A disturbing CCTV footage from Tamil Nadu of a scooter bursting into flames because of the firecrackers loaded on it in Tamil Nadu is viral on social media with false claims that it is an electrical scooter.
BOOM reached out to Viluppuram SP Dr N Shreenatha who rubbished the claim that it was an electric scooter.
The footage, which shows a two-wheeler suddenly bursting into flames just as it crosses a police barricade, is circulating on WhatsApp with a caption in Punjabi that claims it is an electrically charged scooter which exploded. The claim translates to, "Explosion in a battery-charged scooter".
(Original Text in Punjabi: ਬੈਟਰੀ ਚਾਰਜ ਵਾਲੀ ਸਕੂਟਰੀ ਚ ਧਮਾਕਾ)
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BOOM also received the video with a similar claim on its WhatsApp helpline number (+9177009 06588) for verification.
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Fact Check
We noticed that the video footage has the logo of PTC News and a keyword search in Punjabi on Facebook showed the same video posted on November 6, 2021 on the news outlets Facebook page. The caption with the video in Punjabi translates to, "Firecrackers brought the horrific death of father-son, a tremendous blast" and in no way links it to being an explosion caused due to a battery operated vehicle.
(Original Caption in Punjabi: ਪਟਾਕਿਆਂ ਨੇ ਲਿਆਂਦੀ ਪਿਓ-ਪੁੱਤ ਦੀ ਖੌਫਨਾਕ ਮੌਤ, ਹੋਇਆ ਜ਼ਬਰਦਸਤ ਧਮਾਕਾ)
Running a keyword search we found an NDTV article published on November 5, 2021 with a screenshot from the same video. According to the report, a man and his son were killed on November 4, 2021 after the country-made firecrackers they were carrying on a scooter exploded. The incident was reported in Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district during Diwali. The father and son who died in the tragic incident have been identified as Kalainesan (35), who worked at an automobile parts company, and his son Pradesh (7).
The NDTV story quoted an officer investigating the case and said, "The boy was seated on two bundles of firecrackers kept tightly tied in the front of the two-wheeler. We believe that friction and pressure led to the explosion. The sudden appearance of the other two-wheelers from the opposite side could have led to a jerk, causing friction."
Further a report published by Hindustan Times, quoted B Arun, Deputy Superitendent of Kottakuppam police station as saying, "The crackers are made in Puducherry. Though it is a licensed unit, these crackers are mostly banned and are far from the approved green crackers."
BOOM reached out to Viluppuram SP Dr N Shreenatha who rubbished the claim that it was an electric scooter. "They were carrying crackers on their scooter which exploded. The incident happened due to the firecracker explosion. It was not an electric scooter. They were riding on Yamaha Fascino model."
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