WebQoof Recap: Of Misinformation Around Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Dutt & More

WebQoof Recap: Here are some of the pieces of misinformation that went viral this week.

(Photo: The Quint)

From old visuals of actor Sanjay Dutt going viral to claim that he is "threatening" gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to misleading claims being linked to former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, here are some of the pieces of misinformation that went viral this week.

1. Indian & Chinese Soldiers Didn't Chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ After Disengagement News

A short clip showing Indian and Chinese armed forces standing together, with the former prompting the latter to chant “Jai Shri Ram” is going viral on social media.

The claim: The video is being shared amid the recent disengagement agreement between the two countries along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.

• Those sharing it have claimed that the Indian Army made its Chinese counterpart raise the slogan before disengaging.

An archive of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

However, this video is not recent, as claimed.

• It has been on the internet since January 2024, when it was shared as a clip on Indian Army personnel chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ after the idol of Hindu deity Ram was consecrated at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir.

You can read our fact-check here.

2. Fact-Check: No, Rahul Gandhi Did Not Say Congress Will 'Remove Reservations'

A video showing Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole talking about a statement purportedly made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and asking what is wrong with the statement, is being widely shared on social media.

The video: The video, which shows Patole talking about Gandhi, “What did he say there? That when everyone in our country is on equal footing, we will think about reservations. What is wrong about this?”

The claim: The clip is being shared by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionaries, such as IT Cell Head Amit Malviya, who said that Rahul Gandhi said he, or the Congress party, said they “will remove reservations.”

• He added that this statement was endorsed by Patole.

An archived version of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

However, the claim is false.

• Rahul Gandhi did not say that he or the Congress party will “remove reservations,” neither did Patole endorse such a statement.

• You can read our fact-check here.

3. Clipped Video of Uddhav Thackeray Shared to Claim That He 'Admitted Eating' Beef

A video of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray purportedly saying that he consumes beef is going viral on social media.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

But this video has been clipped. The original video shows Thackeray referring to a 2015 remark made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kiren Rijiju about eating beef.

You can read our fact-check here.

4. Fact-Check: Viral Clips of Sanjay Dutt ‘Threatening’ Lawrence Bishnoi Are Edited

After reports of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi threatening to kill actor Salman Khan and Congress MP Pappu Yadav emerged, social media users began sharing clips of actor Sanjay Dutt, claiming that he threatened Bishnoi.

Social media users are sharing three clips claiming that Dutt threatened Bishnoi in them.

Click here to see an archived version of this post. 

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

An archive of this post can be accessed here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

An archive of this post can be seen here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

But all these videos are edited.

• The first one originally shows Dutt wishing people on Diwali in 2018, the second clip is of him thanking fans in 2016, while the last one shows him talking about a Marathi film he produced in 2019.

You can read our fact-check here.

5. Old Video of Priyanka Gandhi's Maharashtra Rally Falsely Shared as Wayanad

A video showing a massive crowd gathered near a convoy of cars is going viral online. The video also shows several people raising Congress flags.

Users sharing the video are claiming that it shows Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's campaign rally in Wayanad, Kerala.

This comes after her rally was held in Wayanad before the by-elections on 13 November.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

But this video dates back to 11 May and is from Gandhi's rally that happened in Maharashtra’s Nandurbar.

• It is unrelated to Wayanad, as claimed.

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.)