CLAIM
While the novel coronavirus outbreak pushed India into a three-week lockdown, misinformation around the pandemic is gaining speed on social media. A viral video shot near the Charminar in Hyderabad is being shared with a claim that it shows people defying the lockdown to offer the Friday namaaz.
“Crowds defying lockdown in Hyderabad near Charminar on Friday demanding to perform Namaz,” the claim with the video reads.
The Quint received the video on its WhatsApp helpline number.
TRUE OR FALSE?
The video has not been altered in any form, but the claim with which it is being circulated is false.
WHAT WE FOUND
A Yandex reverse image search using a keyframe of the video directed us to the same video uploaded on YouTube on 20 December 2019 which suggested that it was from anti-CAA protests in Hyderabad.
Taking cues from there, we ran a Google keywords search using “CAA-NRC Protests near Charminar” and found a video uploaded by TV5 News on 20 December 2019. The first 30 seconds of the bulletin matched with that of the video being circulated on WhatsApp.
According to a report by The Times Of India dated 20 December 2019, massive anti-CAA protests were organised at various locations in Hyderabad on 19 and 20 December 2019. “At Charminar as well, the police took scores of people in preventive custody who came to participate in the protest rally. Heavy security was deployed at Charminar following the police’s refusal to a rally in Old City,” the report stated.
Hence, an old video from anti-CAA protests in December 2019 is being shared as people defying lockdown in Hyderabad.
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