From false claims around the ongoing farmers' protest to an unrelated video being falsely linked to the recent violence that broke out in Uttarakhand's Haldwani, here are some of the most viral pieces of misinformation from this week.
1. AI-Generated Image Passed off as Real Tractors Being Used in Farmers’ Protest
A picture of highly modified tractors went viral on social media with a claim that it showed vehicles being used by farmers in the ongoing protest around Delhi.
While we found several news reports indicating that modified tractors were being used during the protests, this specific image was generated using the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.
Watch our video below for more details.
Read our full story here.
2. Fact-Check: Video of Tractor Running Over Police During Farmers’ Protest Is Old
A video which showed a police personnel getting stuck under a tractor's wheels during a rally by protesting farmers was circulated as recent visuals from the ongoing farmers' protest.
An archive of this post can be seen here.
(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)
However, the video dated back to August 2023 when farmers in Longowal in Punjab's Sangrur district were protesting for compensation for lost harvest.
Read our fact-check here.
3. AI-Generated Images Passed off as Visuals of Mummies of Giant Egyptian Pharaohs
A set of three images was being shared on the internet to claim that it showed giant mummified pharaohs that were discovered in 1920s.
People sharing the images said that these mummies were found by Howard Carter in a tomb excavation in Egypt.
However, we found that these images were AI generated. Team WebQoof found several discrepancies in the images, which can be seen in our video below.
Read our full story here.
4. Video of a Cop Heckled By Mob in MP's Damoh Falsely Shared as One From Haldwani
After violence erupted in Uttarakhand's Haldwani, a video of a police personnel addressing a mob aggressively went viral on social media with a claim that the visuals are from the recent violence.
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
However, the incident took place in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh.
Speaking to Team WebQoof, Damoh SP's office confirmed that the fight took place between a tailor from the Muslim community and a group of men belonging to the Hindu community.
The police had to intervene when the clash escalated into a big fight.
Read our fact-check here.
5. Will You Get ₹5 for Returning Plastic Bottles in Ayodhya? Claim is Misleading!
An image of a plastic bottle with a sticker, which carried a QR code, went viral on the internet with a claim that people would receive Rs 5 for returning empty plastic bottles in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya.
An archive of this post can be seen here.
(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)
However, the claim was misleading.
The sticker on the bottle is actually for a Deposit Refund System (DRS) by an organisation called The Kabadiwala that involves the buyer paying a refundable deposit, which can be collected once the item is returned.
So in this case, if the bottle was priced at Rs 10, the buyer has to pay Rs 15 and then would be eligible to get the deposited amount of Rs 5 after returning the empty bottle.
Read our 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 9540511818 , 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.)
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