Despite a 77.5 per cent decline in stubble burning, which is considered a major contributor to Delhi’s winter air pollution, the national capital recorded its worst post-Diwali air quality in five years recently on Tuesday morning.
Lighthouse Journalism discovered a video being widely shared on social media platforms. The video showcased stubble burning in Punjab. The user claimed that the video was recent, which led to pollution in New Delhi.
During the investigation, we found that the video was from last year and not recent.
Claim:
X user VSV Diaries shared the viral video with a misleading claim.
Other users are also sharing the same video with a misleading claim.
Investigation:
We started the investigation by checking the ANI post embedded in the posts on X.
This led us to the ANI post from Nov 1, 2024.
The caption said: #WATCH | Punjab: An incident of stubble burning seen in a field in Dagru village of Moga district.
We also found news reports that said: Punjab has witnessed a major decline in stubble burning incidents this year, with only 415 cases reported between September 15 and October 21.
This is a sharp decrease from the same period last year, when 1,510 cases were recorded.
Conclusion: An Old video of stubble burning from Punjab last year is being shared as recent in connection with post-Diwali air pollution in New Delhi. The viral claim is misleading.
