for consumption and bathing to false communal angle added to Congress worker Himani Narwal's murder case, here are the viral pieces of fake news that we debunked this week.

1. False 'Love Jihad' Angle Added to Congress Worker Himani Narwal Murder Case

Congress worker Himani Narwal's (22) body was recently found in a suitcase near a bus stand in Haryana's Rohtak district on Saturday, 1 March.

Following this, social media users are sharing her images and adding a communal angle in the incident.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot/translated on Google Translate)

However, social media users are adding a false communal angle to this incident.

• The accused has been identified as Sachin from Jhajjar district of Haryana.

• Rohtak Police PRO also confirmed to us that there is no communal angle in the incident.

• Read our fact-check here.

2. Fact-Check: Do These Clips Show a Terror Attack in Tamil Nadu’s VIT? No!

A set of videos showing gunmen getting out of a vehicle and running across the campus of the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in Tamil Nadu as an explosive goes off are being shared on social media, where users have claimed that it shows a terror attack in the education institute.

An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

But the claim is false.

• The videos show a mock drill conducted by National Security Guard (NSG) commandos.

• Read our fact-check here.

3. Video About the Case of a Woman’s Death Viral With a False Communal Angle

A video showing a huge crowd around a blue trolley bag is being shared on social media platforms. It is being shared as one from West Bengal.

The video claims that a young man named Akram lured a Hindu girl into marriage in West Bengal and subsequently killed her and put her remains in the trolley bag.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

However, this claim is false.

• The video is from Kumartuli in Kolkata. It was a case of two women killing one of their female relative. This video was shot when they were trying to dump the blue trolley in the river and were caught by a mob.

• Barasat police has denied the communal claim in this case.

• Read our fact-check here.

4. Fact-Check: Scripted Video Viral as Clip of Muslim Woman Marrying Her Uncle

A video showing a woman in a burqa, standing with a man wearing a skullcap, is being shared on social media and has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter).

In the clip, the two say that the woman married her uncle because she was in love with him, claiming that Muslim culture permits such marriages.

An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

However, the video is a staged one.

• It was made by content creator Ankita Karotiya, who has made similar videos about controversial marriages in the past.

• Read our fact-check here.

5. UP Govt Claims Maha Kumbh Waters 'Safe For Drinking'; Expert Opinions Differ

Several media organisations published reports about Padma Shri awardee Dr Ajai Sonkar's 'study' on the purity of the water of the river Ganga during and after the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj.

• They referred to a press release by the Uttar Pradesh government, which cited Sonkar’s study to say that the river’s water was completely safe and was "not only… suitable for bathing, Ganga water is as pure as alkaline water.”

• Sonkar also reportedly said that the river kills germs ’50 times faster’ due to the presence of 1,100 different types of bacteriophages, which “naturally purify the water.”

• However, we could neither find this press release, nor could we find the study by Dr Sonkar published by any reputable journal, on the internet. 

• Also, Sonkar’s findings do not necessarily align with what science says.  

• The Quint spoke to Dr TV Venkateswaran, visiting professor at the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali. He explained that along the river, sewage and industrial pollutants in the water bond to these silicates, “leaving nothing by the time the river reaches its midpoint.”

• Responding to another query, Dr Venkateswaran said that, "It is true that the bacteriophages are present, eliminating the pathogens' excessive presence of bacteria-killing viruses is indicative of bacterial contamination,” and does not indicate that the water is pure.  

• These points were also stated by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute’s (NEERI) senior scientist Krishna Khairnar in a 2023 article by Deccan Herald. 

• Read our story in detail here.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , 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.)