1. Gunman photographed in Delhi riots is Anurag Mishra?
Social media spun misinformation around the gun-wielding man pictured during the Delhi riots on February 24 and misidentified him as Anurag Mishra and Chandral Shukla. A section of netizens accused NDTV India's managing editor Ravish Kumar of further amplifying the claim, who had in fact in his show mentioned the confusion surrounding the shooter's identity. BOOM reached out to Delhi Police PRO assistant commissioner of police who confirmed that the shooter was Mohammed Shahrukh and he was still at large. Read BOOM's fact-check here and here.
Furthermore, hours after Mohammed Shahrukh brandished a gun and open fired shots in riot hit North East Delhi's Jafrabad, he was falsely linked to have association with BJP leader Kapil Mishra. An image of a man seen standing with Mishra, as he delivered a speech in Delhi's Maujpur, earlier, was misidentified as the shooter.
BOOM was able to identify that the man seen with Kapil Mishra is Rohit Rajput, a supporter from Maujpur. You can read our story here.
2. Video of mosque vandalisation is from Delhi's Ashok Nagar
Speculation surrounding a video of mosque vandalisation in Ashok Nagar area of riot ravaged east Delhi began on social media after footage emerged of rioters climbing atop a minaret with saffron and tricolour flags and destroying the structure. Multiple netizens claimed that the incident is of an old mosque vandalisation, that occurred in Bihar's Samastipur. BOOM was able to independently verify that the mosque, known as Badi Masjid, was vandalised on February 25, 2020. BOOM visited the area of Badi Masjid, located in West Jyoti Nagar of Shahdara (East Delhi) on Wednesday, a day after the mosque was vandalised and observed that the saffron flag that was put atop the minaret by the rioters was still present. Read our ground report here.
3. Justice S Muralidhar photographed with Congress leaders?
Social media posts claiming Justice S Muralidhar was pictured with the Indian National Congress' top brass are false, as the picture shows former Additional Solicitor General and Supreme Court Advocate KC Kaushik. Justice S Muralidhar is the subject of a heated political row over his transfer from the Delhi High Court to the Punjab and Haryana High Court after he criticised the Delhi Police over its alleged inaction in the lead-up to unrest in the north-east part of the city. Read more here.
4. Fake Rate Card For Marrying Non-Muslim Women Revived
A dubious flyer offering cash incentives to Muslim men for marrying outside their religion has been revived on social media. BOOM debunked the same rate card in June, 2017, when Times Now had falsely reported it as true. The rate card, which has several red flags indicating it is fake, has existed online as far back as 2012. Read more on the story here.
5. Dated Picture Of Cop Holding Stones Spun As Police Violence In Delhi
An old image showing a policeman holding stones in his hand has been projected to show the carrying out of alleged police brutality during the ensuing violence that occured in north-east Delhi. The image has been on the internet atleast since 2015, and prior to this, this image had gone viral in January 2017 as a policeman in Tamil Nadu during Jallikattu agitation that went on at that time. Read our full story here.