A video which shows stubble burning across what appears to be a field is going viral on social media platforms as recent visuals from Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ruled-Punjab.
What have users said?: An X (formerly Twitter) premium handle called '@epanchjanya' shared the clip in Hindi saying, "A large number of stubble is being burned in Punjab. This is directly affecting Delhi, and Delhi's air quality is continuously deteriorating. The Aam Aadmi Party government is in power in Punjab, and the Punjab government appears to be failing in controlling the incidents of stubble burning."
What are the facts?: The video could be traced back to November 2024 and reportedly showed stubble burning in Punjab's Moga district. This meant that the viral claim was misleading.
How did we find that out?: We noticed that the video had a watermark of news agency Asian News International (ANI).
Taking this forward, we went through its official X handle and found the same visuals posted on 1 November 2024.
It was captioned, "#WATCH | Punjab: An incident of stubble burning seen in a field in Dagru village of Moga district."
Reports on stubble burning in Punjab: As per an India Today report, the state recorded 415 farm fire incidents between 15 September and 21 October this year.
The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) data for the same period in 2024 stood at 1,510 incidents, and about 1,764 incidents were recorded in 2023.
The report mentioned that the drop comes amid a delayed paddy harvest and damage caused by the floods. While officials have pointed out that stricter field monitoring and awareness campaigns have had an impact.
Conclusion: Evidently, the video is old and is being incorrectly shared as a recent incident.
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