Fact-Check: Edited Video Of INDIA Alliance Meeting Going Viral With False Claims

New Delhi/Vishvas News: A video circulating on social media depicts members of the INDIA Alliance standing, with the background featuring the sound of Azaan. The accompanying post asserts that the leaders of the INDIA Alliance rose during a meeting upon hearing the Azaan. Upon fact-checking, Vishvas News found that the video dates back to September 1, 2023. In reality, the leaders were standing for a photoshoot. The viral video has been manipulated by editing and adding the sound of Azaan.

What’s going viral?

Facebook user Parag Herwade (archive link) shared the viral video on December 1 and wrote, “This is the only video that can wake up Hindus.”

Vishvas News Investigation:

To investigate this post, we thoroughly examined the video. Notably, the words “INDIA” and “31 August to 1 September” are in the background. A keyword search revealed that an INDIA Alliance meeting took place in Mumbai between August 31st and September 1st.

Further exploration led us to a video on Live Hindustan’s website, providing an alternate perspective of the same footage. The video distinctly shows all leaders posing together for a group photo, and above the video, it is explicitly stated, “Group photo session of all the leaders before the meeting.” The accompanying description clarifies that before the beginning of the meeting, leaders engaged in a group photo session, which specifies each leader’s position in the video.

A comparison between the viral and original videos, sourced from the Deccan Herald and other websites, reveals identical scenes of leaders posing for a photo shoot.

We corroborated our findings with Congress leader Sanjeev Singh, who affirmed that the video has been edited.

What is INDIA Alliance?

The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, also known as INDIA, is a significant political coalition comprising 26 political parties in India, with leadership provided by the Indian National Congress. It was established on July 18, 2023.

In the final phase of our investigation, Vishvas News conducted a scan of the Facebook user ‘Parag Herwade,’ who shared the viral post. It was discovered that the user has a following of more than 100 individuals.