WebQoof Recap: Factual Errors in ‘Delhi Riots 2020’ Book & More

Here’s a quick round-up of all that misled the public this week.

(Photo: The Quint)

From factual inaccuracies in Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story to claims about the Supreme Court changing its motto from ‘Satyamev Jayate’ to ‘Yato Dharma Tato Jaya’, here’s a quick round-up of all that misled the public this week.

1. Factual Errors in ‘Delhi Riots 2020’ Book Fuel Conspiracy Theories

A book, authored by Monika Arora, Sonali Chitalkar and Prerna Malhotra, on the violence that gripped the national capital in February claims to be a “serious document of intense research” which needs to be “seriously studied by the Government of India”.

The book ran into trouble when its initial publisher Bloomsbury pulled the plug on it, as a massive debate on its veracity erupted online. We at The Quint have accessed and scanned the Bloomsbury draft of the book and found that far from being based on a “fact-finding mission” it is replete with factual errors, unsubstantiated claims, and conspiracy theories.

The first major error comes barely 200 words into the book. Former IPS officer PC Dogra, in his foreword, relies on a falsely attributed quote of Jawaharlal Nehru to say that he called himself ‘Muslim by culture and Hindu only by accident of birth’.

You can read the story here.

2. Supreme Court of India Changed Its Motto? No, Viral Claim is False

Several users on social media have claimed that the Supreme Court has changed its motto from ‘Satyamev Jayate’ to ‘Yato Dharma Tato Jaya’ as can be seen in the collegium's statement released on 17 August regarding the elevation of six advocates to judges of the Delhi High Court.

Screenshot of the SC’s statement.(Source: Twitter)

However, the SC's logo has always included the motto ‘Yato Dharma Tato Jaya’, while that of the Government of India and High Courts reads ‘Satyamev Jayate’. It hasn't been changed recently.

You can read the story here.

3. Hyd Family Dispute Over Ganesh Idol Shared With Fake Communal Spin

A video of a group of men fighting with each other seemingly over a Ganesh idol that can be seen in their vicinity is going viral with the false claim that Muslims fought with Hindus over the idol in Hyderabad.

However, we found that while the brawl happened, it had no communal angle and took place between members of the same family.

You can read the story here.

4. MP Govt’s Old Ad Against Wearing Masks Revived Out of Context

A public health advisory issued by the Madhya Pradesh government and the National Health Mission in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was in its early stages, is now being revived without the context that its advice against wearing masks was before the guidance was changed by health bodies.

(Source: Video screenshot)

At the beginning of the pandemic, several health bodies across the world had a similar take on wearing masks, saying that only those who were sick or taking care of a sick person were required to wear masks.

The advice was also coming in light of a sudden shortage of masks as people rushed to buy them when COVID-19 hit.

You can read the story here.

5. Mojo’s Video of Cop Beating Boy is 8 Months Old? No, Fake Claim!

Many on social media are claiming that a video of a policeman on a road beating a boy with a stick is eight months old and that the boy is a chain snatcher and had attacked the cops as well. They are reacting to a video of the incident which was uploaded by media outlet Mojo.

An archived version of this post can be seen here.(Photo: Screenshot/Twitter)

However, in a press release, Delhi Police has said that the incident is from the intervening night of 22-23 August. They have also lodged an enquiry into the conduct of the policeman seen in the video.

(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.)