From an incident of a man kicking a picture of Hindu Goddess Saraswati being given a false communal spin to misinformation around Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the demise of his mother, here is a recap of some of the most viral claims that we debunked this week.
1. Video of a Man Kicking Hindu Goddess’ Photo Shared With False Communal Spin
A clip of a man shouting and kicking a picture of Hindu Goddess Saraswati was shared on the internet with a claim that the man belonged to the Muslim community. Those sharing the clip also demanded the man's arrest.
The incident took place in Gujarat's Chhotaudepur district on 28 December 2022.
However, we found that the incident was being given a false communal spin. The video shows one Yogesh Rathwa, who was reportedly drunk and was seen kicking a Goddess' photo in a primary school in Gelesar Village.
Chhotaudepur Superintendent of Police (SP), Dharmendra Sharma, also confirmed to The Quint that the incident had no communal angle.
Read the full story here.
2. PM Modi's Edited Image With Tonsured Head Shared After His Mother's Demise
After the demise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother Heeraben Modi, an image showing the former with a tonsured head and clean shave was going viral to claim that he shaved off his head following the Hindu rituals.
However, Team WebQoof found that the image was altered and did not find any news or images supporting the claim.
The claim stating that PM Modi tonsured his head after his mother's demise is false.
(Photo: The Quint)
Want to know how we found out that the image is altered? Read our fact-check here.
3. No, These Are Not Old Pictures of PM Modi's Mother Heeraben
A clip claiming to show PM Modi's mother Heeraben Modi's transformation over the years went viral on social media platforms. The video carried six pictures, including one with PM Modi towards the end.
The video was being shared after the demise of Heeraben Modi on 30 December at the age of 99.
The first three pictures did not show PM's mother.
(Source: The Quint)
However, we found that the first three images in the video were not of her.
Read the full story here.
4. Fact-Check: Jane Goodall Didn't Advocate for Depopulation at a WEF Event
A clip of primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall talking about overpopulation at an event of World Economic Forum (WEF) was shared to claim that Goodall called for depopulating the world, further pushing the narrative of the WEF's "depopulation agenda".
However, we found that Goodall's comments were taken out of context in the first clip and were misrepresented in the second one.
While she did speak about overpopulation as she has for years, she did not call for depopulating or killing people.
Read our fact-check here.
5. Fact-Check: Clip Shows Recent Changes in Bank Rules? No, the Video Is Old
A clip of an anchor talking about some changes in the banking rules were shared to claim that these rules will come into effect starting 20 January.
In the video, the anchor could be heard talking about some additional charges that will be levied on self-cheques, internet banking, among other things.
However, the video could be traced back to at least January 2018. Further, we found tweets of former Finance Secretary, Rajiv Kumar, who termed the blanket removal of free services as "rumours" in 2018.
The claim stating that some changes will be brought by banks is false.
(Photo: The Quint)
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 9643651818, 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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