WebQoof Recap: Misinformation Around PM Modi, Army Chopper Crash & More

Here's a recap of some of the pieces of misinformation that went viral this week.

WebQoof Recap | Here's a recap of some of the misleading posts that went viral this week.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/ The Quint)

From misinformation about Prime Minister Narendra Modi being a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize to old visuals of a helicopter crash shared as a recent crash of the army's chopper in Arunachal Pradesh, here are five pieces of misinformation that went viral this week.

1. Did Asle Toje Say PM Modi Is Chief Contender for Nobel Peace Prize?

A picture of Asle Toje, vice-chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, is being shared with a claim that he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the chief contender for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Several media organisations such as The Economic Times, Times of India, Times Now, and English Jagran have shared the claim.

Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh's mouthpiece - Panchjanya, and right-wing propaganda website - OpIndia - have also shared it.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

While it is true that Toje applauded PM Modi's efforts towards establishing peace, we did not find any evidence of Toje mentioning PM Modi as the chief contender for the Nobel Peace Prize.

You can read our fact-check here.

2. This Image Doesn't Show the Crashed Army Helicopter in Arunachal Pradesh

An old image of a crashed chopper has been shared by several news organisations and social media users following the crash of an Indian Army Aviation Cheetah helicopter in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, 16 March.

The helicopter was reported to have lost contact with the air traffic control (ATC) at around 9:15 am.

The news organisations that have shared the image include Zee Business, NewsBytes, Amar Ujala, Sakal, and Punjab Kesari, among other social media users.

However, the image is old. It shows an Indian Army helicopter which crash landed following a technical snag in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir on 3 February 2020.

You can read our fact-check here.

The image is three years old and shows a crashed helicopter in Jammu and Kashmir.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

3. Fact-Check: No, Jama Masjid’s Imam Bukhari Has Not Joined the BJP

A video showing a man putting garlands around Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, is going viral on the internet.

In the clip, Bukhari can be seen standing next to former Union Health Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Harsh Vardhan.

The video, which shows a BJP poster in the background, is being shared to claim that Imam Bukhari has joined the party.

However, the video shows Imam Bukhari at an event organised on 11 March 2023 to lay the foundation stone for a toilet outside one of the gates of Delhi's Jama Masjid.

You can read our fact-check here.

4. Fact-Check: Did Aaditya Thackeray Call Uddhav Thackeray A Corrupt Man?

The screenshot from what looks like a public address of Maharashtra MLA Aaditya Thackeray has gone viral with a claim that he called his father and former Chief Minister of the state Uddhav Thackeray, a corrupt man.

The graphic has an image of Aaditya with Marathi text which when translated to English says, "The ex-CM is a corrupt man."

The text at the bottom said, "Aaditya Thackeray Targets Former Chief Minister" and "Scammers will be jailed."

However, the claim is misleading. The screenshot was taken from Aaditya's address on 12 March, where he targeted the current Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and said that the letters in the acronym CM stood for "corrupt man."

You can read our fact-check here.

5. No, Raghuram Rajan Didn't Say That the Indian Economy Will Become Like Sri Lanka

A quote purportedly made by former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan about the Indian economy becoming like Sri Lanka's economy is going viral on social media.

The quote in Hindi says, "लोगों को पैसे बचाकर रखना चाहिए हालात श्री लंका वाले बन रहे हैं"

(Translation: People should save money, the situation is becoming like Sri Lanka's.)

However, we reached out to Rajan who confirmed that this statement about the Indian economy's state becoming like Sri Lanka is not made by him.

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 9643651818, 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.)