Does This Video Show A Factory Explosion In West Bengal? No, Viral Video Is From Kerala
Writer: Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
West Bengal, 22 May 2023 9:55 AM GMT
Editor : Bharat Nayak |
As the founding editor, Bharat had been heading the newsroom during the formation years of the organization and worked towards editorial policies, conceptualizing and designing campaign strategies and collaborations. He believes that through the use of digital media, one could engage the millennial's in rational conversations about pertinent social issues, provoking them to think and bring a behavioral change accordingly.
Creatives : Jakir Hassan
A journalist at heart loves the in-depth work of reporting, writing, editing, research, and data analysis. A digital and social media enthusiast.
We found that the video was shot in Kavassery, Kerala showing a fireworks display during the Pooram festival in Kerala. The viral claim is false.
Following an explosion at an illegal firecracker factory in West Bengal's Khadikul vilage, nine people were killed and several others sustained injuries. Social media users began sharing a clip of an explosion in a field with the claim that this video depicts a blast in West Bengal.
Claim:
Users shared video of the explosion with the claim, "Look at West Bengal sitting on a gunpowder store. This scene from East Medinipur (Midnapore) is horrifying. Mamata (West Bengal CM) has no control over the state.There is no idea of law and order. Jungle Raj remains.”
Fact Check:
We conducted a reverse image search on the keyframes of the video which led us to a video uploaded by Beauty Palakkad posted on March 17, 2022. The post is captioned in Malayalam, "..Kavassery Pooram Daytime Fireworks 2022."
We found the extended version of the video uploaded on April 1, 2022. The video is titled, “The birthplace of firecrackers Kavassery Pooram Day Fireworks 2022…” in Malayalam.
Other YouTube channels had uploaded the video dated April 1, 2022, stating that the video shows visuals from Kavassery Pooram. It is to be noted that Kavassery falls under the Palakkad district of Kerala. Meanwhile, Pooram refers to annual temple festivals observed in the state.
We also came across a tweet sent out on March 18, 2023, by the West Bengal Police captioned, "This video is being circulated by some visual media channels & in social media as the blast in Khadikul, Egra. Actually it is the visual of Pooram festival in Kerala. #WBP appeals to all to refrain from circulation of fake news and warns of strict action against the violators. #WBP4”
Conclusion:
We found that the video was shot in Kavassery, Kerala showing a fireworks display during the Pooram festival in Kerala. We could not independently ascertain the location seen in the video however, the visuals are at least one year old and from West Bengal.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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