In the week leading up to the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, we came across several kinds of misinformation targeting political parties and contesting candidates.
We also saw a rise in AI-generated content related to the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, which was used to spread misinformation.
Here's a look at the most viral misinformation we debunked this week.
1. BJP Delhi Shares Altered Video of Saurabh Bharadwaj to Claim Siri 'Backfired'
Social media users, including the official account of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for Delhi have shared a video of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj.
What does the video show?: The clip allegedly shows Bhardwaj asking Apple’s digital voice assistant Siri, about who said 'don't vote for me if I don't clean up Yamuna River'.
In the video, Siri's reply can be heard saying, "The term ‘we'll clean up the Yamuna river in the next five years' was used by Kejriwal in 2015. (sic)”
This claim comes against the backdrop of the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, which are set to take place on 5 February.
However, this is an altered video. The original clip shows Bharadwaj asking Siri a question about the word 'guarantee' and not the Yamuna river.
You can read our full fact-check here.
2. Fact-Check: Video From China Falsely Viral as Haridwar-Karnaprayag Railway Line
A video of a train travelling along a river, through tunnels in a mountainous landscape has gone viral on social media with the claim that it shows the train journey from Haridwar to Karnaprayag in Uttarakhand, India.
Is it true?: No, the claim is false.
The footage is from China's Cili County in the Hunan Province and not Haridwar-Karnaprayag train route.
Read our fact-check here.
3. False Claim That Jaishankar Was Asked To Leave During Donald Trump's Swearing-in
Social media users shared a clip, claiming that it shows External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar being requested to leave during the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected president of the United States of America, Donald Trump.
However, the claim is false.
A longer version of the video of the ceremony shows that Jaishankar was not asked to leave or even disturbed amid the ceremony.
Read our fact-check here.
4. No, This Clip Does Not Show 154-Year-Old Himalayan Saint at Maha Kumbh Mela 2025
A video showing an elderly man offering prayers has gone viral on social media, where users have claimed that it shows a 154-year-old saint who resides in the Himalayas, who travelled to attend the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela.
Is the claim true?: No, the viral claim is false. The video shows Madhya Pradesh's Sant Siyaram Baba, who passed away aged 94 in December 2024.
Read our fact-check here.
5. AI Apps Advertise ‘Nudification’ on Meta Platforms Amid Rising Sextortion Cases
Amid rising cases of girls and women being blackmailed and threatened over explicit AI-generated images bearing their likeness, we came across several advertisements for AI-based apps which promote features like making two people virtually kiss and 'removing anything' from photographs.
Ads for the latter were advertised showing people 'erasing' clothes from a female model's body, and gathered over 64, 000 views on one such advertisement.
(Swipe).
The ads for these apps evaded Meta's Community and Advertisement Standards, reaching people across the globe and targeted all age groups.
Ease in creating this kind of content gave way to dedicated social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook, which exclusively post AI-generated or modified content, which is facilitated by apps of this nature.
These pages share fabricated visuals of Bollywood actors and public figures sharing intimate moments and amass a large following on social media.
Read more on the problems these apps create and how the issue could be addressed, 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.)