WebQoof Recap: Of Misinformation Around India-Canada Row, Rahul Gandhi & More
Here are the top five pieces of misinformation that went viral this week.
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From misinformation around India and Canada's frayed diplomatic relations to false claims around Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, here are the top five pieces of misinformation that you fell for this week.
1. Old Video Shared as Gujaratis Being Threatened by Khalistan Supporters in Canada
A video of a pro-Khalistan person supporter threatening another individual was shared on social media as one from Canada.
The former can be heard threatening the person saying that they would slap them amongst other things.
However, the video is not from Canada. The visuals are from Southall in United Kingdom and dates back to at least March of this year.
Read our fact-check here.
2. Fact-Check : Incident of PFI Supporters Attacking Army Jawan in Kerala Is Fake!
News organisations and social media users have shared posts about an alleged attack on an Indian army personnel by five to six people. It was claimed that the attacked wrote the letters PFI (Popular Front of India) on the army person's back.
Organisations such as ANI, Times Now, Republic, and NDTV among others – published reports on this incident, identifying the soldier as Shine Kumar, a native of Kadakkal in Kollam district.
News agency ANI published a report on the alleged attack.
(Source: ANI/Screenshot)
The Quint spoke to the Kollam Rural Police's Additional Superintendent of Police (Addl SP), who said that during the course of the investigation, they had found that the complaint by Kumar was "false" and that he, along with a friend, had faked the incident for "national attention."
Read our fact-check here.
3. No, 'Coolie' Badge Worn by Rahul Gandhi Did Not Carry '420' as Its Serial Number
An image showing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi wearing a railway porter's red jacket and a badge with serial number '420' written on it is going viral on social media.
This image was taken when Rahul Gandhi visited the Anand Vihar Terminal in Delhi and interacted with the porters or 'coolies.'
However, this claim is false. The viral image is digitally altered to show Rahul Gandhi wearing the 420 badge.
The original badge he wore had the number '756' written on it.
Read our fact-check here.
4. Video of Accused in Rajasthan Murder Case Viral With False Communal Claim
A video of three injured men crawling on the floor was shared on social media to claim that it shows three Muslim men from Uttar Pradesh (UP) who were beaten for allegedly killing a minor girl.
The video was shared by the Head of Social Media for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Youth Wing UP, Dr Richa Rajpoot, with the claim that it shows Arbaaz and Shahbaz who tried molesting a minor girl in Ambedkar Nagar in UP.
5. Old Video of Canadian High Commissioner Visiting Golden Temple Shared as Recent
A video showing Canadian High Commissioner Cameron Mackay giving an interview at the Golden Temple in Punjab was shared with the claim that he visited the holy place before leaving the country on the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) orders amid the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Canada.
In the clip, Mackay says, "In Canada, we love people of all faiths. All faiths are welcomed in Canada."
However, this video dates back to October 2022 and is being falsely shared as recent. It shows MacKay visiting Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Delhi.
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 webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)
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