From misinformation on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab to old photographs of former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) minister Bikram Singh Majithia being shared as a recent visit to the Golden Temple, here's what mislead people this week.
1. Unrelated Clip of Pro-Khalistan Bike Rally Falsely Linked to PM’s Punjab Visit
A video showing a group of people participating in a bike rally, while raising pro-Khalistan slogans, was shared across social media platforms, to claim that it happened on 5 January, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cavalcade was stranded enroute National Martyrs' Memorial in Punjab's Hussainiwala.
Users sharing the clip are questioning the state’s Congress government why these people have not been arrested for raising separatist slogans, and have used a hashtag to demand President’s Rule in Punjab.
However, we found that the video is from a bike rally that predates the prime minister’s visit. We found multiple social media posts from 27 December that carried the same visuals and we were able to verify that it is indeed from Punjab.
You can read our story here.
2. Old Photos of Bikram Singh Majithia's Visit to Golden Temple Viral as Recent
A series of photos showing former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) minister Bikram Singh Majithia at the Golden Temple in Amritsar were viral with a claim that the leader was seen paying obeisance at the holy shrine on 1 January 2022.
The claim was also shared by several media organisation, who questioned the Punjab police's inability in tracing Majithia. The former minister was recently booked under sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act for allegedly allowing drug smuggling through use of his property or conveyance.
However, we found that the photos were taken on 1 January 2021. These photos were posted on Majithia's verified Facebook page one year ago at the Golden temple.
You can read our story here.
3. Photo Shows Upgradation in CRPF's Tactical Gear Over the Years? Not Quite!
A photograph showing a side-by-side comparison of two defence personnel was viral with a claim that it showed the upgradation of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) uniform from 2012 to 2022.
Social media users who shared the photo also showed their support to the BJP government under Narendra Modi by using hashtags like "ModiHaiTohMumkinHai".
However, we found that the claim was misleading as the uniforms shown in the comparison belonged to two different units of the CRPF.
While the one of the left was a CRPF jawan dressed in regular khaki uniform, the one of the right was an officer belonging to the Valley Quick Action Team (QAT), an elite special operations unit, which became operational in 2016.
You can read our story here.
4. No, That’s Not Shah Rukh Khan’s Son Aryan Khan Urinating in Public
A video of a man stumbling about an airport waiting area with a dazed expression, and later urinating publicly, was shared on social media with a claim that it shows Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan urinating in the airport lobby.
The video was shared in the backdrop of the Mumbai cruise drug case, in which Khan was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) following a raid at a luxury cruise off the coast of Mumbai. Khan is currently out on bail.
However, we found that the man seen in the video was Bronson Pelletier, an actor from 'Twilight', in an inebriated state, who had urinated on the floor of the lobby of the Los Angeles International Airport in 2012.
You can read our story here.
5. No, That's Not a Pakistani MP Dancing to 'Tip Tip Barsa Paani'
A video of a man dancing to the remix of Bollywood song 'tip tip barsa pani' went massively viral with a claim that it showed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member of National Assembly (MNA) Aamir Liaquat Husain.
The video was also published on various media sites with the same claim including Hindi news websites Amar Ujala, Dainik Jagran, Zee News, APN Live, DNA.
On going through the comments section of one of the posts, we found a user pointing out that the man in the video is not Aamir Liaquat Husain, but a choreographer named Shoaib Shakoor.
We then looked for Shakoor on social media and found his profile of Instagram, which describes him as 'choregrapher, actor'. We found the viral video posted on his account on 4 January.
You can read our story here.
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