WebQoof Recap: Misinformation Around Delhi Govt Ad, India-China Face-Off

From misinformation around Delhi govt's ad to killings of civilians in J&K, here's all that misled the public.

From an altered screenshot featuring Arvind Kejriwal and appealing residents to donate coal to the Delhi government, to users linking a still from a film to the recent face-off between the Indian and Chinese armies in Arunachal Pradesh.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/ The Quint)

From an altered screenshot carrying an advertisement featuring Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and appealing residents to donate coal to the Delhi government, to social media users linking a still from a film to the recent face-off between the Indian and Chinese armies in Arunachal Pradesh, here's what misled the public this week.

1. ‘Donate Coal’: Altered Ad Amid Shortage Shared Mocking Delhi Govt

A screenshot of Hindi daily Hindustan carrying an advertisement appealing Delhi residents to donate coal to the Delhi government, and featuring Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is being shared by social media users.

This comes in the backdrop of Kejriwal's warning of a power blackout due to shortage of coal supply in the national capital.

An archive of the tweet can be found here. 

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

After looking at the image closely, we noticed that it was from the Bihar edition of 9 July. On comparing the original version of the said edition of 'Live Hindustan' with the viral image, we found that the text had been altered in the latter.

Altered image (L), the 9 July advertisement in Hindustan, Bihar edition e-paper screenshot (R).

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

You can read our fact-check here.

2. Pic Doesn’t Show Face-off Between India & China in Arunachal, It’s a Movie!

A photo purportedly showing an Indian Army personnel overpowering another man and holding him is being shared with a claim that the army held more than 150 Chinese soldiers hostage in Arunachal Pradesh.

This comes against the backdrop of the recent face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh where the Chinese forces transgressed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and entered the Indian territory.

However, we found that the photograph being shared is a still from a film titled L.A.C, which was filmed in 2020. The film is based on a face-off that happened between the Indian and Chinese army personnel in Galwan Valley, Ladakh in 2020.

You can read our fact-check here.

3. Video of a Fire in Srinagar Shared as Temple Burnt Down in Shopian

The video showing smokes rising from some structures that are on fire has been shared by several people on social media with a claim that the footage shows a temple being burnt in Zainpora town in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The claim comes in the backdrop of recent killings of seven civilians in the Union territory.

However, we found that the footage shows a fire that broke out in a residential area of Parimpora, which is in the outskirts of Srinagar district of J&K.

Several news reports documented the blaze that engulfed more than 40 homes on 7 October, but none of them mentioned there being a temple. We also spoke with Sanjay Tickoo, president of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangaresh Samithi (KPSS), who dismissed the claims made in the video.

You can read our fact-check here.

4. Edited Panel Discussion Shared to Claim Dr Fauci Plotted To 'Release New Virus'

A montage of statements made during a panel discussion attended by United States (US) infectious disease doctor Anthony Fauci and Health and Human Services (HHS) officials on 'Universal Flu Vaccine' has been shared by Senior Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan, among others, with a claim that it shows proof that COVID-19 was "planned" to "enforce a vaccine mandate".

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Photo: Twitter/Screenshot)

However, we went through the interaction and the transcript available on C-SPAN and didn't find any evidence to prove that a new influenza virus was being created nor did the panellists discuss vaccine mandates.

Fauci and others were talking about creating a “universal flu vaccine” that could possibly be effective against the different strains of the influenza virus.

You can read our fact-check here.

5. BJP MP Alters Hymn to Remove Reference to 'Allah'? No, the Video is Clipped

A video of Lok Sabha MP and sufi singer Hans Raj Hans singing 'Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram' hymn on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti is being shared to claim that the line 'Ishwar Allah tero naam' (God and Allah are all your names) has been "removed" from it.

You can view the archived version here.

(Photo: Twitter/ Screenshot)

However, we found that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader can be heard singing the aforementioned line in the longer version of the video available on DD News.

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.)