WebQoof Recap: Of Communal Claims, PM Modi, Bharat Jodo Yatra, And More

Here's a recap of some of the most viral claims that we debunked this week.

WebQoof Recap | Here's the weekly recap of the top five fact-check stories.

(Photo: Aroop Mishra/The Quint)

From false claims around PM Modi's tribal outfit at an event in Meghalaya to media outlets sharing an old image of a traffic jam while referring to the recent congestion on Atal Tunnel, here is a recap of some of the most viral claims that we debunked this week.

1. Fact-Check: Photo Comparing PM Modi's Tribal Outfit to Women’s Dress Is Edited!

An image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a traditional tribal attire, juxtaposed with a photo of a women's embroidered dress, went viral on the internet insinuating that he wore women's clothing for an event in Meghalaya.

The chairperson of Congress party's Scheduled Caste (SC) department in Gujarat, Hitendra Pithadiya, also shared the image to take a dig at PM Modi.

However, the image of the women's dress was photoshopped to make it resemble PM Modi's outfit. The original picture seen on an e-commerce website, Shoreline USA, shows a different dress.

Read the full story here.

2. Media Outlets Share Old Image as 'Massive Traffic on Atal Tunnel'

After several news reports about thousands of vehicles crossing the Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh came to the fore, several media outlets such as TV9 Bharatvarsh, Dainik Bhaskar, and a portal named Ground Report shared an image of a massive traffic jam to claim that it is recent and shows the tunnel's condition.

The claim suggesting that the picture is recent and shows a massic traffic jam at Atal Tunnel is false.

(Source: The Quint)

However, the picture is old and could be traced back to January 2022. The photographer, Yash Handa, confirmed to The Quint that he clicked the image.

Read our fact-check here.

3. Video of Assault From Madhya Pradesh Shared With a False Communal Claim

A disturbing video, which shows a man brutally assaulting a girl, was being shared on the internet with a claim that the victim was a Hindu and the man belonged to the Muslim community.

People on social media have shared the video to push the 'Love Jihad' narrative.

However, we found that the incident was being given a false communal spin. The accused, Pankaj Tripathi, has been arrested.

Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP), Naveen Dubey, told The Quint that both the accused and the victim are from the Hindu community and belonged to the same caste.

Read the full story here.

4. Fact-Check: Did Rahul Gandhi Say 'Yatra Will Stop If It Doesn't Work?

A clip of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, where he can be heard saying, "Will continue for as long as it can, will stop if it doesn't work," was shared on social media.

The claim, along with the clip, suggested that Gandhi was talking about Bharat Jodo Yatra. Several verified users such as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Delhi's General Secretary, Kuljeet Singh Chahal, IT Cell Head Amit Malviya shared the video.

However, in reality, Gandhi was referring to his t-shirt while answering a journalist's question and not the yatra.

Watch the video below for the details of the story.

5. 2018 Video of KCR Calling Himself PM Modi’s ‘Best Friend’ Shared as Recent

A clip of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his "best friend" and saying that he respects the latter was shared on social media.

BJP leader Priti Gandhi shared it on her Twitter handle mentioning that KCR was "singing like a canary" after his daughter and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) MLA K Kavita was named in the Delhi liquor scam case.

An archive of this tweet can be seen here.

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot)

However, the video has been on the internet since 3 March 2018 and shows Rao responding to a question on the accusation of having disrespected the prime minister.

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.)