From photos of an injured priest in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur being shared with a communal claim of him being attacked by people from the Muslim community to a viral video falsely claiming that bananas imported from Somalia have illness-causing worms in them, here's what misled the public this week.
1. Old Video of Waterlogging in Delhi Falsely Linked to Chennai Rains
A video showing a waterlogged area with vehicles being submerged in water and people wading through dirty water was shared on social media claiming that it was a recent video from Chennai, after the city saw heavy downpours, which led to loss of life and property.
An archive of this tweet can be seen here.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
However, we found that the video was from Old Delhi's Sadar Bazar area and could be traced back at least to September and did not show Chennai as claimed.
You can read our fact-check here.
2. Poisonous Bananas Imported From Somalia? No, Viral Video Is Misleading
A viral video showing a person dissecting a banana and showing worms coming out of the fruit was shared across social media, where the person claimed that the fruits were imported from Somalia and were poisonous.
They go on to claim that the worm was called helicobacter and could cause brain death 12 hours after consumption.
An archived version of this post can be seen here.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
The Quint contacted the National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB), whose director clarified that India does not import any banana from Somalia.
The NRCB's statement also said that "helicobacter" was a bacterium which would not be visible to the naked eye and not a worm, adding that no such worms were recorded to have infected an intact banana.
You can read the full fact-check here.
3. Video From Anti-CAA Protest in Kerala Shared as Protest Against Tripura Violence
In a nearly three-minute long video, a large gathering of protesters is seen walking down a road chanting slogans, with a man speaking on a loudspeaker in Malayalam. The video was shared claiming that it showed Keralite Muslims protesting the communal violence in Tripura.
The video shows a 2020 anti-CAA protest in Mannarkkad.
(Photo: The Quint)
However, we found that the video was shot in Kerala's Mannarkkad and showed a massive protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens and could be traced back to January 2020.
Read our fact-check here.
4. Images of Injured UP Priest Shared With a False Communal Angle
A set of photos showing an injured, bloodied priest was shared on social media platforms, where users claimed that it showed a priest from Uttar Pradesh's Ma VIndyavasini temple who was brutally attacked by Muslims. Some claims also called on Hindus to "wake up" as they could be next.
An archived version of this post can be accessed here.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
Speaking to The Quint, Station Officer (SO) Shailesh Kumar Rai of Vindyachal Police station said that the communal claims were false.
Rai told us that Pandey was a history sheeter who got into an altercation with another priest from the same temple and that the injuries in the photos were self-inflicted.
Read our fact-check here.
5. No, Degrees of Medical Students in J&K Weren't 'Cancelled' Post Pakistan's Win
A group photograph showing women dressed in burqas was massively shared on social media with a claim that it showed the students of Srinagar medical college who were denied their degrees because they raised pro-Pakistan slogans.
The claim came after a T20 cricket match between India and Pakistan, which the latter won by 10 wickets.
You can view the archive of this post here.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
Our team was able to trace the image back to 2017, and found that the photo was taken in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh, and not Jammu and Kashmir. We also did not find any news reports on 100 medical students' degrees being cancelled.
Read our fact-check here.
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