From a Hindi TV channel News Nation falsely linking a video discussing lack of government jobs for people with hearing disability to an ongoing investigation into an alleged religious conversion scam in Uttar Pradesh to misinformation around the Tokyo Olympics, here is what misled the public this week.
1. Clip on Lack of Jobs Falsely Linked to 'Religious Conversion Scam'
Hindi TV news channel News Nation aired a bulletin on Tuesday, 22 June, which linked a clip of two persons discussing the lack of government jobs for people with hearing disability to an ongoing investigation by the Uttar Pradesh Police in an alleged religious conversion scam.
The anchor, Anurag Dixit, said that children with speech and hearing disabilities were being targeted and added that the ATS was going to interrogate the owner of Noida Deaf Society, Ruma Roka.
An archived version of this video can be accessed here.
(Photo: YouTube/Screenshot)
However, we contacted the two individuals in the video and interacted with them with the help of an interpreter. The duo in the video are Krishan Kumar, vice-president of Haryana Deaf Society, Fatehabad, and Ravinder Kumar, an executive member of the society, who made the video in November 2020. A sign language expert told us that there was no mention of religious conversion or anything of the sort in the original clip.
Read our fact-check here.
2. 'Swayamsevak' on Medal for Volunteers of 2020 Tokyo Olympics? No!
An image, showing words inscribed in different languages, including Hindi, is being shared to claim that it was being given to volunteers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Major Surendra Poonia shared the image claiming that the word 'Swayamsevak' is written on the medal that will be given to the volunteers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
An archived version of this tweet can be found here.
(Photo: Twitter/Screenshot)
We found this was a pin which was being sold on e-commerce platform eBay. It was not an official 2020 Tokyo Olympics merchandise as there was no mention of a pin being given out to volunteers for the sporting event. The complete list of goodies or allowances related to the volunteers at 2020 Tokyo Olympics is available on the official website.
Read our fact-check here.
3. No, President Kovind Didn't Bow Down Before Yogi Adityanath
A photograph of President Ram Nath Kovind touching the ground after deboarding his plane, with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the frame is being shared on social media insinuating that the President was 'bowing down' to the CM. It was shared with a story discussing ‘slave mentality’ in people and how difficult it was to leave it behind.
An archived version of this post can be seen here.
(Photo: Facebook/Screenshot)
We found that the President had bowed to pay respect to his ‘motherland’, as he hails from Uttar Pradesh. The photograph was shared on the President’s Twitter account on 27 June, and the caption described his emotional gesture of bowing and touching the soil after the aircraft landed near his village.
Read our fact-check here.
4. Old Photo From Philippines Passed Off as Mumbai’s Mithi River
A set of two images is being shared on the internet claiming to show the “tale of two cities” – Ahmedabad and Mumbai, one led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the other by the Shiv Sena-led coalition. The picture of Sabarmati Riverfront is a clean and picturesque one while the Mithi river in Mumbai is shown filled with garbage.
An archived version of this tweet can be accessed here.
(Photo: Twitter/Screenshot)
Our team found that while the Sabarmati Riverfront image is an actual photograph from 2013, the other picture, which claims to show Mumbai’s Mithi river, is a photograph from the Philippines’ Manila in 2008.
Read our fact-check here.
5. Old Image Shared as Chandigarh Police Using Force Against Farmers
An old photo showing an elderly woman being dragged by the police was shared with a claim that it showed Chandigarh Police 'using force' against protesting farmers.
An archived version of this tweet can be seen here.
(Photo: Twitter/Screenshot)
However, our team found out that the photograph dates back to 2015. As per news reports, the photograph is related to an incident where farmers opposed the district administrator’s move to take control over the village’s panchayat land.
The police lathi-charged the protestors from Hariaua village, which left 12 farmers and three police personnel injured.
Read our fact-check here.
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