It has been a busy week for fact checkers at BOOM. NASA's Indian origin astronaut Sunita Williams landed back to Earth after a tense nine months in space. Her return sparked widespread excitement but also brought its share of misinformation about her journey. We also fact-checked communal claims from the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) and violence reported in parts of West Bengal.
For Fact Check Friday, BOOM brings you the weekly round up of the top five fact checks.
1. 2013 Video Of Sunita Williams On Bhagavad Gita Viral As Recent
An old video of Sunita Williams revealing that she took a Ganesha idol and the Bhagavad Gita on her space missions went viral claiming it was a recent statement.
BOOM found that the video was from 2013 when Williams' visited India and held a press conference at the National Science Centre in Delhi. Interestingly, Williams's family members in interviews to news channels have said she carried a Ganesha idol with her to the recent mission.
Additionally, we also found that Williams is currently in a rigorous NASA rehabilitation progamme for returning astronauts and has not attended any media briefing.
Read full story here.
2. No, These Viral Photos Of The Maha Kumbh Are Not Clicked By Sunita Williams
A set of unrelated aerial view photos of the recently concluded Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh was shared with the false claim that Sunita Willaims is the photographer. The claim added that the pictures show how the Maha Kumbh looked to the astronaut from space.
BOOM verified the photos and found that while they do show an aerial view of the Maha Kumbh, they are not photos taken by Sunita Williams from space.
The viral photos have been published by several news and government websites and visible online before Williams returned to Earth.
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3. Viral Photo Of CSK Fan With Placard Abusing Aurangzeb Is Fake
A viral photo of a Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fan holding up a placard, abusing Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb went viral with a false claim that it shows a real photo from an IPL match..
BOOM found the original photo with words of support for MS Dhoni, the CSK captain. There was no mention of Aurangzeb in the original picture.
The edited image gained attention amid an ongoing row about Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, especially in Maharashtra. Protests over the tomb of the 17th-century ruler led to violent communal clashes in Nagpur on March 17, 2025, leaving several injured.
Read full story here
BOOM has fact checked misinformation around the Nagpur violence here.
4. No, Jadavpur University Did Not Deny Permission For Saraswati Puja Celebrations
A video from an Iftar party at Jadavpur University, Kolkata, is viral with a false communal claim that while the college allowed for celebrations for an Islamic festival, the same was denied for the festival of Saraswati puja in February.
However, multiple Jadavpur University students confirmed to BOOM that Saraswati Puja was celebrated at the university on February 2, 2025, as part of the institution's long-standing tradition. We also spoke to the university's student political wings who told us that they organised the celebrations with permission from the university and faced no hurdles from the college.
Read full story here
Video From Bangladesh Falsely Shared As Violence In Malda, West Bengal
A 14-second video showing violence and vandalising of vehicles parked on the street is viral claiming it is from Malda in West Bengal.
BOOM fact checked the video and found that it is from a November 2023 incident in Sylhet, Bangaldesh when a protest by a local political parties turned violent.
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