From false claims about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi around Bihar elections to fake news about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi being detained on drug charges and AI-manipulated visuals viral with false claims, here are the top five pieces of fake news that we fact-checked this week.
1. Is This Video of Nitish Kumar Saying Modi Should Be Made CM Again Recent? No!
A video of a classroom, where burqa-clad women can be seen sitting on one side and young men on the other side with a wall in between, is going viral on the internet as one from Kerala.
Those sharing the video wrote, "This is Kerala, 100% literacy state, but no one wants to talk about this injustice, including secular Hindus."
However, the claim is false. The viral video depicts students learning at an institution in Nanded, Maharashtra.
Read the story here.
2. Does This Video Show Drunk Man Petting Tiger in MP’s Pench? A Fact-Check
A clip showing a man stroking a tiger on the street and giving the wild animal a bottle to drink from is circulating on social media as a recent event from the Pench region of Madhya Pradesh.
Those sharing the video noted that it showed one Raju Patel, a 52-year-old worker, who was intoxicated and spotted caressing a wildcat. It additionally stated that the man was unharmed following the incident
However, the claim is false. Several Artificial Intelligence (AI) detection tools indicated that the viral video was produced by AI.
Moreover, Rajneesh Singh, the deputy director of Pench Tiger Reserve, refuted the video as fake and informed a media source that it was not located on a road inside the reserve.
Read the story here.
3. AI-Manipulated Clip Viral as Amit Shah Terming Indian Army as ‘Army of Hindutva'
No, the claim is false as it is manipulated using artitificial intelligence (AI). We found no records or press reports which noted that Shah made such a statement about the army.
Read the story here.
4. Did Pakistan Declare Salman Khan a “Terrorist” Following His Recent Remarks? No!
A video of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, along with a notification purportedly issued by the Government of Balochistan's Home Department, is going viral claiming that he has recently been declared a "terrorist".
However, the viral notification is fake. As of 31 October, Team WebQoof has not found any evidence to support the claim that Pakistan has indeed Khan as a "terrorist".
Read the story here.
5. Does This Video Show Rahul Gandhi After Being Detained on Drug Charges? No!
Social media users have shared an old video showing Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and actor Amitabh Bachchan at an airport.
Users claimed that it shows an old video where Bachchan had to go bring Rahul Gandhi back from the USA after he was caught in a “drugs case,” but was released on the then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s demand.
The video dates back to 1991 and shows Rahul Gandhi and Amitabh Bachchan arriving in India together after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.
Read the 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.)