Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
Fake videos, old pictures and manipulated content has once again flooded the internet in light of the nationwide protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
These unverified posts are targeting protesting students and Delhi Police alike. The Quint's WebQoof has identified and debunked at least nine fake news stories in the past five days.
Let's take a look at a few of them.
One of the most viral video clips, shared by many BJP functionaries including the party's IT cell head Amit Malviya, hit out at students of Aligarh Muslim University for raising 'anti-Hindu' slogans.
In his tweet, Malviya said that “AMU students are chanting Hinduon ki kabr khudegi, AMU ki dharti par..”' and this particular tweet has garnered over 11,000 reactions.
But in reality, the students were chanting ‘Hindutva ki kabr khudegi, AMU ki dharti par....’ and this wasn't difficult to verify.
We just found a clearer version of the video and could hear what the students were saying as opposed to what Malviya claimed.
Then there was another photograph being shared widely on Facebook which showed a huge Muslim gathering.
People shared it with a claim that these Muslims were protesting at Mumbai's Mohammad Ali Road against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, but this picture is actually from Chittagong in Bangladesh and this shows the community celebrating a festival called ‘Jashne Juluse’.
Posts like these, which are taken out of context and circulated, are not just spreading falsehood but can also incite violence.
Fake News Targeting Police
We also saw several old pictures which alleged police brutality during the ongoing protests. Now the news and information about police brutality in various campuses across the country is a matter of investigation – but using old posts to target the police is equally wrong.
For instance, this clip of a mock drill by Khunti police was shared as police firing at protesters in Guwahati.
Another photograph which shows a cop thrashing a protester with his shoe was shared in the light of these protests, but this turned out to be almost a decade old.
At a time when there is fear and discontent among the citizens, it is easy to fall for fake content online.
So don't share, or fall for any unverified message, post, picture or video that you come across on the internet.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9910181818, 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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