From fake claims around Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to media misreporting on several issues, here are the top-five pieces of misinformation that went viral on social media platforms this week.
1. Have AAP Leaders Atishi & Saurabh Bharadwaj Unfollowed Arvind Kejriwal on X? No!
A claim went viral on social media platforms stating that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj have unfollowed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on X (formerly Twitter).
However, when we checked Atishi and Bharadwaj's 'following lists', we found that both of them were indeed following the chief minister on the said platform.
Want to know how we found out? Watch our video below for more details.
You can read our fact-check here.
2. Clipped Video of Vaiko Shared By BJP & Congress To Build Misleading Narratives
When an interview of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) chief Vaiyapuri Gopalsamy, popularly known as Vaiko, went viral, several politicians and news outlets picked clipped versions of the video to spread narratives.
News agency ANI shared a 10 seconds-long video, where Vaiko could be heard saying, "Congress betrayed Tamil Nadu on every front at the time." This video was later reposted by Union Minister Piyush Goyal,.
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
Well, this is not where it ended. Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate shared the latter half of the video, where Vaiko criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He could be heard saying, "These 10 years were a testing time for Narendra Modi. He is a traitor. He betrayed Tamil Nadu, he betrayed India, he betrayed Sri Lanka...Narendra Modi."
An archive can be seen here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
The problem with these clips is that Vaiko's statements have been clipped and were shared by leaders to spread narratives that suited them. However, the full version of the video showed Vaiko criticising both Congress and PM Modi.
You can read our full story here.
3. Fact-Check: Clipped Videos of Rahul Gandhi Shared With Misleading Context
Two videos of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's speeches went viral on the internet with several social media users taking a dig at the leader.
The first video showed Gandhi saying, "Thali bajao, thali bajao, thali bajao… Mobile phone ki light on karo, light on karo." [Translation: Bang the plate, bang the plate, bang the plate… turn on the light of the mobile phone, turn on the light.]
In the second video, Gandhi could be heard mentioning, "Remote control is pressed from behind."
Team WebQoof found that both these clips were clipped and lacked proper context. Watch our video below to know more details.
You can read our fact-check here.
4. Media Organisations Share Old Video of Fans Criticising Virat Kohli as Recent
Following Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)'s defeat in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match, social media users shared a video which showed fans criticising the team and former Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli.
News organisations, such as Free Press Journal and ABP News, shared reports claiming that the video was recent as well.
An archive of the report can be found here.
(Source: FPJ/Screenshot)
However, the said video was recorded after RCB's defeat in an IPL match in April 2023. This made the claim misleading as those sharing the video did not provide the context of it being an old incident.
You can read our full story here.
5. This Video of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ‘Singing in Jail’ Is AI-Generated!
A video showing several images of Kejriwal, which was paired with the audio of a Hindi song, went viral with users claiming that they showed the chief minister playing music in jail.
Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Uttar Pradesh Youth Wing's social media head, Richa Rajpoot, and BJP Delhi worker Brijesh Rai shared this video.
An archive of the post can be found here.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
We found that all the visuals as well as the audio heard in the viral video were generated using the help of AI tools.
You can read our fact-check 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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