From unrelated videos being shared as ongoing violence between the Kuki and Meitei communities in Manipur to old visuals of protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Hyderabad circulated during his state visit to the United States, here are five pieces of misinformation that deceived people on the internet this week.
1. Old Hoardings Targeting PM Modi Linked to His USA Visit
A viral image of a hoarding targeting PM Modi went viral on the internet during his USA visit. It was claimed that the hoardings were put up in the USA ahead of the prime minister's visit.
Users on social media platforms shared the viral image with the text, "Posters in USA, loud and clear message from money heist. Mr Modi we only rob bank you rob the whole nation. (sic)"
However, The Quint found out that these hoardings were old and were falsely associated with PM Modi's visit to the USA. The hoardings were put up in Hyderabad, ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national executive meeting in 2022.
Additionally, we did not come across any such hoardings put up in the USA.
You can read our fact-check here.
2. Photo of RJ Sayema Rahman Falsely Shared as One of Karnataka’s Muskan Khan
A carousel of pictures of a woman in a pink hoodie and another in a black burqa have gone on the internet. The pictures claim that the woman is Muskan Khan. Khan, a burqa-clad girl from Karnataka, stood up against a group of saffron dressed boys chanting 'Jai Sri Ram' slogans in 2022.
The posts insinuated that Khan ditched the burqa after going to London.
However, we found out the woman in the pink hoodie is Sayema Rahman, a radio jocket at Radio Mirchi. The woman in the burqa is Muskan Khan.
The Quint reached out to Muskan Khan's father, who confirmed that she is currently in Karnataka.
You can read our fact-check here.
3. Does This Video Show Meiteis Shooting a Kuki Girl in Manipur?
A triggering video of a group of people torturing a woman and then proceeding to shoot her went viral on social media platforms. It was shared as a recent incident from Manipur. It is claimed that armed Meitei people tortured a young Kuki girl in the state.
4. Viral Screenshot About Dalit Woman Beheading Six Muslim Men in Babatpur Is Fake!
A viral screenshot from an article purportedly published by UP Tak went viral on social media with the claim that a Hindu Dalit woman had beheaded six men in a temple in Uttar Pradesh as she was threatened with rape and religious conversion.
The Quint found out that the viral screenshot was spreading disinformation. The Varanasi police's DCP Gomti zone's account clarified that the news was false.
We also reached out to Neeraj Gupta, who is the cluster head for Tak Channels. He told The Quint that "UP Tak had not published this story in any form."
You can read our fact-check here.
5. Video of Police Being Attacked By BJP Workers in West Bengal is Old!
A viral video in which people with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) flags can be seen assaulting police personnel with sticks.
The claim was being shared in Marathi. It translated to: "The people thrashing the police in this video are not Kashmiri extremists, they are BJP's Hindu workers. Is this BJP's Hindutva? Is this the rise of Hitlerism?"
The timing of these claims comes days after incidents of violence have been reported in the run-up to the Panchayat elections in West Bengal on 8 July.
We found out that the video is old and not related to the recent violence in the state. The video actually shows Debjit Chatterjee, Kolkata's Assistant Commissioner. He was assaulted during a BJP protest called, 'Nabanno Chalo Abhiyan' against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on 13 September 2022.
You can read our fact-check here.
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