WebQoof Recap: Of 'Boycott Bollywood' Trends & Communal Claims

Here's a recap of all the misinformation that went viral on social media this week.

Here's your weekly round-up of this week's misinformation.

(Photo: The Quint/ Deeksha Malhotra)

From claims around Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan changing his movie title to 'Jawan' from 'Pathaan', fearing the boycott trend to an old video from Srinagar surfacing online as a celebration by Indians after Pakistan won against India in Asia Cup 2022, here's a round up of all the claims that misled the people this week.

1. Incident of Mysuru Woman Apoorva's Murder Viral With False Communal Spin

An incident of the murder of a 21-year-old engineering student, Apoorva Shetty, in Karnataka's Mysuru is being widely shared not just on social media but also in news outlets with a communal claim that identifies her murderer as one 'Ashik.'

Photos of the two are being shared, referring to the incident as 'love jihad' – a term popularised by the right-wing – warning Hindu girls to stay away from boys belonging to the Muslim community.

The accused has been identified as Ashish, who belongs to the Hindu community.

(Photo: The Quint)

However, the man has been misidentified. While the photos and the incident are accurate, the accused has been identified as one Ashish. Mysuru Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Pradeep Gunti and the girl's father, Ravish Shetty, confirmed to The Quint that there was no communal angle to the brutal murder.

You can read our fact-check here.

2. No, Shah Rukh Khan Hasn't Changed His Film's Name From 'Pathaan' to 'Jawan'

Amid the recent boycott Bollywood trend, which has seen people criticising the mainstream film industry and vowing to boycott their films, a message is being circulated on social media with a claim that Shah Rukh Khan has changed the name of his film Pathaan to Jawan, fearing negative responses and outrage.

These 'boycott calls' have led to the poor domestic box office performance of films like Laal Singh Chaddha and Dobaaraa. Now, users have started calling for the boycott of Pathaan.

However, we found the claim was false as no official confirmation has yet been reported on changing the film's name. Pathaan and Jawan are two different films where Khan will be seen in the lead role. Both films will be released in 2023 on different dates.

You can read our fact-check here.

3. Old Video From Srinagar Resurfaces After Pakistan's Recent Win in 2022 Asia Cup

A video showing people bursting firecrackers and celebrating is going viral on social media with the claim that the scene of jubilation is from Srinagar in Kashmir, after Pakistan won against India in the Asia Cup 2022.

Sudarshan News, a right-wing channel which is notorious for spreading communal hatred and disinformation, also shared the video and suggested that it was from Srinagar. However, the tweet was later deleted.

On 4 September, Pakistan beat India by five wickets in their first Super Four match of Asia Cup 2022.

The claim suggests that the video shows people in Srinagar celebrating Pakistan's recent win against India.

(Photo: The Quint)

However, we found that although the video is from Srinagar, it is not recent. We could trace it back to at least 2020. Further, the Srinagar Police also took to Twitter to clarify that the video is old and no such incident has happened.

You can read our fact-check here.

4. Fact-Check: Are Children in UP Provided This Food Under the Mid-Day Meal Scheme?

A few photographs from a government school in Uttar Pradesh are viral on social media with a claim that the students are being served healthy, good quality, nutritious food under the government's mid-day meal scheme, which is a national programme – launched in 1995 – aimed at improving the nutritional status of children.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) member Sadhvi Prachi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker Arun Yadav, and Fatehpur Sikri Lok Sabha member of the Parliament Rajkumar Chahar were among the ones who amplified this claim, taking a veiled dig at the Delhi government's education model.

However, we found that while the pictures are from Malakpura village in Uttar Pradesh's Jalaun district, the food shown in them is not a part of the regular mid-day meal scheme.

You can read our fact-check here.

5. Did Shivraj Chouhan Insult His Teacher During Speech? No, It’s a Clipped Video

A video of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is being shared with the claim that he insulted his teacher in front of others while addressing a crowd.

In the video, Chouhan can be heard saying, "As I mentioned before, I studied in a government school in Jait and even in Bhopal, I was in a government school. Our teacher Shridhe Ratan Chand Jain, is still among us. I used to go and all of us used to keep our feet on his head."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

However, we found the video is clipped. While Chouhan did say the same sentence, a longer video shows that he instantly corrected himself after a pause and said, "To take our teacher’s blessings, we always used to keep our heads on his feet."

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 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)