By Nidhi Jacob
In February, BOOM published 106 fact-checks in English, Hindi and Bangla. The bulk of the claims, totaling 24 fact-checks, were directed at Indian farmers, followed by 16 fact-checks targeting on the Muslim community. Rahul Gandhi was the next most targeted individual, with 9 fact-checks, among others.
30 of 106 fact-checks centered around the farmers' protests, followed by misinformation around the upcoming Lok Sabha elections this year, with 7 fact-checks, and the unrest in the Sandeshkhali region of West Bengal (6).
BOOM has also observed a rising trend in the spread of mis/disinformation through the use of AI-generated images, videos, and audios over the past two months. In January, we fact-checked 8 stories related to AI-generated misinformation, while in February, this number increased to 9 fact-checks.
Our first AI-related fact-check was published in March 2023. Between March and December 2023, we published 30 AI generated fact-checks, However, in the span of just two months in 2024, we have seen a total of 17 AI-related factchecks.
Additionally, nearly half, or 52 out of 106 fact-checks, involved claims shared by verified accounts on social media. Similarly, 46.2% of the total fact-checks dealt with false claims that were peddled using old and unrelated videos.
Theme Assessment
Farmers' Protest 2.0
Thousands of Indian farmers from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh have marched towards Delhi with their tractors, demanding assured prices for their crops and the implementation of a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) by the Union government. This demand was promised to them during the year-long farmers' protest against the three farm laws, which were repealed by the government in November 2021. In an attempt to prevent the farmers from reaching Delhi, police authorities in Haryana reinforced the state's borders with concrete blocks, nails, and barricades. BOOM fact-checked 30 stories related to the farmers' protests in February.
BOOM verified three stories that used AI-generated imagery to either falsely portray the preparation of the protests or depict the challenges faced by the farmers at the state border. For instance, a video depicting a modified tractor was viral with a false claim suggesting that the tractor was being used by the protesting farmers, purportedly to breach police barricades. BOOM found that the viral video originated from Türkiye, and social media posts falsely linked it to the recent farmers' protest.
Similarly, a fabricated image portraying a helpless farmer surrounded by policemen at the protest site was viral online. BOOM found that the image which was put out to express solidarity with farmers was AI-generated and and had no connection to the actual protest.
In some fact-checks, the farmers' protests was also wrongly associated with the Khalistani movement. For instance, an old picture of people supporting the demand for Khalistan was viral on social media by linking it to the current farmers' movement. In the viral picture, a person is seen holding a placard saying 'We Want Khalistan', 'Sikh Youth Federation Bhindranwala' can also be seen written on the placard. BOOM, in its investigation, found that the photo dated back to 2013, and was captured by AFP photojournalist Narindra Nanu. At that time, various organizations were rallying for a separate state, Khalistan, for Sikhs at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, marking the 29th anniversary of Operation Bluestar.
While 80% of the false claims were aimed at the farmers, 13.3% of the claims were peddled with a communal angle, targeting the Muslim community, according to our analysis.
For instance, an old video showing a man removing his skull cap and wearing a turban was viral with the false claim that the man is a Muslim impersonating a Sikh to participate in the ongoing farmers' protest. BOOM found that the video dated back to June 2022 and showed a turban tying camp organised ahead of Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moosewala's funeral.
2024 Lok Sabha elections
We fact-checked seven stories related to misinformation around the Lok Sabha elections. For example, a fake circular has gone viral on social media claiming that the Election Commission Of India (ECI) had officially released the schedule for the upcoming general elections. The ECI rubbished the claim stating that they have not released the official schedule and that the photo circulating was fake. The general elections are expected to be held between April and May this year.
Sandeshkhali unrest
In Sandeshkhali, a village in West Bengal, protests erupted due to allegations of sexual abuse against women by a prominent local leader affiliated with the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Numerous local women have come forward accusing Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of not only land-grabbing but also of sexual assault.
Following the unrest, BOOM fact-checked several disturbing claims involving images and videos depicting instances of sexual violence, falsely linking them to the situation in Sandeshkhali. For instance, a disturbing video of a group of men sexually assaulting a woman on a bike in Bihar surfaced on WhatsApp with a false claim that it shows an incident from West Bengal. The captions further gave the incident a communal spin and stated that the accused were Muslims who attacked a Hindu woman.
We found that the incident had actually occurred in the Saran district of Bihar, where a woman was reportedly assaulted by six men.
Further, BOOM published a ground report from Sandeshkhali, interviewing locals in the village regarding the unrest. Despite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) portraying the unrest with a communal angle and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government blaming opposition parties and "outsiders" for instigating violence, locals in Sandeshkhali denied both claims.
Medium, intent and type of deception
67% of the 106 fact-checks were shared via videos followed by images (18%) and texts (15.09%).
Regarding the intent behind spreading mis/disinformation, 85% of the total fact-checks were found to be sensationalist. Following this, the intent of spreading Islamophobia was observed. Smear campaigns against political leaders was the next most common intent of false claims
Nearly 70% of the type of fact-checks consisted of false claims, followed by manipulated (11.32%) and misleading content (10.38%).
