WebQoof Recap: Of Misinformation Around Sitaram Yechury, PM Modi, Manipur & More

WebQoof Recap: Here are the top five pieces of misinformation we fact-checked this week!

(Photo: The Quint)

From pieces of misinformation related to Manipur and Bangladesh to claims made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, here are the top five pieces of misinformation we fact-checked this week.

1. Was CPI(M) Leader Sitaram Yechury a Christian? No, Viral Claim Is False

An image showing people paying their respects to late Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury is going viral on the internet to claim that the late leader was actually a Christian.

An X (formerly Twitter) premium user shared the image with a caption that said, "Name: Sitaram Yechuri. Religion: Christian. Imagine how many people he had fooled with his Hindu name while being a rice bag all along."

But this is not true.

While Yechury was born into a Telugu speaking Brahmin family, he had clarified on multiple occasions that he was an atheist.

• Yechury's family has donated his body to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for medical research, because of which it was embalmed.

You can read our fact-check here.

2. PM Modi Repeats False Claim About Lord Ganesh Idol Being ‘Arrested’ in Karnataka

Speaking at a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally in poll-bound Haryana on 14 September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Congress-led government in Karnataka had put the idol of Hindu deity Ganesh "behind bars."

He later repeated the claim while announcing the inauguration of developmental projects in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on 18 September.

An archive of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

However, this claim is false.

• Hindu organisations had organised a protest against the Nagamangala Ganesh procession's stone-pelting incident at the Town Hall in Bengaluru.

• According to the police, the order of the High Court was disregarded by people in this matter and hence, the protesters were detained.

• The idol, which was being transported by the protesters, had been kept in the police's vehicle to keep it separate from the protesters, and had not been "arrested" as claimed.

• Later, the officials immersed the Ganesh idol as per Hindu rituals.

You can read our fact-check here.

3. Fact-Check: Video Does Not Show a Market in Afghanistan Where Women Are Sold!

A video showing a market where several women wearing Afghani burqas is being shared on social media platforms.

Those sharing wrote that it showed a market where women are sold in Afghanistan.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: X/Screenshot) 

However, this claim is false.

• A war and conflict journalist named Afshin Ismaeli confirmed to The Quint that the video was from a regular market near the Faryab province of Afghanistan. It dates back to 2023 and shows a women's market where they can buy and sell things.

• You can read our fact-check here.

4. Does This Video Show Women Being Beaten for Not Wearing Burqa in Bangladesh? No!

A video of a man physically assaulting several women with sticks is going viral to claim that the visuals are from Bangladesh and show women being beaten for not wearing burqa.

Those sharing the video have uploaded it with a caption that said, "This is New Bangladesh. Women beaten on road for not wearing Burqa."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

But the claim is misleading.

While the incident is from Bangladesh, the video shows a man named 'HM Russel Sultan' beating sex workers in Dhaka.

You can read our fact-check here.

5. Fact-Check: Old, Unrelated Video Falsely Linked to Violence in Manipur’s Moirang

A video showing an explosive device is being shared on social media, where users are sharing it as one of a rocket-propelled projectile, being used in Manipur.

This comes against the backdrop of a rocket attack on 7 September, which killed one person and injured several others in Moirang, Manipur.

An archive of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

But this is not true.

This video has been on the internet since 2018 and is not related to the ongoing conflict in Manipur.

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 9540511818 , 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.)