Fact Check: Impostor In Army Uniform Falsely Accuses Kerala CM Of Hindering Rescue Work
20 Aug 2018 11:41 AM GMT
Kerala is suffering from one of the worst natural calamities in the last 100 years. There have been outstanding efforts to get the situation under control as soon as possible. But as the government agencies are busy working in this direction, some miscreants have started spreading fake news.
The latest in this regard happens to be a video which shows a man in Army combat uniform. The video shows the man alleging that how Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is obstructing the Army from undertaking the rescue operations in Chengannur which also happens to be one of the worst affected areas.
As reported by The News Minute, in the two-minute thirty-second video, the man can be seen saying, “I am addressing the Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan. Why do you have so much animosity towards the Indian army? Is it because your minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan doesn’t want the army to come to your state? Thousands are stranded in Chengannur. Just let us come and do our work.”
The video was shared on a Facebook page named Bharatiya Mahila Morcha Thalassery constituency, from where it was shared about 28,000 times. Few other Facebook pages too shared and slowly this video also found its way to WhatsApp, reported The Hindu.
It did not take too long for this video to come under the notice of Indian Army, which then posted from the official account stating that the video was fake and that the person in question is not an Army personnel, but an impostor.
Imposter wearing Army combat uniform in video spreading disinformation about rescue & relief efforts. Every effort by all & #IndianArmy aimed to overcome this terrifying human tragedy.Forward disinformation about #IndianArmy on WhatsApp +917290028579. We are at it #KeralaFloods pic.twitter.com/ncUR7tCkZW
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) August 19, 2018
Indian Army through its official handle has also asked people to forward any sort of such misinformation on WhatsApp number +91 7290028579.
The police are yet to file a case and nab the imposter.
The Logical Indian take
This devastating flood has taken lives of over 300 people and has displaced more than 2.2 lakh citizens. The Army, Navy and Air Force along with the National Disaster Response Force have been actively involved in rescuing people. At this time, such fake videos not only create confusion but also dampen the spirit of people who are committed to helping the people of Kerala in this situation.