Video From Pakistan Passed Off As Social Distancing Flouted In Hyderabad

A video showing a crowded market in Pakistan's Faisalabad is being shared with false claims that it shows people shopping for Eid in Hyderabad, India violating social distancing norms during the ongoing lockdown due to COVID-19.

BOOM found that the video is from Anarkali bazaar in Faisalabad city which was opened earlier this week following guidelines for relaxation in the lockdown announced in Pakistan.

The video is being shared with a false claim that it shows huge crowds at Madina Market in Hyderabad.

The same claim was being shared on Twitter claiming no social distancing is being followed in Hyderabad.

Ishita Yadav, parliament secretary to Varun Gandhi tweeted the video claiming the scene is from Chandni Chowk in Delhi. Yadav later deleted her tweet which said, "Chandni Chowk, Delhi. Will Delhi be the new Bombay? These videos that are coming out are pretty scary."

Below is the screenshot of the archive of her tweet.

FACT CHECK

We broke the video into key frames and found that the video was previously being shared on Twitter by several Pakistani Twitter users claiming it is a scene from Faisalabad.

Several Facebook pages had also shared the video on May 18, claiming the several people crowded Anarkali Bazaar in Faisalabad, to shop for Eid festivities.

We analysed the video and found that at 13 seconds a board with urdu text was visible. A translation of the text showed us that the board says - Aini shoes.

A search for Aini Shoes showed results for a store in Faisalabad. The store which has a website, listed their address as Anarkali Bazaar, Faisalabad.