A video clip showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi being greeted with chants of 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' slogans during his visit to cyclone-hit West Bengal on May 22, 2020, is edited. BOOM found that the audio has been morphed with and overlaid, while in the original video chants of Jai Shri Ram can be heard.
PM Modi conducted an aerial survey of the districts hit by cyclone Amphan along with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on May 22. The viral clip was shot in the Basirhat College grounds, in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas, where the helicopter landed after the survey.
In the viral video, the prime minister can be seen walking along with Mamata Banerjee towards the helicopter before it takes off as chants of 'Chowkidar Chor hai' (the watchman is a thief) against him can be heard in the background. The political slogan has been used majorly by the Indian National Congress (INC) party and Rahul Gandhi against Narendra Modi while alleging corruption in the Rafale aircraft deal.
Crowds shouting at Modi "Chowkidar chor hai"...Meaning 'the watchman is a thief'. Times not far when the crowd will become aggressive and start chasing BJP MLA's and MP's. #GharMeiGuskeMaro pic.twitter.com/gm2lfkZdFy
— Praecursator 🇬🇧 🇧🇪 🇨🇮🏆 (@Praecursator007) May 22, 2020
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We searched with the keywords "chowkidar chor hai" on Facebook and found the same edited clip viral.
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Viral on Facebook
Also Read: Video From Cyclone Fani Peddled As Destruction By Cyclone Amphan
FACT-CHECK
We searched for videos shot at Basirhat College grounds on May 22 after PM Modi landed along with Bengal CM and governor. We found that in the original video chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' can be heard and not 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' which has been overlaid in the viral video and shared.
In a Facebook live from May 22, by a page Bengal Times 24X7 shot from a different angle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee can be seen coming out of the building and chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' can be heard as they walk along towards the helicopter.
We also found the original 50 seconds long clip uploaded on Facebook by Akashvani Sangbad Kolkata's official Facebook page on May 22, 2020. In the video, the same visuals shot from the same angle can be seen and chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' are clearly audible.
On comparing both the videos with the viral clip we found that the audio of 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' chants had been edited in and overlaid with.
We then looked up on YouTube with keywords 'Chowkidar Chor Hai', and found a YouTube clip with the same voice tone and pattern of chants of 'Chowkidar Chor Hai'.
In this YouTube video, uploaded on April 10, 2020, the same pattern of 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' slogans can be heard being raised by Congress supporters at a BJP rally in Bengaluru.
Also Read: Cyclone Amphan Wreaks Havoc In West Bengal, Odisha: All You Need To Know