Video from Pakistan shared as people flouting lockdown for Eid in Hyderabad and Delhi

by Kinjal

A 24-second video of a crowded market has gone viral on social media with the claim that Muslims flouted the lockdown for shopping. It is noteworthy that Eid is set to be observed in the coming weekend. Most users claimed that the video is from Madina market in Hyderabad.

On 20 May, Vivekananda P, IT cell conveyor of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Telangana, posted the viral video and tagged the chief minister of Telangana. He asked, “Dear @TelanganaCMO This video uploaded on social media is of today’s situation at #Hyderabad at Madina. How will #CoronavirusPandemic stop?” (archive link)

Similarly, Facebook user Dinesh Singh Hazari posted the viral video claiming it’s from Hyderabad. This was viewed 8,700 times and shared over 400 times before it was deleted. The viral video has also been uploaded on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N9h8tEDy9A&feature=emb_logo

BJP leader Varun Gandhi’s secretary Ishita Yadav also tweeted the viral video. However, she claimed it was shot in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. The tweet was originally posted by Twitter user Janamjit Shankar Sinha. The viral video on Sinha’s tweet bagged over 8,000 views. The tweet was subsequently deleted but it can be viewed on this archive link.

Another user Da_Lying_lama (@GoofyOlives) tweeted the video targeting Delhi CM Kejriwal.

Alt News has received several requests to authenticate the viral video on our official Android app and WhatsApp (+91 7600011160).

Video from Pakistan

Alt News performed a reverse image of one of the keyframes of the video and found that it was tweeted by @MishaalShaheen on May 18. As per the Twitter user, the viral video is from Anarkali Bazaar in Faisalabad, Pakistan. The user pointed out that people are shopping for Eid without worrying about coronavirus.

Several Twitter users from Pakistan had posted the viral, including Pakistani journalist Waqas.

At the 10-second mark, a store sign appears that reads ‘Aini shoes’ in Urdu. Alt News performed a keyword search on Google and found a store with the same name at the new Anarkali market, Faisalabad in Pakistan on Google Maps.

A Pakistani user Amnan Rajput had shared the same video on May 18 and the next day, he had shared another video of the market. Amnan, who identifies as a journalist on Twitter, wrote that the market was opened after the Supreme Court’s order which led to people flouting social distancing norms.

Thus the claim associated with the viral video is false. Since the lockdown started on March 25, false propaganda towards the Muslim community has been rampant on social media. Earlier another video from Pakistan was viral with the false claim that Muslim women were shopping during the lockdown in India.

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About the Author

Kinjal Parmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. However, her keen interest in journalism, drove her to pursue journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. At Alt News since 2019, she focuses on authentication of information which includes visual verification, media misreports, examining mis/disinformation across social media. She is the lead video producer at Alt News and manages social media accounts for the organization.