WebQoof Recap: Of Yogi’s Expletive and 2021 Assembly Elections
Here’s a round-up of all that misled the public this week.
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From claims around Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s video abusing ANI cameraperson to edited image being used to claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi waved at an empty ground in West Bengal, here’s a round-up of all that misled the public this week.
1. No, Yogi Adityanath’s Video of Abusing Cameraperson Is Not Fake!
A video of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, in which he can be seen abusing an ANI cameraperson, has gone viral on social media with a false claim that the video is edited. The video was shot minutes after Adityanath received his COVID vaccine on Monday, 5 April.
The video, along with a fresh footage, in which the chief minister can be seen thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and scientists, was then shared on Twitter by many.
However, the video, which was first tweeted by ANI and later retracted, was neither fake nor edited. The same footage was aired by a few TV channels. However, those clips, barring a few, have also been taken down.
You can read our full story here.
2. PM Modi Waving At Empty Ground in West Bengal? No, Video Is Edited
A blurred video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi waving at what seems to be an empty field, after getting off from a helicopter in West Bengal, has gone viral on the internet with misleading claims.
The viral clip comes while elections are being held in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
However, we found the original high-resolution video, posted on The Bharatiya Janata Party's official Facebook page, where a crowd can be seen across the fencing of the field.
You can read our full story here.
3. Dear Himanta, Assam Is Not ‘COVID-Free’; People Need to Wear Masks
Even as all of India continues to witness an unrelenting surge of coronavirus cases, Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday, 3 April, claimed that the people of Assam need not wear masks to protect themselves from the life-threatening virus because...“there is no COVID-19 in the state.”
Speaking to news website The Lallantop, Sarma said that the “Centre can instruct us, but in the context of Assam, there is no COVID these days.”
However, data provided by both the central and the state governments refutes Sarma’s claim. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), as on Monday, 5 April, Assam has a total of 1,964 active COVID cases and the state government’s dashboard – updated at 1:07 pm on 5 April – shows 515 active cases in the state.
You can read our full story here.
4. No, Mamata Didn’t Say She’ll Make Hindus Cry if She Got 42 Seats
The photograph of a newspaper clipping of a Bengali daily Bartaman, carrying a purported “anti-Hindu” quote of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has gone viral on social media.
5. Clipping Edited to Claim BJP Leader Held For Bijapur Naxal Attack
A newspaper clipping of Hindi daily, NavaBharat has been edited to falsely claim that a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was arrested in connection to the recent Naxal attack in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh.
We found that the news – mentioned in the viral clip – pertains to the arrest of BJP leader Jagat Pujari and his aide, and is from June 2020.
You can read our full story here.
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