Cropped Aaj Tak Video Used To Spread Misinformation On Coronavirus

A video claiming Hindi news channel Aaj Tak reported that China's prime minister said reading the Quran and offering Namaaz can help prevent the Coronavirus, is false.

The viral clip has been culled from a longer video which fact-checked false claims surrounding the deadly disease.

The Hindi caption accompanying the 28-second clip reads: 'Chinese prime minister has ordered to open locks of all mosques and to recite Quran and Namaaz. Only the Quran has the cure for Coronavirus. Undoubtedly.'

(In Hindi: चीन के प्रधानमंत्री ने सारे मस्जिदों के ताला खोलने व नमाज़ व कूरान पढ़ने का आदेश जारी किया. कोरोना वायरस का इलाज सिर्फ कुरान में है.beshak)

BOOM found that the clip begins and ends abruptly and has been created by splicing together separate parts of the voiceover to make up a false narrative.

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The posts can be seen below and its archived versions can be accessed here, and here.

Viral on Twitter.

The clip is widely viral on Twitter as well.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or (SARS-CoV), and Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome or (MERS-CoV). Novel Coronavirus or (COVID-19) is a newly emerged strain of the virus. COVID-19 has killed over 3,300 people worldwide and was first reported in China's Wuhan city.

Also read: No, The Chinese PM Did Not Visit A Mosque To Protect Himself From Coronavirus

You can track the recent updates here.

Fact Check

BOOM looked at the video and found several indications about it being a 'Viral Test', Aaj Tak's show where it debunks false claims. The faded stamp on the video can be seen clearly. We found the original video clip which is a four-minute-long video of the 'Viral Test' bulletin of AajTak.

With other discrepancies in the viral clip such as parts where the anchor says "a post is viral on Facebook" and "claim is that reciting Quran can treat coronavirus" have been removed.

We compared the screenshots of both the videos and found numerous differences.

The original video clip is a four-minute-long bulletin, whereas the viral clip is only 30-second-long. The anchor in the original video has clearly stated that the claims are 'viral on Facebook with a video that shows Chinese prime minister visited a mosque and recited Namaaz', on the contrary, the viral clip has only those parts where anchor is either reading the claim or saying that he is Chinese prime minister to make it sound like the anchor is making a claim.

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The claim that he is the Chinese prime minister is factually incorrect. Xi Jinping is the president of China wheres the individual in the video is ex-Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. This was also shown in the AajTak bulletin at the timestamp 2.50 minute.

BOOM had already debunked the claim where a 2015 video of a former Malaysian prime minister praying at a mosque in China was being shared with false claims that the China Prime Minister Li Keqiang is seeking protection from Coronavirus by praying at a mosque. (Read more about it here)