Fact check: Old video of boys placing stones on railway tracks resurfaces with misleading claims
New Delhi: A video showing a minor boy placing stones on railway tracks has resurfaced on social media, accompanied by misleading claims suggesting a deliberate act of sabotage linked to communal tensions. The video, widely circulated on platforms like X, implies that children are being used to cause train derailments, with some posts falsely attributing the incident to a specific community.
Social media users shared the video, claiming that the event is part of a larger conspiracy to sabotage railway tracks. These posts have gained significant traction, with many speculating about the involvement of certain communities in the incident.
However, a fact-check report by Alt News reveals that the video is not recent and lacks any communal angle. The video was traced back to May 12, 2018, when it was first posted on Facebook. It was recorded in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, and depicts children from nearby slums playing by placing stones on the railway tracks.
Ravi Kumar, the circle inspector of Raichur Railways, confirmed that the video is from 2018 and clarified that the children had no intention of causing harm. The trackmen present at the scene, identified as Gopal and Rajkumar, scolded the boys and let them go without filing a case. Both trackmen also confirmed that the boys involved were Hindus, debunking the communal claims.
In conclusion, the viral video is from 2018, and the claims of a deliberate act of sabotage with a communal angle are false. The incident involved children playing near the tracks without any malicious intent.
Right Wing Pro-Govt Propaganda accounts are sharing old videos to give communal angles to the train accidents or it is a deliberate act of 'sabotage'
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) September 8, 2024
This is a 6-yr-old video of boy placing stones on rail tracks in Kalburgi. This video was earlier shared with a claim that the… https://t.co/EaDBHZlskH
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Pakistani intruder arrested along LoC in J-K's Poonch
Jammu (PTI): A 26-year-old Pakistani intruder was arrested along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Tuesday, officials said.
The arrest came amid a diplomatic flare-up between India and Pakistan and almost daily ceasefire violations on the borders in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
Waqas, a resident of Tarkhal village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), was taken into custody by alert army personnel from a forward village in the Chakan-Da-Bagh area shortly after he crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and entered Indian territory, the officials said.
Preliminary questioning revealed that Waqas had inadvertently crossed the LoC from his village on the other side, they said.
No incriminating material was recovered from the intruder at the time of his arrest, they added.
