WebQoof Recap: Of Misinformation Around Farmers’ Protest, Elections & More

Here are the viral pieces of misinformation that we debunked this week.

WebQoof Recap: Here are the top five pieces of misinformation that went viral this week. 

(Source: Kamran Akhter/The Quint) 

From continued misinformation around the ongoing farmers' protest around the national capital's borders to misleading claims about the Karnataka state budget’s aid allocation for minorities and the usage of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) in elections, here are some viral pieces of misinformation that we debunked this week.

1. Old Clip of Tractor Sale Shared as One of ‘Hiring People’ for Farmers’ Protest

A video showing a heated argument among men wearing turbans, with one man physically restraining another, is being shared on social media.

• The video is being circulated to claim that it depicts scenes from the ongoing farmers' protests near Delhi, suggesting that it is evidence of a deal to participate in the protests.

• The posts also claim that individuals are being paid ₹35,000 to join the protests, but the man in the video was mistreated as he demanded ₹40,000.

However, the claim is false. The video dates before the ongoing farmers' protests and shows a deal being made for selling a tractor in Barnala, Punjab.

• We came across the same video on Facebook which was captioned, "see how the deal of tractor is being done."

• The admin of the page confirmed to The Quint that, "It has nothing to do with the farmers' protest. This is a video of a tractor sale," they said, adding that the video was taken in Barnala, a city in Punjab.

Read the full fact-check here.

2. Viral Claim About Karnataka Budget’s Aid Allocation for Minorities Is Misleading

A graphic is being circulated on social media, making claims about the funding allocated to religious minorities.

The graphic claimed that according to the Karnataka State Budget, ₹500 crores that have been received from temples in Karnataka will be given to the Waqf and Christian communities.

An archive of this post can be seen here.

(Source: Instagram/Screenshot)

However, the viral post is misleading.

• The budget of ₹330 crores has been allocated for developing Waqf properties and Christian communities. The implementation of this budget will be carried out by the Minorities Development Corporations in the state.

• According to the Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act of the state, funds received from temples can only be utilised for matters related to the Hindu Religion.

Read the full story here.

3. 'Déjà Vu': Disinformation, False Narratives Mar Farmers’ Protest 2.0

This story debunks the online disinformation campaign and lists various false narratives going around social media platforms to discredit the ongoing farmers' protest around Delhi's borders.

Falsehood campaigns include discrediting protestors and using the "poor farmers’ narrative." The people sharing such claims drew the conclusion that it was “evident” that the protest is a politically motivated one, against the Modi government. Others include the purported Khalistan angle and bringing in communal claims to further spew false narratives.

Another predominant narrative on social media is one where people shared visuals of the ongoing farmers’ protests, to malign protests as ‘real’ farmers and ‘fake farmers’.

• Some social media users have also shared AI-generated imagery to falsely depict the plight of protesting farmers, while others shared it to claim that it showed armoured and modified tractors used by farmers.

• Lastly, several old visuals of the 2020-21 farmers' protests also went viral as recent incidents of the present farmers' movement and garnered traction.

Read the full analysis here.

4. Fact-Check: Did Supreme Court Ban the Use of EVMs During Elections? No!

A video circulating that claims the Supreme Court has banned the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in elections is being shared on social media platforms.

• The video shows a man addressing a group of individuals in which he can be heard saying that members of the BJP and RSS have engaged in illegal activities related to electoral bonds, which the Supreme Court has deemed as a crime.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

The claim is false. The Supreme Court has not banned EVMs.

• The person in the video, identified as a lawyer named Mehmood Pracha, was discussing the Supreme Court's ruling on electoral bonds.

Read our fact-check here.

5. Old Video of People Attacking Police Falsely Linked To Ongoing Farmers Protests

A video showing several people attacking police personnel with swords is being shared on social media, where users are linking it to the ongoing farmers' protests.

An archive can be seen here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

No, the claim is false.

• This video is not related to the ongoing farmers' protests.

• Instead, it shows a confrontation between two factions regarding the taking down of a poster featuring the deceased Sikh separatist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in Tarn Taran, Punjab.

Read our report here.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , 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.)