From an unreliable mobile app for measuring oxygen levels to 3D photo plans of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, here’s a quick round-up of all that misled the public this week:
1. App Using Phone Camera for Measuring Oxygen Levels Not Reliable
A viral WhatsApp message claims that an app called ‘Pedometer 2018’ can detect oxygen levels and heart rate just by placing the finger on the rear camera of the mobile phone.
However, Dr Vikas Maurya, director and head, department of Pulmonology & Sleep Disorders, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh told The Quint that while the technology used in oximeter can be put in any device, if the phone does not have the required technology, an app alone cannot measure the oxygen levels. Further, the app in question has now been taken down from Google Play Store.
You can read the full story here.
2. Comment on Ram Mandir Falsely Attributed to SP Leader Azam Khan
Several social media users shared a link of a website called ‘News Track Live’ which falsely quoted Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan as saying that he will take “jalsamaadhi” if he is not invited for the Bhoomi Pujan (foundation stone laying ceremony) of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on 5 August.
However, it’s actually the National President of Muslim Karsevak Manch, Kunwar Azam Khan who made the statement and not the SP leader.
The claim was also shared by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra and Swarajya, a right-wing English magazine. However, both of them corrected themselves later.
We searched using keywords “azam khan ayodhya jal samadhi” and found a News18 article published on Saturday, 25 July, which mentioned that Muslim Karsevak Manch National President Azam khan had said that he will commit “jalsamadhi” if he is not invited to ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ (foundation stone laying) on 5 August.
You can read the full story here.
3. Photos of Cremation in UP Falsely Shared as Organ Trafficking Racket
A number of photos showing what seems like the cremation of a body in an electric crematorium are being shared with the claim that they show an organ trafficking racket that is taking place amid the coronavirus pandemic in Maharashtra.
However, The Quint found that they actually show a Lucknow-based woman carrying out the cremation of an unclaimed body.
On running a reverse image search on the photos, we were led to a website called Delhi Crime Press, which had carried the photos along with the same claim as in the viral posts as a story.
We found that the story was credited to an Om Shukla, who is Special Crimes Investigator, according to his Facebook bio.
Then, on Facebook, we ran a keyword search with Shukla’s name, along with ‘'मानव अंगो की तस्करी’ (human organ trafficking) and came across a post by a Lucknow-based woman by the name of Versha Verma.
According to her post, dated 21 July, she was the woman seen in the viral photos. In her post, she calls out Shukla for misusing her photos to falsely claim that an organ racket was taking place in Maharashtra and clarified that she and her colleague Deepak Mahajan, through their NGO Ek Koshish Aisi Bhi, cremated unclaimed bodies.
You can read the full story here.
4. Bharat Biotech Vaccine Available From 15 August? Not So Fast!
A message is going viral on social media stating that the vaccine against COVID-19 produced by Bharat Biotech has received permission from the central government and will be available in the market from 15 August. The message is being shared with a letter from ICMR about fast-tracking the clinical trials of the vaccine.
While the letter being shared from the Director General of ICMR about the Bharat Biotech vaccine is in no way fake or altered, the viral message along with it lacks the context that came after this letter was issued on 2 July.
In the letter, ICMR says that it has partnered with Bharat Biotech lnternational Limited to fast-track clinical trials of the vaccine produced by the company, which is India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine candidate, named Covaxin.
Further, the letter, addressed to a site chosen for clinical trial, does indeed say that it “is envisaged to launch the vaccine for public health use latest by 15th August 2020 after completion of all clinical trials.” But it also adds that “final outcome will depend on the cooperation of all clinical trial sites involved in this project.”
You can read the full story here.
5. Rendition of ISKCON Temple Viral as Proposed Ayodhya Ram Mandir
A 3D rendition of a large, grand temple is being falsely shared as a photo of the plan of what the upcoming Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will look like. However, we found that this is actually the plan for the ISKCON temple in West Bengal’s Mayapur and not the Ram Mandir at all.
The structure seen below is being shared as the proposed appearance of the Ram Mandir and is being shared on social media with the message, “Architectural view of proposed 'Ram Mandir' in Ayodhya....Jai Jai Shree Ram..”
On conducting a reverse search on the photo, we were led to several sources which suggested that the viral photo was actually a proposal for the Temple Of Vedic Planetarium at ISKCON Mayapur, West Bengal.
We found an article from August 2010 about the temple on a website called ISKCONNews which carried this photo.
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 webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)