On Monday night a huge explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort ripped through the city, killing eight people and injuring more than 25. The blast, which hit the area around Lal Qila Metro Station’s Gate 1, sent shockwaves across the capital and sparked a wave of misinformation on social media.
In the early hours of Tuesday, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact‑Check team spotted a viral image being passed around as footage from the Delhi blast. The picture—showing a massive fireball and a mushroom cloud—was in fact taken during an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburb on 27 September 2024.
The PIB quickly posted a correction on X (formerly Twitter). “Some propaganda accounts are circulating an old image on social media, falsely claiming it to be linked to the blast in Delhi,” the agency explained. A link to a Lebanese news website confirmed the photo’s true origin: “A new Israeli airstrike targeted Beirut’s Dahiyeh.”
By 9 pm the false image had hit over 1.2 million users, feeding panic and conspiracy theories that blamed foreign powers or domestic sabotage for the tragedy. Several unverified accounts—including some with blue‑check marks—shared the photo with captions like “Delhi under attack” and “terror returns to the capital.”
While the misinformation spread, the government was busy responding to the disaster. Home Minister Amit Shah visited the blast site and the local hospital, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath sent their condolences. Delhi Police warned citizens not to share unverified content, stressing that false posts could hinder investigations.
Fact‑checkers noted that the Beirut blast image had appeared online many times before, during other incidents in Syria and Iraq. Authorities have identified more than 40 social‑media accounts spreading the fake image and are preparing to take action under the Information Technology rules.
The National Investigation Agency and the Delhi Police Special Cell are still probing the real cause of the explosion. In the meantime, the PIB urges everyone to double‑check sources before sharing stories that could fuel confusion or fear.
Source: ianslive
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