WebQoof Recap: Of Misinformation Around Loudspeaker Row And More
From misinformation around Jahangirpuri clashes to West Bengal's old protests – all that misled people this week.
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From misinformation around the loudspeaker row to the demolition drive in Rajasthan, here's what misled people this week.
1. Alwar Temple Demolished To Avenge Jahangirpuri? No, News18's Claim is Wrong
In a news bulletin aired on 22 April, News18 India's editor and anchor Aman Chopra said that a 300-year-old temple was razed in Rajasthan’s Alwar district to avenge the demolition of a mosque's gate in Delhi's Jahangirpuri.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) had recently conducted an alleged anti-encroachment drive in Jahangirpuri. This was after violence broke out in the area during a religious procession.
The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) had recently conducted an alleged anti-encroachment drive in Delhi's Jahangirpuri, wherein several shops were razed and the gate of a mosque in the area was demolished. This was after violence broke out in the area during a religious procession.
You can read our fact-check here.
2. Fact-Check: Video From Anti-CAA Protest in West Bengal Shared With a False Claim
Two videos showing a mob vandalising a railway station in West Bengal is being shared on social media with a claim that the group went violent because a 'train horn disturbed their prayers'.
However, we found out that both the videos date back to 2019's anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protest and are from the Naopara Mahishasura railway station in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
You can read our fact-check here.
3. UP Mosque Didn't Put a Banner After Agra Cops Booked People For Praying on Road
A photograph of two people holding up a banner, with text in Hindi that requests people to not offer namaz on the road outside a mosque is doing the rounds on social media.
The photograph is being shared to claim that a mosque in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh put up the banner on its premises after a FIR was registered against 150 people in Agra, for offering prayers on the road without prior permission.
However, the photo is from 2019, when a mosque in Meerut put up the banner after devotees had gathered outside its premises to offer Friday prayers. As per reports, the act had blocked roads and obstructed traffic, after which the banner was put up.
You can read our fact-check here.
4. Old Video of People Reciting Azan on Road Linked To Loudspeaker Ban
A video showing a group of men loudly reciting the azan (Islamic call to prayer) is being shared on social media, with text that insinuates that it shows people from the Muslim community taking to the streets to do so, in retaliation to the recent loudspeaker ban in parts of the country.
In Maharashtra, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray demanded that loudspeakers be removed from mosques in the state while speaking at a press conference on 17 April.
An archive of this tweet can be viewed here.
However, we were able to trace the video back to 2020, showing that it predates the recent ban, which was announced in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, as well as Rajasthan's Ajmer.
You can read our fact-check here.
5. 2019 Video From Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad Falsely Linked to Jahangirpuri Clashes
A 2-min-15-second video which shows a group of people pelting stones with police personnel standing as mere onlookers, followed by some cops firing, is being shared on social media with the claim that it is linked to the recent clashes that erupted in Jahangirpuri area of Delhi on 16 April.
An archive of the tweet can be seen here.
(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)
However, we found that the video is from 2019. According to a report by The Times of India (ToI), the video was from Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad district during anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest on 20 December 2019.
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 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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