WebQoof Recap: Misinformation Around Namaz Row in LuLu Mall and Sonia Gandhi

From controversy of Lucknow's LuLu mall to an old video of Sonia Gandhi, here's what misled the public this week.

From arresting people from Lucknow's LuLu mall to an old video of Sonia Gandhi, here's what misled the public this week.

(Photo: The Quint/Deeksha Malhotra)

From claims around Hindus getting arrested for reading namaz at the newly opened LuLu mall in Lucknow, to an old video being shared in connection with Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioning interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Here's our weekly dose of false claims that you might have encountered.

1. Fact-Check: Has Lucknow Police Arrested Hindus for Offering Namaz at LuLu Mall?

The Lucknow Police, on Friday, 15 July, issued a press note wherein they mentioned that four people had been arrested for trying to disrupt religious harmony in LuLu Mall in the city.

This press note was shared all over social media to claim that the people involved in offering namaz at LuLu Mall on 12 July were in fact Hindus posing as Muslims.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

On 18 July, the Lucknow Police issued another press note on Twitter clarifying that the arrests made on 15 July were in a separate incident and that the Hindu men were arrested for reciting Hanuman Chalisa on the mall premises without permission.

As per the last update available, Lucknow Police arrested four people for offering namaz on 12 July. The people who were arrested, were identified as Mohammed Rehan, Aatif Khan, Mohammed Lokman, and Mohammed Noman, all of whom were residents of Lucknow.

You can read the story here.

2. Zee News Airs Sonia Gandhi's Old Remark on Being Indira Gandhi's Kin as Recent

A video, showing interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi saying that she is former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's daughter-in-law and is not afraid of anyone, is being shared with a claim that Gandhi made the statement before entering the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in connection with the National Herald money laundering case.

Zee News was among those who aired the clip. Interestingly, Zee News published a report in English identifying the video as old.

This video dates back to 2015.

(Source: The Quint)

However, this is an old video, and Gandhi had made this remark outside the Parliament in 2015 over the charges against her in the National Herald case.

You can read the story here.

3. This Image Shows BJP MPs at Party Meet in Delhi, Not 'Partying in Goa'

Telangana Rashtra Samithi's (TRS) social media convener Y Sathish Reddy shared a photograph showing a group of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders to take a dig at the party.

The photo shows Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, Begusarai MP Giriraj Singh, and Lok Sabha MP SS Ahluwalia, among others, seated together.

Reddy claimed that the party's leaders were "partying in Goa and chilling out with their friends," while TRS leaders were working to help people affected by floods in Telangana.

The photo shows BJP leaders at the party's parliamentary meet held in Delhi on 16 July 2022.

(Source: The Quint)

However, the claim is false. The photograph shows BJP leaders at a parliamentary party meeting held in Delhi on 16 July.

Moreover, state BJP leaders such as MPs Arvind Dharmapuri and Bandi Sanjay Kumar also visited the flood-affected areas while other party members distributed relief materials aid.

You can read the story here.

4. Fact-Check: No, Rishi Sunak Has Not Been Named UK’s New Prime Minister

Several social media users are congratulating Britain's Conservative MP Rishi Sunak for being named the new prime minister of the country, after incumbent PM Boris Johnson announced his resignation on 7 July 2022.

The viral claim congratulates Indian-origin Sunak, who is leading the race to become Britain's next prime minister.

The new British Prime Minister will be selected on 5 September 2022.

(Source: The Quint)

However, the viral claim is incorrect. Though Sunak is the top contender for the post, and has won first two rounds of voting within the Conservative Party, the former chancellor has not been named the new prime minister.

The results of several rounds on voting to elect a new PM from within the party are scheduled to be announced on 5 September 2022.

You can read the story here.

5. India Today, Times Now, News18 Air Old Clip From AP as 'Rescue Op in Telangana'

A video, showing a helicopter rescuing people from a JCB tractor stuck in middle of a flooded area, is being shared by Times Now, India Today, Zee News English and CNN-News18 as a recent visual of a rescue operation in Telangana's Mancherial district.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an advisory of flash flood risk in Telangana from 10 July. Following which, heavy rainfall warning, the police had advised people to avoid non-essential travel.

An archived post can be seen here.

(Source: Times Now/Screenshot)

However, the video dates back to November 2021 when a Mi-17 chopper of the Indian Air Force (IAF) rescued ten people stuck in the flood water in Andhra Pradesh.

You can 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 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.)