From misinformation around Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to an edited picture of fugitive Amritpal Singh being shared with a false claim, here are the top five pieces of misinformation that went viral this week.
1. Fact-Check: This Image of Amritpal Singh Standing In Front of a Mosque is Edited
Amid the hunt for fugitive and Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh Sandhu by Punjab police, an old picture of Singh in front of what appears like a mosque was being widely shared.
Social media users claimed that Singh is not a Sikh but a "Pakistani agent', insinuating that he belonged to the Muslim community.
An archive of the post can be seen here.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
However, we found that the claim was misleading as the picture was digitally altered to put Singh in front of a mosque. The original picture could be seen on his LinkedIn profile.
Read our full story here.
2. No, This Video Doesn’t Show Yogi Adityanath Being ‘Pushed Out Of Bageshwar Dham'
A video was being shared with users claiming that it showed several police personnel pushing UP CM Yogi Adityanath out of the Bageshwar Dham temple in Madhya Pradesh.
However, we found that it showed one Dilip Jain - a Yogi Adityanath lookalike - getting into a verbal altercation with policemen during an event related to Union Minister of Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh.
Watch our fact-check below.
3. Congress Accounts Share Photo to Falsely Claim That BJP Gave Owaisi an Award
Several accounts associated with the Congress party shared a picture of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi holding an award standing with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murli Manohar Joshi.
They shared the picture with a claim that Joshi was seen felicitating Owaisi. The posts also took a dig at the BJP asking "what is this relationship called?."
However, we found the claim was false. It showed Owaisi receiving the 'Best Parliamentarian 2022' award from former President Ram Nath Kovind. The event was organised by Lokmat.
Watch the full story below.
4. Old Video From Syria Shared as Turkey Killing Contractors After Earthquake
A distressing video, which showed several people being pushed into a pit and being executed by armed men, was being shared on the internet.
People on social media claimed that it showed Turkish soldiers killing contractors in the country for building poor-quality buildings that aggravated the impact of the earthquakes.
It should be noted that a report said Turkish justice officials had detained building contractors for "shoddy and illegal construction methods."
We have refrained from adding any archive links due to the distressing nature of the visuals.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
We found that the video dates back to 2013 and shows Syrian military personnel committing a massacre. Annsar Shahhoud and Uğur Ümit Üngör first reported on the video in New Lines Magazine in 2022.
Read our fact-check here.
5. Video of People Thrashing a Man in Gujarat Shared With Communal Spin
A video of several people brutally thrashing a man with sticks and belts was being widely shared on the internet to claim that it showed a group of Hindu men beating a Christian man.
But the claim was false. The video dated back to December 2022 and showed several people beating a man named Alpesh Parmar in Gujarat's Vadodara. The accused alleged he was thrashed because he belonged to a lower caste.
The video was being shared with a false communal spin.
(Source: The Quint)
Read our full story here.
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