WebQoof Recap: Of Uddhav Thackeray, Rahul Gandhi & False Communal Claims

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 a communal narrative given to a video of a man beating a kid violently to a misleading claim about former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray calling Aurangzeb, the Mughal ruler, his brother and a martyr.

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

1. Video of Man Brutally Thrashing a Kid Shared With False Communal Angle

An old video showing a man violently hitting a child while he cries for help is going viral on social media with a false communal narrative.

The claim states that the kid, who belonged to the Hindu community, was left at their Muslim neighbour's place, who later started beating the kid while forcing him to say 'Allah Pak'.

(Note: We have refrained from adding any archive links due to the distressing nature of the visuals.)

The video shows a man brutally thrashing a kid.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

However, the video is from 2022 and shows an incident that happened in the Orangi Town area of Karachi, Pakistan.

• The clip shows a father beating his 8-year-old son.

• The man, Ismail Ould Ibrahim, was later arrested by Karachi police on 6 July 2022.

You can read our fact-check here.

2. Did Uddhav Thackeray Call Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb His Brother? No!

A video showing former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray talking about Aurangzeb and calling him his brother and a martyr is going viral on social media.

Along with several social media users, the claim was also shared by Nitesh Rane, a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, who called Thackeray a "traitor for supporting Aurangzeb," the Mughal emperor.

However, Thackeray was referring to the Indian soldier Aurangzeb, who was killed in Jammu and Kashmir by militants in 2018.

A similar misleading claim about Thackeray calling "Aurangzeb a martyr" had gone viral in 2022. You can read our fact-check here.

You can read our fact-check here.

3. Did Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel Welcome Congress Leaders With Gold Chains? No

A video, which shows Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel welcoming Congress leaders by garlanding them, is going viral on social media to claim that the CM welcomed the leaders with gold chains during the party's 85th plenary session in Raipur.

However, CM Baghel was seen welcoming the guests with a garland made with grass and parts of a tree called Khirsali and not gold chains, as claimed.

You can read our fact-check here.

4. Clip Shows Muslim Men Attacking a Hindu Priest in Rajasthan? No, Claim Is False

A video of a person brutally attacking a man with a sharp weapon in broad daylight is going viral on the internet.

Those sharing the clip claimed that it shows Muslim men attacking a Hindu priest and his family in Rajasthan's Dudu village.

The caption of these viral posts mentions that the attack happened when the priest was preparing for Mahashivratri.

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

While the video is from Rajasthan, it shows two men attacking and allegedly murdering a lawyer named Jugraj Chauhan in Jodhpur.

• The Quint spoke to DCP Jodhpur East, Dr Amrita Duhan, who refuted the viral claims and said all the accused and victim belonged to the same community.

You can read our fact-check here.

5. Rahul Gandhi's 'Satta-Satya' Faux Pas Video Viral With Misleading Claim

A video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi talking about satyagrah while referring to Mahatma Gandhi is going viral on social media. The video shows Gandhi as saying, "the meaning of satyagrah is to never leave the path of power (satta)."

Taking a jibe at Gandhi for this meaning of the word satyagrah – which actually means the path of truth – the official Twitter account of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Damar and Diu, BJP UP spokesperson Prashant Umrao, and former Chhattisgarh cabinet minister Rajesh Munat were some people who shared the video.

Major Surendra Poonia, who has been called out for sharing misinformation in the past, too, shared this video.

(Note: Swipe to check screenshots of the claims.)

The claim was shared by BJP Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Damar and Diu.

The claim was shared by Major Surendra Poonia.

The claim was shared by Prashant Umrao.

The claim was shared by Rajesh Munat.

While the viral video does show Gandhi saying "satta" initially, he quickly rectifies the mistake and goes on to say "satya" (power).

"Mahatma Gandhi used to talk about satyagrah. What does satyagrah mean? It means, never leaving the path of power (satta), sorry, never leaving the path of truth (satya)," he said.

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.)