Fact Check by NewsMeter:
Claim: The video shows Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren announcing free shrouds ahead of the 2024 Jharkhand State elections.
Fact: The claim is false. The video is from 2021 when the announcement was made during a Covid-19 lockdown.
Ahead of the Jharkhand Assembly election, a video of Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been circulating online, which allegedly shows the JMM chief is promising free shrouds (kafans) for everyone in the State. The video is accompanied by claims that this promise was made in the lead-up to the elections.
Notably, the voting for the assembly elections in Jharkhand will take place in two phases on November 13 and November 20. The results will be declared on November 23.
An X user shared the video and wrote, "The Chief Minister will provide free shrouds (kafans) to the people of Jharkhand. Wow, Chief Minister! In the race to stay ahead with new freebies, no effort was made to understand the meaning behind this announcement." (Archive)
Fact Check
The claim that Soren recently promised free shrouds for everyone ahead of the 2024 elections is false. Upon investigation, it was found that this announcement was actually made in 2021, during the second wave of Covid-19.
The team did a reverse image search of the video’s keyframes and found the original video published by Navbharat Times on May 25, 2021. The viral clip appears within the first 17 seconds of the video. According to this report, Soren had announced free shrouds to help families facing difficulties in purchasing them for Covid-19 victims during the lockdown.
We also found the viral clip published by Zee News on May 25, 2021. The channel stated that the Jharkhand government had announced the distribution of free shrouds for patients dying of Covid-19.
We also came across news reports from Aaj Tak and Jansatta dated May 25, 2021, which covered Soren’s announcement of providing free shrouds for those who succumbed to Covid-19. Hence, we conclude that the video does not show Soren announcing free shrouds ahead of the 2024 Jharkhand State elections.
Claim Review: The video shows Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren announcing free shrouds ahead of the 2024 Jharkhand State elections.
Claimed By: X users
Claim Reviewed By: NewsMeter
Claim Source: X
Claim Fact Check: False
Fact: The claim is false. The video is from 2021 when the announcement was made during a Covid-19 lockdown.
(Disclaimer: This story was originally published by NewsMeter, and republished by India TV as part of the Shakti Collective.)
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