From inaccurate statements made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the performance of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's government to a morphed image of a hoarding showing Aam Aadmi Party-led government's advertisement of dustbins being installed in Delhi, here's what misled the public this week.
1. Amit Shah Lauds Yogi Adityanath's Government, Falters on Facts
Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls, which are scheduled to be held in 2022, Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed a gathering in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, 1 August, where he spoke about the performance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's government and said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made Uttar Pradesh riot-free and safer for women.
However, the data from the National Crime Records Bureau's 'Crime in India report' contradicts the Home Minister's statements. As per the 2019 NCRB report, 5,714 instances of rioting were recorded in the state.
We examined three such statements made by the Home Minister during his address and the full story can be read here.
2. Morphed Image Shared as AAP Govt 'Lauding Dustbin Installation' in Delhi
Several social media users including various leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) shared an image of a hoarding claiming to show Delhi government's advertisement of dustbins being installed at the Kirtinagar industrial area.
However, we found several discrepancies in the viral image that showed that it was a morphed version of the original one.
Further, we performed digital forensics on the viral image using an online tool called 'fotoforensics' and the Error Level Analysis (ELA) of the image showed the different elements that weren't a part of the original one.
The ELA showed that the text in Hindi did not feature in the original image.
(Source: Website/ Screenshot)
You can read the full story here.
3. Govt Banner Thanks PM Modi for Mirabai Chanu's Olympic Win? No, It's Morphed
A viral image on social media claimed to show that a banner seen at the felicitation function for weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, after she clinched a silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the win.
However, we found that the original image from the function held on 26 July, where Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju, among others, were present, had been morphed.
You can read the full story here.
4. Man Removing Holy Thread From People's Hands Misidentified as SP Leader
A viral video claimed to show Samajwadi Party's Shiv Shankar Yadav removing kalawa (a sacred thread) from the hands of people and asking them to pledge to never visit a temple.
You can view the archived version here.
(Source: Facebook/ Screenshot)
However, we found that the man seen in the video is a social activist and retired government officer Shivshankar Ramkamal Singh who also identifies himself as 'Shudra Shivshankar Singh Yadav' as part of his campaign.
Speaking to The Quint's WebQoof team, he said that the viral claim is false and that he is not associated with any political party.
You can read the full story here.
5. Old Video of Mix-Up at Award Ceremony Shared as One From Tokyo Olympics
A video of mix-up at an award ceremony of a skating competition had been shared by several social media users with the false claim that it happened during the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: Facebook/ Screenshot)
However, we found that the video was from the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2019 held in France. The mix-up occurred when the person awarding the medals gave the gold medal to the person who came third who later placed the medal on the skater who came first.
You can read the full story here.
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